MVC – Newcomers Making a Big Difference

First Year Player Contributions

(St. Louis, MO) – When predicting the Missouri Valley Conference race, the hidden variables are always about newcomers. How quickly will they contribute? Will their impact be significant? So who are newcomers making a big difference?

Early season contributions by Drake’s Nick Norton were cut short by a season ending injury. It’s the same story at Valparaiso where Ryan Fazekas was playing his best basketball, but has been out with an ankle injury. His projected return is still a mystery, but head coach Matt Lottich expects him to begin practicing some time soon.

Missouri State Duo

When coach Dana Ford was rebuilding the Bears’ roster he picked up some plumb, experienced recruits. Keandre Cook and Kadbir Mohammed were top 100 junior college players and former South Florida Bull, Tulio Da Silva were the bright spots of that group.

Each have had some shining moments for Missouri State, but Da Silva leads the team in scoring and rebounding. He is an X-factor type of player. A 4-Star player, his signing was big for Ford. After awaiting some eligibility clarifications held him from some early season games, Da Silva has been dynamic.

The Brazilian native is sixth amongst Valley players in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 per game). In mid-January he was named the MVC’s Player AND Newcomer of the Week. Ford says he’s not a ‘back to basket’ kind of post player but he is currently fulfilling part of that task.

 

 

Cook has twice been named ‘Newcomer of the Week’ and he too was tabbed as double winner of ‘Player and Newcomer’ in the same week. He has been a double figure scorer in eight of ten (and six straight) Valley games. After a four-game streak of reaching 20 points early in the season, Cook did it again against Loyola.

While Mohammed and highly rated freshman Jared Ridder have provided fewer headlines, they too, have had their moments.

In Springfield, Missouri Da Silva and Cook are the newcomers making a big difference.

Drake – One Goes Down and Others Steps Up

Nick Norton was blowing people away with his heady play, outstanding ball-handling and ability to score. His season ending injury opened the door for the emergence of other Bulldog newcomers. Of course at Drake, practically everyone is a newcomer.

Two newcomers making a difference seem to stand out.

Brady Ellingson has risen from the ashes of the Norton injury to become the Bulldogs’ best perimeter scorer and the Iowa transfer leads the league three-point percentage (.563) and in triples per game (3.3). Other newcomers like D.J. Wilkins and Tremell Murphy have shown flashes of promise. Wilkins is just a freshman and long-term will be the best of the three, but Ellingson wins the nod in Des Moines.

Copeland Has Arrived

Illinois State has been waiting for Zach Copeland to be a major impact player and he has arrived. Copeland has taken over a large portion of the Redbird ball-handling, leads the team in assists, three-pointers and is third in scoring.

The 6’4 junior is averaging 10.8 points per game, but has exploded scoring 47 points and hitting ten three-pointers over the past three games. As a top 100 junior college player two years ago, coach Dan Muller always believed Copeland would be this type of player.

UNI Rookie

Northern Iowa freshman A.J. Green came to the program with more fanfare than any freshman in recent history. He is living up to the billing. Green is averaging 14.6 points per game (13.8 in league play) and is amongst the league leaders in three-point baskets. He’s topped the 20-point mark six times including twice in Valley play.

Valpo’s Freeman

We disqualified Deion Lavender in this conversation due to his time at SIU. Javon Freeman has exploded on the Valley scene. From the first game of the season (22 points) to his last game (27 points against Illinois State) Freeman has been making a statement. He leads the Valley in steals.

Freeman is averaging 11 points per game and during Valley action is averaging over five rebounds per game. The 6’4 wing was the sixth ranked player in the State of Illinois coming out of Chicago’s Whitney-Young High School. In the absence of Ryan Fazekas, Freeman has stepped into the fray and is one of the very best newcomers making a big difference.

If and when Valparaiso’s Ryan Fazekas returns he could still make a serious play for ‘Newcomer of the Year’. Prior to his ankle injury Fazekas was leading the Crusaders in scoring and was fourth in the MVC in three-point percentage.

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