2015 MVCfans.com - post season awards and honors

[Cdizzle]

I thought Cotton should have been first team last year and got hosed - you can still read my writeup from last season. How he wasn't first team this year is inexplicable. Frankly, I think I got it right:

link: MVCfans.com 2015 Missouri Valley Conference POY and All-MVC teams

I think you absolutely nailed it. DJ Ballentine is not one of the Top 5 all-around players in the conference. Top 5 offensively, maybe. Overall? Absolutely not. It was a hot debate last year, and he actually got worse (statistically) this year.

I'm also glad to see that Wes was acknowledged as a 2nd team player. If Ballentine can be 1st team (undeservedly) for shooting 42% and grabbing just over 3 rebounds and 3 assists (to go along with mediocre defense at best) then Wes deserves 2nd team for shooting 48.5% and grabbing just under 3 rebounds and 3 assists and playing All-Valley defense (IMO). Boy cherry picking stats is wonderful

Final thought, we can debate who's better defensively between UNI and WSU and I know UNI fans are flabbergasted that Jeremy Morgan and Wes Washpun are not on that list, but I have a hard time arguing with it.

It is absurd that there are not any UNI players on the all-defensive team. Morgan causes problems. I think Washpun's defense (from what I've seen) is fairly high-risk high-reward, much like the rest of his game. But you could make even more harsh arguments to that end about Lynch and Lee.

[Cdizzle]

I thought Cotton should have been first team last year and got hosed - you can still read my writeup from last season. How he wasn't first team this year is inexplicable. Frankly, I think I got it right:

link: MVCfans.com 2015 Missouri Valley Conference POY and All-MVC teams

I can prove statistically that Cotton's defense alone nearly makes up the difference between the scoring average of Cotton and Balentine, as in his games against the best guards in the league he held them to an average of 6.1ppg lower than their season averages on 10% lower shooting, and 30% lower 3PT shooting. Add in his rebounding, assists, steals, A/TO, W/L, and the comparison becomes a joke.

[glm38]

IMO, Cotton is the best defender i've ever seen in the Valley. I'm not saying he's the best ever, just that i've seen. That does cover a long time (since 1990).

He's the best defender I've seen too. I've watched a lot of WSU games the last 4 years and I can only remember twice in those 4 years that an offensive player seemed to get the better of him. One was the 1st UNI game this year (Washpun). The other was several years ago at JQH and Marcus Marshall got on a real roll and got Cotton in foul trouble.

I think because of his defense Cotton would start or play significant minutes for most D1 programs. Even those in the power conferences.

[Rollbird5]

I thought Cotton should have been first team last year and got hosed - you can still read my writeup from last season. How he wasn't first team this year is inexplicable. Frankly, I think I got it right:

link: MVCfans.com 2015 Missouri Valley Conference POY and All-MVC teams

I think you absolutely nailed it. DJ Ballentine is not one of the Top 5 all-around players in the conference. Top 5 offensively, maybe. Overall? Absolutely not. It was a hot debate last year, and he actually got worse (statistically) this year.

I'm also glad to see that Wes was acknowledged as a 2nd team player. If Ballentine can be 1st team (undeservedly) for shooting 42% and grabbing just over 3 rebounds and 3 assists (to go along with mediocre defense at best) then Wes deserves 2nd team for shooting 48.5% and grabbing just under 3 rebounds and 3 assists and playing All-Valley defense (IMO). Boy cherry picking stats is wonderful

Final thought, we can debate who's better defensively between UNI and WSU and I know UNI fans are flabbergasted that Jeremy Morgan and Wes Washpun are not on that list, but I have a hard time arguing with it.

It is absurd that there are not any UNI players on the all-defensive team. Morgan causes problems. I think Washpun's defense (from what I've seen) is fairly high-risk high-reward, much like the rest of his game. But you could make even more harsh arguments to that end about Lynch and Lee.

I'd put Morgan on it instead of Lynch, Morgan's probably the 2nd best defender in conference. Lynch blocks a lot of shots/alters many but with his fouling and when he misses blocks it puts the team in bad positions sometimes. Needs to be a better rebounder too which I'm sure he will keep getting better at these next two years. Lee absolutely deserves to be on it tho causes havoc all over the court and is top ten in steals in the Nation. Some people don't think much of the steals stat but top ten in the nation in that stat is very impressive. Just my opinion tho

[2livewu]

Darren Brooks was a better defender than Cotton.

No that Cotton isn't great, he is. Lets back off on the hyperbole a little...

Easy. SIU never was as good as WSU last year or this year. That's not including the FInal Four team. Cotton is beyond elite defensively and that's sans grab and hold of the early SIU days.

I have a problem with no Morgan or Smith (Morgan more than Smith) on the D. I might even argue for Washpun over VanVleet but man FVV is good. There are just a bunch of really good defenders in the league. And Lynch fouls too much to be on this team, as far as I'm concerned.

[2livewu]

Cotton, unlike anyone else we've mentioned can guard a 6' PG and guard a 6'7 forward. He is the most versatile defensive player I've ever seen.

It was interesting that Cotton couldn't handle Washpun in Cedar Falls and in Wichita was switched to guarding Bohannon/Jesperson and Van Vleet was on the UNI pgs.

Everyone is entitled to an off day. Most people just aren't used to WSU players having off days the last 4 years or so.

[PantherSigEp]

I thought the consensus was that Jacob Enevold was not a good player for Drake. I mean he's decent, but it wasn't long ago that we thought he was primed to break out and look like the next dominant big man in the Valley. I repeat, he's not terrible. Frustratingly inconsistent and underwhelming, but not terrible. Well he managed his way onto the most improved team. Interesting, although I can't name many other big men who deserved to make it over him. Gant? I don't think he "improved" this year did he? Nate Wells maybe?

Also, I could be wrong, but is Buss the only non-transfer on the All-Bench team?

Most Improved Team:
*Devonte Brown, Indiana State Jr. G 6-2 Killeen (Texas) Ellison High

Darius Carter, Wichita State Sr. F 6-7 Akron (Ohio) Firestone High / Vincennes JC

Jacob Enevold Jensen, Drake So. C 6-11 Lunderskov (Denmark) / Falkonergardens Gymnasium

Marvin Singleton, UNI Sr. F 6-6 Minneapolis (Minn.) Hopkins High

Evan Wessel, Wichita State Jr. G 6-5 Wichita (Kan.) Heights High

Dorrian Williams, Missouri State Jr. G 6-3 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Douglass High


All-Bench Team:

*Wes Washpun, UNI Jr. G 6-1 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Washington / Tennessee

Tre' Bennett, Indiana State Jr. G 5-10 Houston (Texas) Lamar State CC

Mislav Brzoja, Evansville So. G 6-4 Zagrab (Croatia) / Villanova

Nate Buss, UNI Sr. F 6-9 Charles City (Iowa) High

Bobby Hunter, Illinois State Sr. G 5-10 Reno (Nev.) Bishop Manogue / Sante Fe College

[Rollbird5]

Glad to see Wessel get on a team, ultimate glue guy and competitor

[DUBulldog]

I thought the consensus was that Jacob Enevold was not a good player for Drake. I mean he's decent, but it wasn't long ago that we thought he was primed to break out and look like the next dominant big man in the Valley. I repeat, he's not terrible. Frustratingly inconsistent and underwhelming, but not terrible. Well he managed his way onto the most improved team.

I think inconsistent is a real good way to describe him. Overall, his numbers this year as a starter weren't that much different than his numbers last year as a reserve. In the long run, I think he could be a 10 ppg, 7 rpg type of player, but too slow and too mechanical to ever be a star.

[Wufan]

Glad to see Wessel get on a team, ultimate glue guy and winner

Fixed it for you. 89-3 in games played in. Losses are at UNI, at Utah, and neutral against Kentucky.