KENOSHA, Wis. — Carthage College's men's basketball standout, Fillip Bulatovic, has garnered recognition on this year's NABC All-District First Team and D3hoops.com All-Region First Team. Additionally, first-year student-athlete Ryan Johnson has been named D3hoops.com Region Eight Rookie of the Year, as announced by the respective organizations today.

From Harwood Heights, Ill., Bulatovic secured his second consecutive All-District and All-Region honors for the Firebirds. Bulatovic earned a spot on the 2024 Reese's NABC Division III All-Star team, making him the first Carthage athlete to receive such an honor since Steve Djurickovic. Throughout the season, Bulatovic averaged 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Notable highlights include a season-high 32 points against Augustana (Ill.) on February 2, 17 rebounds against Illinois Wesleyan on January 13, and eight assists against North Central (Ill.) on December 6. Bulatovic ranked fifth in scoring in the conference and led in rebounds, securing another unanimous First Team All-Conference selection in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW).

Meanwhile, first-year student-athlete Ryan Johnson, a native of Oswego, Ill., emerges as the second Firebirds athlete to claim the D3hoops.com Rookie of the Year award since Djurickovic in 2008. Johnson averaged 10.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Noteworthy achievements comprise a season-best 25 points against Millikin on January 6, 15 rebounds against Carroll (Wis.) on January 17, and four blocks against Thiel on November 11. Johnson's performances also secured him the CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year, marking Carthage's first back-to-back achievement in program history. Additionally, Johnson earned a place on the Second Team.

Looking ahead, Bulatovic is set to participate in the Reese's Division III College All-Star game preceding the national championship on Saturday, March 16, at 12:30 ET in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The event will be broadcast online, featuring commentary from D3hoops.com's Pat Coleman and Dave McHugh. The game's coaches will be Steve Moore, former head coach at Wooster, and Webb Hatch, former coach at Marymount and Frostburg State.

Notably, the D3hoops.com all-region teams, which include Bulatovic and Johnson, were nominated by Sports Information Directors at various schools. With 798 players nominated nationwide, the selections were made available to SIDs for voting. The regional Rookie of the Year award recognizes the top freshman in each region, and D3hoops.com will also announce a regional Coach of the Year. Bulatovic and Johnson remain eligible for the D3hoops.com All-America teams, with the official release scheduled for March 16 at the national championship game. The teams are selected based on votes from sports information directors nationwide.