Valparaiso sophomore forward Alec Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington) is among 98 nominees from NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams for the 2015 Allstate NABC Good Works Team.  This prestigious community service award recognizes a distinguished group of student-athletes who have demonstrated a commitment to enriching the lives of others and contributing to the greater good in their communities.  20 award recipients, including five men’s Division I players, will be announced in February.

Peters has excelled as a member of the Valpo basketball program both on and off the court.  Last season, Peters was a member of the Horizon League All-Freshman Team after averaging 12.7 points per game, becoming the highest scoring Crusader freshman since 1998-99.  This season, the sophomore – a preseason First Team All-League selection – has been even better, averaging a league-best 19.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game.  A two-time league Player of the Week choice by College Sports Madness, Peters was MVP of the Challenge in Music City and was a member of the All-Tournament Team at the Central Michigan Tournament.

Peters made a big impact with his community as well following the devastating tornadoes that hit his hometown of Washington last November.  Despite being a freshman in the middle of basketball season, Peters went home for a day the day after the tornadoes hit, assisting friends and family with sifting through debris and their recovery efforts.  Two days following his return home, Peters stepped back onto the court for the first time and gave the Washington community something to be proud of, scoring 30 points in the Crusaders’ game at Evansville.

Then, this past summer, Peters brought his teammates and coaches back to Washington for a day, as the entire team took part in the Hope Swings initiative, a mission project between three local churches whose mission was to build and deliver 100 swing sets for families with children in Washington.  The team delivered a completed swing set at the end of the day to a Washington family, while also taking time to visit areas which were hit by the tornado and hearing from Doug Damery, a member of the Washington community whose house was destroyed by the storm and whose family lived with the Peters’ family for a few weeks afterwards.