MVCfans.com

I will get the voting opened for MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year in the next several days. Here is your chance to nominate players you believe will be considered for the award by year's end. After reviewing your suggestions, we will list 10 or so players to vote on for the preseason honors.

I will nominate Bush Wamukota of WSU for NCOY and Rashard Kelly for FOY.

Evansville hasn't a freshman on the team but they have a couple for NCoY
1. Mislav Brzoja G 6-4 205 R-So.

2 Willie Wiley F 6-7 215 Jr.

For WSU:

Rashard Kelly, from Hargrave Military Academy, is probably the top true Fr. His minutes (and stats) depend on how Wamukota (7' JuCo) and Nurger (6'10" Fr) do in the post. If they can handle the post, then Carter gets most of his minutes at PF and Kelly's minutes (and stats) are limited.

Shaq Morris *6'7", 261. This is the big mystery player for the Shox. RS Fr. PoY in the largest school class in Oklahoma in HS. MVP in OK/TX All-Star game. Marshall doghouse candidate over conditioning/work ethic issues. Morris knocked over 2 minutes off his mile run time this summer, so maybe he's "getting" it. If Morris "gets it" and Wamukota and Nurger need some more time, Morris could get serious minutes and stats at PF/C. Morris is also a candidate for trfr to a JuCo next year if he doesn't "get it".

Zach Brown is likely to back Cotton and Baker. Easy to get overlooked in that role. At 6'6". played PG in the elite prep school he attended after HS. Played half his prep school games against JuCo teams in Kansas, which has tough JuCo Teams.

Rauno Nurger - 6'10", 240 Fr. Another player with a prep school year after HS graduation. Former SEC commit. Shot blocker with decent post moves and range past the 3-point line. If Nurger can learn the D that Marshall requires, he will get minutes. His pick-n-pop ability to score from 3 gives the 3 perimeter players a 6'10" 3-point dish option when driving to the hoop.

I'd be incredibly surprised if Wyatt Lohaus or any of our redshirts put up the numbers necessary to contend for the FOY.

However Paul Jesperson could certainly find himself in position for NOY. Especially if he finds himself in the starting lineup. Lanky white Iowa kid who excels in defense and perimeter presence. That's about as prototypical-UNI as you can get and we're hoping it's the piece that closes the gap from those close losses last year and pushes this team back to the top of this league and into the Tourney.

Chris Kendrix-MSU

There isn't much Chris Kendrix can't do on a basketball court.

He's secured his legacy as one of the most talented high school players to come out of southwest Missouri in many years. One-on-one, there aren't many in the state who can stay with the man who carried Willard within a breath of this year's Class 5 Final Four.

Kendrix was the only player, male or female, to be nominated on every ballot returned by the area's coaches for a spot on this year's All-Ozarks team.

The 6-foot-4 wing has a ferocious dunking ability that became almost legendary, and he developed an all-around game that turned heads around the country.

Kendrix averaged 23.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.6 steals, 1.8 blocked shots and 1.3 assists per game while leading Willard to a 21-7 record.

He scored 40 points in his final high school game, a 57-54 loss to eventual state runner-up Columbia Hickman.

For Drake, I could see Reed Timmer or Ore Arogundade contending for FOY....bot figure to get lots of playing time.

PantherSigEp wrote:I'd be incredibly surprised if Wyatt Lohaus or any of our redshirts put up the numbers necessary to contend for the FOY.

However Paul Jesperson could certainly find himself in position for NOY. Especially if he finds himself in the starting lineup. Lanky white Iowa kid who excels in defense and perimeter presence. That's about as prototypical-UNI as you can get and we're hoping it's the piece that closes the gap from those close losses last year and pushes this team back to the top of this league and into the Tourney.

I know most of us northern midwest states look the same...but...his hometown is over 200 miles from the closest bridge crossing into Iowa....


Sorry...not important.

DUBulldog wrote:For Drake, I could see Reed Timmer or Ore Arogundade contending for FOY....bot figure to get lots of playing time.

^this. Everything I've seen from Ore suggests he's going to make an immediate impact. Probably the player i'm most excited to see this year.

NOY- Devaughn Akoon-Purcell
NOY/FOY- Teddy Hawkins, Mikyle McIntosh
I'd be surprised if one of these 3 guys didn't win one of these two awards with the impact that most believe they will make.