More MVC/OVC Emerging Stars

(St. Louis, MO) – There were some vital early season wins for the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conference teams and this week’s award winners are early season emerging stars.

MVC teams have won six games against top-ten conference teams, including wins over ‘power five’ teams Indiana, South Carolina and Wake Forest. OVC teams have five wins in such games, including three victories over Conference USA clubs.

Who are those emerging stars?

Missouri Valley Conference

Illinois State (2-2) is off to an uneven start, but junior guard Keyshawn Evans has exploded out of the gate averaging 22.3 points per game last week. ISU went 2-1 for the week with victories over South Carolina and Tulsa. Evans was awarded the Valley’s ‘Player of the Week’ honor. Evans’ career high 29 point performance sparked the Redbirds to their Sunday win over Tulsa. ISU plays its home opener on Wednesday.

Undefeated Loyola expected big things from transfer Marques Townes and the former Fairleigh Dickinson guard averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds in the Ramblers’ two wins. The 6’4 Townes is the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’ and this week he and the Ramblers participate in the Savannah Invitational.

Ohio Valley Conference

Belmont’s huge week was sparked, in part, by this weeks’ ‘Player of the Week’ Dylan Windler. The Bruins rang up three enormous wins (Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee and Houston Baptist) and Windler averaged a double-double (15.5 ppg & 12.3 rpg) including his career high 24 points in the win over Vandy. The 4-1 Bruins tangle with Big East Conference foe Providence on Wednesday.

Southern Illinois Edwardsville (1-2) split a pair of games and guard Daniel Kinchen exploded on the scene. The Alabama Southern Community College transfer scored 21 points in a loss to Valparaiso and then exceeded that output with 23 points during the Cougars’ win over Stetson. The OVC’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’ also averaged four assists and made eight of sixteen long distant shots.

Racking up double-doubles and recording the highest scoring individual game of any OVC player will usually earn you some accolades. Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor scored 29 points in one game and picked up a pair of double-doubles and is this week’s ‘Freshman of the Week’.

In the two opening weeks of the season, no player from either of our leagues has been a multiple week winner.