CHICAGO (April 2, 2018) – Loyola University Chicago redshirt junior Clayton Custer (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest/Iowa State) is the recipient of the 2018 Lou Henson Award National Player of the Year award, it was announced today. Presented by CollegeInsider.com, the award is given annually to the nation's top NCAA Division I mid-major player.
 
Custer wrapped up a highly successful 2017-18 campaign over the weekend, scoring 15 points and adding a pair of steals in Loyola's 69-57 loss to seventh-ranked Michigan in the NCAA semifinals in San Antonio, Texas. The crafty 6-foot-1 point guard helped lead the Ramblers to their first NCAA tournament berth since 1985 and their first NCAA Final Four appearance since winning the national championship in 1963.
 
Named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Custer became the first Loyola player to earn conference player of the year accolades since Andre Moore in 1987 in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.
 
With Custer in the lineup this season, Loyola went 30-3. He finished the year with per-game averages of 13.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 52.8 percent (160-for-303) from the field, 45.1 percent (60-for-133) from three-point range and 77 percent (57-for-74) from the free throw line.
 
Custer scored in double figures 27 times in 2017-18, five times reaching the 20-point mark. After returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for five games in December and early January, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District selection steered the Ramblers to a 21- 2 ledger.
 
Off the court, Custer, who exemplifies the term "student-athlete," was recognized for his academic achievements, earning College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District recognition, while also collecting MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honors.
 
Loyola finished the 2017-18 season with a school-record 32 wins.