ERIE, Pa. - Former Gannon men's basketball standout Adam Blazek continues to the take the world by storm, being named Georgian Super League Most Valuable Player during his first season with BC Rustavi.
The Georgian Super League is the top level of competition in Georgia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, Georgia is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. Rustavi plays 15 minutes from the capital of Tbilisi.
Blazek guided Rustavi to a 21-11 record and fourth-place finish during the regular season. The squad defeated Batumi RSU 2-1 in a best-of-three quarterfinal series with Blazek producing 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals during the clinching victory. Rustavi then fell to Kutaisi in a decisive game five during the semifinals and finished fourth.
Winners of four consecutive national championships from 2007-10, Rustavi was the Georgian Super League's second-highest scoring team during Blazek's first season, averaging 81.5 points per game. The squad ranked third in scoring defense at 77.6 points per game.
Blazek led the Georgian Super League in assists per game (5.8) and steals per game (3.6). In addition to ranking third among all league players in points per game (17.9), he also hauled down 6.1 rebounds per game. Blazek shot 46.8 percent (146-312) from the field, 36.6 percent (97-265) from three-point range and 76.9 percent (150-195) from the free throw line.
A two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Winter Top 10 selection and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court member, Blazek was named 2015-16 Gannon Male Student-Athlete of the Year after setting a high standard on and off the court. In addition to back-to-back Capital One Academic All-District first-team selections, he was named a PSAC Scholar-Athlete and received the NCAA Division II Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Academic Achievement Award every season.
The three-time All-American was named to the Division II Bulletin honorable-mention team during his last two seasons and the NABC first team as a junior. Blazek was a four-time all-region selection, being named to the NABC and Daktronics All-Atlantic Region first teams as a junior and senior. He earned All-PSAC honors three times during his career, including back-to-back first-team selections. His resume also included an All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) second-team honor.
Blazek averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals in 32 games as a senior. He ranked No. 1 among PSAC players in steals per game (2.3), second in minutes per game (37:41), seventh in free throw percentage (82.9), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9) and eighth in assists per game.
The four-year starter was named PSAC Western Division Player of the Year as a junior and PSAC Western Division Freshman of the Year in 2012. In addition to being Gannon's all-time steals leader with 243, Blazek ranks fourth all-time at Gannon in three-pointers (190), seventh in assists (373) and seventh in points (1,550).
Blazek captured a pair of distinguished preseason awards in 2014-15, being named to the Sporting News Preseason All-America honorable-mention and Preseason All-PSAC Western Division teams.
