All-Conference Teams

[TylerDurden]

The FOY/All-Freshman team thread started bleeding into discussions about other specialty awards so I thought it deserved its own thread.

My ballot would look like this, as of today. I did not choose every category the MVC awards:

Coach of the Year
1. Schertz, Indiana State - this should be unanimous.
2. Wardle, Bradley
3. DeVries, Drake

Player of the Year - I think Indiana State players are going to split votes, plus DeVries has better stats
1. DeVries, Drake
2. Avila, Indiana State
3. Swope, Indiana State

Newcomer of the Year
1. Swope, Indiana State
2. Conwell, Indiana State
3. Stafford, Valpo

Freshman of the Year - see the other thread

6th Man of the Year - submit your thoughts. I don't have a good feel for this one.

Defensive Player of the Year
1. Leons, Bradley
2. Larry, Indiana State
3. Okani, UIC

All-Conference First Team
1. DeVries, Drake
2. Johnson, SIU
3. Swope, Indiana State
4. Avila, Indiana State
5. Hickman, Bradley

All-Conference Second Team
1. Leons, Bradley
2. Kent, Indiana State
3. Brodie, Drake
4. Mason, Missouri State
5. Dia, Belmont

All-Conference Third Team
1. Deen, Bradley
2. Conwell, Indiana State
3. Tyson, Belmont
4. Larry, Indiana State
5. Stafford, Valpo

[jturner38]

My guess on how the league will vote it.

The FOY/All-Freshman team thread started bleeding into discussions about other specialty awards so I thought it deserved its own thread.

My ballot would look like this, as of today. I did not choose every category the MVC awards:

Coach of the Year
1. Schertz, Indiana State - this should be unanimous.
2. Wardle, Bradley
3. DeVries, Drake

Player of the Year - I think Indiana State players are going to split votes, plus DeVries has better stats
1. DeVries, Drake
2. Avila, Indiana State
3. Swope, Indiana State
4. Xavier Johnson

Newcomer of the Year
1. Swope, Indiana State
2. Conwell, Indiana State
3. Stafford, Valpo

Freshman of the Year - see the other thread

6th Man of the Year - Xavier Bledson, INSU

Defensive Player of the Year
1. Leons, Bradley
2. Larry, Indiana State
3. Okani, UIC

All-Conference First Team
1. DeVries, Drake
2. Johnson, SIU
3. Swope, Indiana State
4. Avila, Indiana State
5. Hickman, Bradley

All-Conference Second Team
1. Leons, Bradley
2. Kent, Indiana State
3. Brodie, Drake
4. Mason, Missouri State
5. Dia, Belmont
6. Conwell, Indiana State

All-Conference Third Team
1. Deen, Bradley
2. Rivera, UIC
3. Tyson, Belmont
4. Larry, Indiana State
5. Stafford, Valpo
6. Ben Humrichous

Most Improved Team
1. Johnson, SIU
2. Kent, INSU
3. Avila, INSU
4. Hickman, BU
5. Hannah, BU/Larry, INSU/Deen, BU/Mason, MOST

[BEARZ77]

I think Donovan Clay should be on a couple of your lists. I think he and Leons can both guard 1-5, but Donovan is more physical [ not better, just that he's more physical ] ; I don't think Leons can hang with guys who go above 230 on the blocks while Clay can. So I'd have him on your top 3.Don't think Larry or Okani are nearly as versatile as Clay/Leons. Again not saying he's better overall , just very close and perhaps can hold his own on the blocks a bit easier. Also think he's easily a top 15 in the league.

When a full defensive team is picked, would consider Mayo at least among the top 5-10 as well. He's not a stat guy in that he gets a lot of steals etc, but if he's guarding you, you know it all night and he can guard 1-4 because he's so physical.

[TylerDurden]

I think Donovan Clay should be on a couple of your lists. I think he and Leons can both guard 1-5, but Donovan is more physical [ not better, just that he's more physical ] ; I don't think Leons can hang with guys who go above 230 on the blocks while Clay can. So I'd have him on your top 3.Don't think Larry or Okani are nearly as versatile as Clay/Leons. Again not saying he's better overall , just very close and perhaps can hold his own on the blocks a bit easier. Also think he's easily a top 15 in the league.

When a full defensive team is picked, would consider Mayo at least among the top 5-10 as well. He's not a stat guy in that he gets a lot of steals etc, but if he's guarding you, you know it all night and he can guard 1-4 because he's so physical.

Which lists would you put Clay on? I think he'll have a hard time cracking the all-conference teams with his MVC-only numbers and the MSU season. I think he's a good player, but these aren't my rules. There's also the old "if you add him, who to you take off?" bit.

I was surprised at how well Okani's numbers stack up in blocks (1st) and steals (3rd) (MVC games only). I'll admit it's for a bad team in pretty low-leverage situations, but he will get some votes because of those numbers. Numbers don't tell the full defensive story, of course.

[PretzelDawg]

Xavier Johnson has to be in the Player of the Year discussion. He certainly doesn't play on the best team, but he leads the conference in points and assists. He has done everything he can to keep his team in games. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the help around him likes the best players on Indiana State, Bradley, and Drake have.

[TylerDurden]

Xavier Johnson has to be in the Player of the Year discussion. He certainly doesn't play on the best team, but he leads the conference in points and assists. He has done everything he can to keep his team in games. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the help around him likes the best players on Indiana State, Bradley, and Drake have.

Agree he's in the discussion. Having a good year as the primary scorer and playmaker for SIU. He's the primary focus on the opposition's scouting report, which alone shows his talent. I'd put him No. 4 on my ballot.

[squirrel]

Leons should be consensus first-team. Also Deen and Hickman will split votes from across the league.

Speaking of Deen and Hickman, it's clear that Darrell Brown has done a tremendous job in developing both of those guys as Director of Player Development, which is a position that can now work players out and practice with them.

[FunchessonPopcorn]

Agree with Squirrel. Just one Bradley fan’s opinion, and there are definitely Bradley fans that would argue for Hickman, but I think you need to have Leons 1st team. Leons is exceptionally unselfish by nature. He can swing a game in Bradley’s favor in a big way even taking only 4 or 5 shots in a game. However, he’s got way more comfortable over the last year or so with the concept of the unselfish thing sometimes being less deferential/more assertive on offense when the situation requires. He will take the toughest assignments defensively and compete on that end every time. Hickman is no slouch either on the end, but his range of assignments are more narrow. Leons steps in and fills a need on offense when the game flow and situation call for it, but he doesn’t force it.

Leons is currently #1 on Orating in conference play, per Ken Pom, and is generally seen as the best defensive player. That’s 1st team all the way.

The argument for Hickman is there, but a chunk of it rests on the anecdotal comparisons of how bad it was while he was hurt. Well, that’s what happens with 3 true scholarship guards to play. That’s as much or more a roster construction shortcoming as anything, though clearly we’d miss Hickman with a deep guard rotation too. He is way up there in terms of MIP candidates, and is an all conference level player somewhere.

Leons defensive versatility goes a long way to help mask the lack of true guard depth on that side of the ball in a similar way Hickman’s injury highlighted his value. Leons makes a lot of goofy lineups we roll out work for us defensively, given we only have Burch that is a usable guard off the bench. You try to plug in your standard 6’9” guy on your standard MVC starting guard or wing, and it doesn’t work generally….but it does with Leons.

[squirrel]

Leons is currently #1 on Orating in conference play, per Ken Pom, and is generally seen as the best defensive player. That’s 1st team all the way.

Bingo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqAyz1coj44

[BEARZ77]

Which lists would you put Clay on? I think he'll have a hard time cracking the all-conference teams with his MVC-only numbers and the MSU season. I think he's a good player, but these aren't my rules. There's also the old "if you add him, who to you take off?" bit.

I was surprised at how well Okani's numbers stack up in blocks (1st) and steals (3rd) (MVC games only). I'll admit it's for a bad team in pretty low-leverage situations, but he will get some votes because of those numbers. Numbers don't tell the full defensive story, of course.

Well you mention Missouri States year like it's a limiting factor, but then have 5 players from teams below Mo St on your 2nd and 3rd teams. Humrichous has missed a lot of games, but even w/o I wouldn't have him above Donnie; nor Stafford or Rivera. None of them are the 2 way player Donnie is . Stafford scores but has poor shooting #s and Rivera just doesn't do much for me.

Defensively I'd have Donnie just behind Leons, as they are really the only two who can effectively guard 1-5 . And yeah stats like steals and blocked shots are part of a defensive profile, but who can you guard and what's the result when you do is more important in my book. Donnie always gets the top guy regardless of position. In recent weeks he's held Devries scoreless for a second half and 2 ot's, held Tyson[Belmont] and Schweiger[ Valpo] both to 10 pts , and then flipped over the last few minutes against Belmont and guarded Dia while the Bears sealed the game.