Shockers Dominate All League Team

(Chicago, IL) – Ron Baker and Cleanthony Early gave Wichita State two players on the Missouri Valley Conference’s pre-season all-conference team. Baker was a key spark plug to the Shocker Final Four run last spring and Early was almost an early entry into the NBA’s summer draft.

Joining those Shockers were Southern Illinois’ Desmar Jackson, Bradley’s Walt Lemon Junior, Marcus Marshall of Missouri State, Jake Odum of Indiana State and Northern Iowa’s Seth Tuttle.

Baker and Marshall are sophomores and Tuttle is a junior.  The three other members are seniors as are the three honorable mention players. The teams were voted on by a panel of league SIDs, media and coaches.

Early led Wichita State in scoring (13.9) and is their leading returning rebounder (5.4). Baker was limited by injuries early in the season, but returned to the team in time for their post season run, beginning with Arch Madness in St. Louis. He averaged 8.7 points per game and made 30 three-point-baskets in 18 total games.

SIU’s Jackson has had a stormy relationship with head coach Barry Hinson, but averaged more than 15 points per game last season.

Tuttle is a dual threat for the UNI Panthers.  He averaged better than 11 points and almost seven rebounds per game while starting all 36 Panther games as a sophomore. Head Coach Ben Jacobson is expecting a bit more of an outside game improvement from Tuttle this year.

Odum’s career has been well documented here and other places. While scoring just under 14 points per game, the Terre Haute native also averaged almost five rebounds and five assists per game.

Lemon’s classic defense will go through a bit of a change with this year’s NCAA rule changes about hand checks and physical contact in the lane, but while scoring almost 16 points a night, Lemon also stole 75 balls and rebounded more than four per contest.

Come back to valleyhoopsinsider.com tomorrow, we’ll write about and you’ll hear from Valley coaches about the controversial league ruling on the eligibility of Illinois State’s Deontae Hawkins. Several MVC coaches are unhappy with the league’s ruling.  We’ll unpack that on Thursday!

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