Photo by: Jon Lambert
Andrew Funk Named Patriot League Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
3/2/2022 10:57:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell senior Andrew Funk added another major honor to his rapidly growing portfolio when he was named the 2022 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday.
The league's top scholar-athlete honor comes in the same week in which Funk earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors and then went out and scored 21 points along with the game-winning shot in Bucknell's wild 82-81 overtime win at Lafayette in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament.
Funk, who was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 Team earlier this season, carries a 3.66 cumulative grade-point average as an accounting and financial management major within Bucknell's Freeman College of Management. Funk also joined some elite company as a three-time selection to the five-man Academic All-Patriot League Team. He is just the ninth player in league history and the third from Bucknell to accomplish that feat. Former Bison all-star centers Mike Muscala and Nana Foulland were also three-time honorees.
Bucknell has now claimed the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 13 of the league's 32 seasons. Funk joins alums Paul Olkowski (1992), Tom Welch (1997), Valter Karavanic (1999, 2000), Dan Blankenship (2002, 2003), Chris McNaughton (2005, 2006, 2007), Mike Muscala (2013), Nana Foulland (2018), and Kimbal Mackenzie (2019) on the exclusive list.
Funk has enjoyed a spectacular senior season, and it carried over into the postseason when he scored nine of his team-high 21 points in overtime to help lift the Bison past Lafayette on Tuesday night. With his team trailing by one, Funk made a backdoor cut for a go-ahead layup with 16 seconds remaining in overtime.
That was Funk's 13th 20-point game of the season, and in three of those contests, he topped the 30-point mark. He recorded a career-high 38 points against Illinois State on Nov. 20, and he is one of only 28 players in the nation to record 28 or more points five times.
Funk ranks second in the Patriot League in scoring (17.8), made 3-pointers per game (2.7) and minutes played (36.5). He ranks third among all Division I players in total minutes and seventh in total field-goal attempts. In Tuesday's game at Lafayette, Funk surpassed Patrick King's 30-year-old record for minutes played in a season with 1,135.
Funk is also climbing a number of other top-10 lists in the Bucknell record book. He reached the 1,000-point mark at Holy Cross on Jan. 22, and he has since climbed to 22nd on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,217 career points.
With his 21 points at Lafayette on Tuesday, Funk jumped into the top 10 on the single-season scoring list with 551. His 84 3-pointers this season are second-most in team history, and his 187 career threes are eighth-most.
Joining Funk on the Academic All-Patriot League Team were Colgate's Tucker Richardson, Lehigh's Evan Taylor, and Loyola's Jaylin Andrews and Cam Spencer.
The ninth-seeded Bison have advanced to the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal round, where they will visit top-seeded Colgate on Thursday at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
The league's top scholar-athlete honor comes in the same week in which Funk earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors and then went out and scored 21 points along with the game-winning shot in Bucknell's wild 82-81 overtime win at Lafayette in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament.
Funk, who was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 Team earlier this season, carries a 3.66 cumulative grade-point average as an accounting and financial management major within Bucknell's Freeman College of Management. Funk also joined some elite company as a three-time selection to the five-man Academic All-Patriot League Team. He is just the ninth player in league history and the third from Bucknell to accomplish that feat. Former Bison all-star centers Mike Muscala and Nana Foulland were also three-time honorees.
Bucknell has now claimed the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 13 of the league's 32 seasons. Funk joins alums Paul Olkowski (1992), Tom Welch (1997), Valter Karavanic (1999, 2000), Dan Blankenship (2002, 2003), Chris McNaughton (2005, 2006, 2007), Mike Muscala (2013), Nana Foulland (2018), and Kimbal Mackenzie (2019) on the exclusive list.
Funk has enjoyed a spectacular senior season, and it carried over into the postseason when he scored nine of his team-high 21 points in overtime to help lift the Bison past Lafayette on Tuesday night. With his team trailing by one, Funk made a backdoor cut for a go-ahead layup with 16 seconds remaining in overtime.
That was Funk's 13th 20-point game of the season, and in three of those contests, he topped the 30-point mark. He recorded a career-high 38 points against Illinois State on Nov. 20, and he is one of only 28 players in the nation to record 28 or more points five times.
Funk ranks second in the Patriot League in scoring (17.8), made 3-pointers per game (2.7) and minutes played (36.5). He ranks third among all Division I players in total minutes and seventh in total field-goal attempts. In Tuesday's game at Lafayette, Funk surpassed Patrick King's 30-year-old record for minutes played in a season with 1,135.
Funk is also climbing a number of other top-10 lists in the Bucknell record book. He reached the 1,000-point mark at Holy Cross on Jan. 22, and he has since climbed to 22nd on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,217 career points.
With his 21 points at Lafayette on Tuesday, Funk jumped into the top 10 on the single-season scoring list with 551. His 84 3-pointers this season are second-most in team history, and his 187 career threes are eighth-most.
Joining Funk on the Academic All-Patriot League Team were Colgate's Tucker Richardson, Lehigh's Evan Taylor, and Loyola's Jaylin Andrews and Cam Spencer.
The ninth-seeded Bison have advanced to the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal round, where they will visit top-seeded Colgate on Thursday at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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