Missouri Valley All Conference Team

(St. Louis, MO) – There were few surprises in the Missouri Valley Conference all-conference teams. First teamers were all juniors and seniors, and that group included the league’s leading scorer (Ryan Taylor of Evansville), rebounder (Alize Johnson of Missouri State), assist man (Illinois State’s Milik Yarbrough), Drake’s all-time leading scorer (Reed Timmer) and the point guard from league champion Loyola (Clayton Custer).

Those five had spectacular seasons.

Clayton Custer – Loyola Ramblers

Custer reminded many Valley watchers of Drake’s Adam Emmenecker or Indiana State’s Jake Odom, players that willed their teams to victory with their overall game and leadership. The 6’1 junior was tenth in scoring, third in assists, fourth in steals, fifth in free throw percentage, second in three-point shooting and third in assist-turnover ratio.

He was brilliant, but the most telling statistic of all is that Loyola was 2-3 when he was out with an injury (including two of the three MVC losses) and 23-2 when he was playing.

Alize Johnson – Missouri State Bears

The preseason ‘Player of the Year‘ led the Valley in rebounding by a wide margin. His 11.4 average was the only double digit figure in the conference. His 19 double-doubles not only leads the league, but is fourth in the NCAA. The 6’9 senior also averaged 15.1 points per game. His 8.4 DEFENSIVE rebounds would have led the league all by themselves.

Johnson’s combined averages of points, assists and rebounds (P-A-R) came to 29.2, best in the Valley. His rebounding title is his second straight.

Ryan Taylor – Evansville Purple Aces

All Taylor did was become the third Ace to lead the Valley in scoring over the past five seasons. Taylor’s 22.1 points per game average was boosted by his league-leading .864 accuracy from the free-throw line. The 6’6 junior follows D.J. Balentine (3 straight seasons) and Jaylon Brown (last year) as the most prolific scorers in the Valley. His average is the MVC’s best since Balentine’s 22.8 in 2014.

Taylor’s 997 career point total leave him three shy of 1,000 with Arch Madness yet to play and a senior season to go.

Reed Timmer – Drake Bulldogs

Drake’s all-time leading scorer saved his best season for his last campaign in Des Moines. Finishing second to Taylor in scoring (19.6 ppg) and free-throw percentage (.863) the Wisconsin native has totaled 1,956 career points and helped spark the Bulldogs to an historic turn around season.

Timmer has been the ‘face’ of Drake basketball for the past three seasons.

Milik Yarbrough – Illinois State

Yarbrough was five-time recipient of the ‘Newcomer of the Week‘ award and the 6’6 Saint Louis University transfer was a ‘do-everything’ player for the Redbirds. He was the Valley’s fourth leading scorer, fifth leading rebounder and led the conference in assists playing his ‘point forward’ position. He follows former Redbird Paris Lee as the second straight ISU player to lead the league in that department.

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