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2009-10 All-MVC Team - An extremely early look at the upcoming season
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The Missouri Valley Conference had a strong 2008-09 season, featuring four teams with 21 or more wins and nine teams with seven or more conference victories. While several programs are losing their top players to graduation, there is a wealth of talent returning to campuses all over the league, along with fantastic freshman and junior college transfers chomping at the bit to make an impact.
May brings warmth, flowers and extremely early college basketball predictions. Following trend, I'll offer up my 2009-10 All-MVC selections, more than five months from the commencement of the season.
First Team –
G – Osiris Eldridge – Illinois State – Eldridge is simply the most electric player in the league. Whether it's lighting up the scoreboard from distance or crashing the glass on both ends, the 6-3 senior knows how to put his team in position to win. While his scoring decreased to 14.0 points per game, he set career highs in most other statistical categories, with 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per contest. Eldridge has been the spark plug behind the Redbirds posting 49 wins in the last two seasons. He declared for the 2009 NBA Draft, but did not hire an agent, fueling speculation that he will return to Illinois State for his senior year. Eldridge is the 2009-10 Preseason MVC Player of the Year.
G – Josh Young – Drake – As the Bulldogs came back to Earth from their magical 28-5 campaign in 2007-08, Young's shooting regressed as well. The 6-1 senior shot just 38.1 percent from the field and 32.1% from beyond the arc as the scoring duty fell squarely on his slight shoulders. Despite his inability to find the basket, he averaged 15.4 points per game and shot a career-best 84.8 percent from the charity stripe. Young drastically cut his turnovers toward the end of last season, so expect him to take the next step in his senior season to become an All-MVC First Team selection.
G – Kwadzo Ahelegbe – Northern Iowa – Ahelegbe is the rare example of a man whose contributions are often absent from the box score. Sure, he averaged 11.8 points per game and poured in 57 points in three days during the Missouri Valley Tournament, but the shutdown defense that Ahelegbe provided the Panthers proved invaluable all season. Teaming with fellow guards Ali Farokhmanesh and Johnny Moran, the 6-2 junior will again act as the defensive leader of a team that finished 23-11 last season and returns all five starters.
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F – Adam Koch – Northern Iowa – Koch blossomed into the team scoring leader, dumping in 12.1 points and adding 5.1 rebounds per night on his way to First Team All-MVC honors. While there is nothing spectacular about Koch's game, he seems to improve every season. Last year, he developed an outside shot to go with his superb post game. The 6-8 senior has a knack for getting to the foul line, registering 10 games last year with nine or more attempts. Koch is an excellent leader, and will likely earn a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, where he will exhibit why he is the best forward in the league.
F – Dinma Odiakosa – Illinois State – Like Ahelegbe, the 6-8 senior from Nigeria isn't known for his offensive outbursts, but his defensive presence was felt in the post all season by Redbird challengers. Odiakosa is the leading returning rebounder in the league with 7.5 boards per night, and he added 8.7 points per contest on 61.8 percent shooting. While being named to the All-MVC Defensive Team, he was the model of rebounding consistency, registering less than five rebounds in a game just three times all year. Odiakosa will be a main cog as the Redbirds fight to climb the mountain in the Missouri Valley.
Second Team -
G – Kevin Dillard – Southern Illinois – Dillard was the Freshman of the Year in the league, leading the Salukis with a 12.2 points per game average and banging home 45.2% of his three-point tries. With point guard Bryan Mullins graduating, the 5-11 firecracker will be expected to run the show in 09-10. His 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per night are impressive, but he'll need to improve upon his 3.3 turnovers per contest if the Salukis are to have much success. Regardless of his freshman mistakes, Dillard has a chance to be the next in a recent long line of solid Saluki guards.
G – P'Allen Stinnett – Creighton – Stinnett failed to take the next step toward becoming a superstar, but the 6-3 junior posted nearly identical solid numbers in both of his first two seasons. The Las Vegas native averaged 12.5 points per game in 08-09, and added 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest. One positive step is that Stinnett reduced his turnovers while increasing his minutes; an important number as he takes over scoring responsibility with Booker Woodfox graduating.
G – Andrew Warren – Bradley – Warren sat out the 2008-09 season after breaking his right foot in September, but the redshirt junior is expected to be 100 percent for summer workouts. The 6-5 guard was outstanding for the Braves in 2007-08, posting 13.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, while dropping 40.6 percent of his three-point shots and 80.6 of his charity stripe attempts. He'll be counted on to lead a Bradley team who lost forward Theron Wilson to graduation. If he can return without foot problems, Warren will regain his spot among the best in the league.
F – Kyle Weems – Missouri State – After redshirting the 2007-08 season, Weems arrived last year with more strength and a better nose for the ball. He pumped in 10.2 points per game and added 4.9 boards and 1.0 steals per contest. Though his shooting was atrocious at 38.0 percent, the 6-6 forward posted 20 points on 7-15 shooting during the Bears' loss to Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Tournament. Expect Weems to team with center Will Creekmore to form a young, excellent frontcourt.
C – Jordan Eglseder – Northern Iowa – Eglseder was the premier center in the league, despite playing just 19.3 minutes per game. The 7-1 behemoth increased his averages to 10.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per night, while helping the Panthers secure the post defensively. The senior's 58.5 percent from the floor was third-best in the league, and he committed just 1.3 turnovers per contest, an excellent number for a man his size. Northern Iowa has several scorers, so they will look to Eglseder to provide solid defense and rebounding to help the team to the NCAA Tournament.
For more on the Bradley Braves and the Missouri Valley, visit the Bradley Examiner Home Page!
