Missouri Valley – Non-Conference Awards

(St. Louis, MO) – There are preseason prognostications and post season awards, but here are your ‘Missouri Valley Conference – Non-Conference Awards’ for 2016! Argue if you must. Send bouquets of congratulation if you are so inspired, but here is my take on the non-conference season for the Valley players and teams.

Player of the Non-Conference

This is a tight race. If we started with an all-conference team first, it would be easier. You could toss a hanky over the players that are finalists for this non-conference award. Milton Doyle has been a stat stuffer for the team tied with the best record. Jeremy Morgan has been outstanding and was the pre-season favorite. Brenton Scott has been hitting big shots and Alize Johnson and Aundre Jackson have burst on the scene in fantastic fashion.

However, for a team to be picked to finish ninth in the league, and to lose two all-time great players, the Purple Aces of Evansville have been nothing short of miraculous. The 9-4 Aces have played far better than anyone thought possible and a prime reason is the play of the Valley’s leading scorer and ‘Player of the Non-Conference’, Jaylon Brown.

The 6’ senior has doubled his scoring average (10.8 to 21.5 points per game), increased his three-point shooting accuracy by roughly half (.308 to .459) and his minutes played by almost five per game. Twice, the Fishers, Indiana native has topped the 30-point mark, and after two subpar games over Thanksgiving weekend, he has averaged 25 points per game.

If Brown holds on to the scoring lead, the Aces would have claimed the leading scorer title for four straight years.

Newcomer of the Non-Conference

This is too close to call and it is loaded with star power. Missouri State’s Alize Johnson leads the Valley in rebounding (9.2 per game) and is fifteenth in scoring (13.2 ppg). Loyola’s Aundre Jackson is third in scoring (16.8 ppg) and first in field goal percentage (.728). Guard Ryan Taylor (Evansville) is fifth in scoring (16.0) while placing third in free-throw percentage, and landing in the top 10 in both blocked shots and converted three-pointers. These three have combined to win the weekly newcomer award six of the seven times it has been awarded. Johnson and Jackson have three such awards.

Since the Ramblers have 10 victories, we will give the nod of ‘Newcomer of the Non-Conference’ to Aundre Jackson. That .728 shooting percentage is shockingly good.

Freshman of the Non-Conference

This league is loaded with first year talent. Wichita State’s duo of Landry Shamet and Austin Reaves is impressive. Bradley’s Darrell Brown Junior is knocking down threes (24 of them at a .471 clip) and leads the Braves in scoring (11.6). Northern Iowa’s Spencer Haldeman has surprised Valley watchers, by cracking into a significant role on the veteran Panther squad averaging 9.5 points per game and shooting over 85% from the line and right at 40% from beyond the arc.

Shamet takes the title of ‘Freshman of the Non-Confernce’ by virtue of his significant numbers against that arduous Shocker schedule. The Kansas City native leads WSU in three-pointers (21), is second in assists and fourth in points per game (9.2).

Coach of the Non-Conference

This award has to belong to Marty Simmons, with a nod to Porter Moser. Simmons’ Evansville team lost two super-stars to graduation, then a projected starter to season-ending knee surgery before they played a game (Blake Simmons). They were picked ninth in the pre-season poll and are 9-4. Other than Brown and Taylor, there are no sure bets on the offensive end for the coach spending his 10^th season on the bench of the Purple Aces.

Conference season begins Wednesday and all these trends could change, but prior to the ‘real season’ heating up, we at Valley Hoops Insider wanted to acknowledge these non-conference feats!

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