Developing During the Season

Valley Players In Season Improvements

(St. Louis, MO) – For Missouri Valley Conference teams to succeed, they must recruit well and make sure their players are developing during the season. Seeing them improve from one season to the next and during the season is critical to MVC teams competing in the NIL/transfer portal world.

Offseason development and strength and conditioning are huge, but how players grow during the competitive year can be season-transforming. At the end of the season the Valley will name a ‘Most Improved Team’ and those players will have improved in the offseason and will have grown into their current roles.

Bradley’s Brian Wardle takes pride in ‘player development’ and last season two Braves were named to the league’s most improved team. Over the past four years, four Drake players have been named to those teams and three were honored from Bradley. Ironically, now departed Valparaiso coach Matt Lottich put five players on those most improved teams.

Stars Developing During the Season

We often think of ‘most improved’ players as those that have limited roles and grow into productive players. Many of this year’s developing players are also current stars.

Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson says some of his top starters rank as some of the Panthers’ most improved players. Veteran Nate Heise missed all but two games last season and this year is UNI’s top scorer and leads the team in assists.

Like Heise, Trey Campbell is an outstanding defender and is the team’s top three point shooter. Campbell’s scoring average is up by nearly two points per game over last season and is second to Heise in minutes played.

Jacobson says the pair are playing great defense and contributing in an effective offensive fashion.

 

 

Similarly, Bradley’s Duke Deen has raised his scoring average by almost four points per game. He was a starter last year and was named to the ‘all-newcomer’ team. He is averaging more rebounds and more assists than last season and will soon surpass his season total of three-point baskets.

Wardle says Deen has become a true point guard while maintaining his ability to score. He says Deen has figured out his pivotal Bradley role.

 

 

Newcomers That Keep Growing

Current Valparaiso coach Roger Powell Jr has a mostly brand new roster, but he has seen exponential growth in several players. Three times, freshman Cooper Schwieger has been named the league’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ and he is growing into his great potential. Junior college transfer Isaiah Stafford is Valpo’s most dangerous offensive player.

Powell says Schwieger is really growing up Stafford is a strong scoring threat.

 

 

SIU’s A.J. Ferguson played just eleven games last season and battled early season injuries. He is currently the Salukis’ third leading scorer (9.1 ppg) and second leading rebounder (4.2 per game). Nine times he’s topped the ten point mark and is routinely playing thirty minutes per game.

Veteran Troy D’Amico has improved and his leadership role has been important.

Coach Bryan Mullins says those two players have been difference-makers.

 

 

All of Missouri State forward N.J. Benson’s numbers are improved and he has rountinely landed in the Bears’ starting lineup. After averaging under three points and three rebounds last season, the 6’8 Benson is averaging 7.5 points and seven rebounds this year. Benson has made 18 starts and is converting over 62% of his field goal attempts.

Six times he has reached double-digits in rebounds and nine times he has scored at least ten points. Coach Dana Ford says he’s improved many parts of his game.

 

 

Getting to Know the Players

Murray State’s Steve Prohm sighted transfer Nick Ellington and veteran Quincy Anderson. It took Prohm a while to know what the Eastern Illinois transfer could do and he had to wait for Anderson to get healthy.

Prohm says he’s been able to feature Ellington and Anderson has grown into the player they hoped he would be prior to the injury.

 

 

There are numerous players that deserve to be mentioned. Jayson Kent and the league’s leading scorer, Xavier Johnson have been dramatically better than last season. For this story we asked coaches who has made the most ‘in season’ progress.

Four others could be listed in this story. Belmont’s Jayce Willingham, Evansville’s Tanner Cuff, Illinois State’s Myles Foster and Missouri State’s Cesare Edwards have improved all season.

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