Sophomore guard Samuel Haanpää (Kerava, Finland/Cornerstone [Texas] Christian) has been named the U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month for December after leading the Crusaders to a 5-2 record during the month.

Haanpää scored a team-high 14 points per game on 59.6% shooting during December.  He hit at a 51.1% clip from behind the arc, averaging better than three 3-pointers per contest over the seven games.  The sophomore led the Crusaders in scoring three times, including a career-high output of 32 points against Chicago State.  He connected on ten 3-pointers in the win over the Cougars, setting a new Valpo standard in the category.  Haanpää earned Horizon League Player of the Week and Mid-Majority Baller of the Week honors on Dec. 17.

In the classroom, Haanpää maintains a 3.79 grade point average as an international business major.  He earned U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week recognition on Dec. 18, and was named to the Mid-Continent Conference All-Academic Team as a freshman.