BOSTON, Ma.   – Western Michigan men's basketball senior guard Thomas Wilder was named to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Award Preseason watch list on Wednesday. The award is given annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player.

Wilder was named Preseason All-MAC West after averaging 19.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season en route to First Team All-MAC honors. The Montgomery, Ill., native was also named to the Preseason All-High Major Third Team by College Sports Madness.

Last season, Wilder scored in double figures in 31 of the 32 contests and heads into the 2017-18 campaign ranking 10^th at WMU in career scoring with 1,437 points. The senior guard also ranks fifth in career FT's made (416), seventh in FT attempts (522) and 11^th in career assists (275).

Wilder is one of three players from the Mid-American Conference to be named to the watch list with Toledo's Jaelan Sanford and Kent State's Jaylin Walker.

The 2017-18 Lou Henson National Player of the Year award will be announced on March 31, 2018 at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Event in San Antonio, site of the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.
Lou Henson coached 41 years and when he left the game in 2005 he was sixth all-time in career Division I wins with 779. He is the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State. He is one of only 12 coaches in the history to take two schools to the Final Four.