Which Brave should be 1st Team All MVC?

[LittleBrave]

Hey guys - we have such a balanced attack that it's really hard to determine who would be a 1st team candidate. I'd give it to Leons just b/c he does so much every game - the stat stuffer. Hick may be the most important guy, our offense flows so nicely with him, as we've seen the diff when NOT having him.
DUUUUUUKE has had some monster games and our court general and probably a little better than we (at least I) expected him to be this year.

Hard to pick, and if BU finishes Top 3, as we should, then 1 guy will get 1st team.
I would argue that Hannah should be on 2nd team (his numbers are actually very similar to Leons'), but I think he'll land on 3rd team and also the Most Improved.

Will Mal repeat as Defensive POY? I don't know who would be in the running vs him except maybe Hannah (??)

[Da Coach]

There are quite a few MVC players who will get votes for the 1st team, and it might be difficult for any Bradley players to get that honor, since the top Bradley scorer ranks only 10th in MVC scoring (Hickman 14.9 ppg). Malevy Leons, who may be the most likely 1st teamer, averages 13.3 ppg, which ranks 19th in the MVC, though he also has strong rebounding and defensive credentials.
Last year, Rienk Mast was a 1st teamer, and Malevy Leons was 2nd team.- https://mvc-sports.com/documents/202...se.pdf?id=3477

I think Hickman, Leons, and Deen could end up getting 2nd team or 3rd team, because there are so many very good players in the league this season.. Tucker DeVries, Isaiah Swope, Alston Mason, Xavier Johnson, Robbie Avila, Ryan Conwell, and others who have higher averages will make it hard for BU players to break into the 1st team.
I do think Malevy Leons is a strong bet for DPOY again.

[egib52]

If the voters look at impact alone, all you have to do is look at the record with Hick vs without.

[Da Coach]

If the voters look at impact alone, all you have to do is look at the record with Hick vs without.

Agree, but I doubt many of the people voting look that deeply into the players. I strongly suspect they mostly look at the stats and make their decision based mainly on that.

[Bballjunkie]

Totally agree coach. I think most of our guys deserve it. I will spin it and say that all are important to each other's success. Hickman needs Malevy. Malevy needs Hannah to do do the things he does. Deen needs Hick. Everyone needs Duke.These guys all need each other to be successful. That's why we are so connected and are playing well. It has been a fun group to watch. I won't leave Davis out either, he is a valuable piece to the puzzle.

[BUBraves2006]

It'll never happen but I'd love to see all four of our key guys on the second team, just showing how much of a team we are and we're not carried by a single star player. If we somehow can pass Drake for second in the Valley, you wonder if voters would look at who has the best counting stats and just "have" to put someone up there because of how we land in the standings. I'm not saying that's right, but it's possible.

[LittleBrave]

I have a hard time keeping Hannah off the 2nd team list if you go strictly by numbers - they are close to Leons' and Hannah plays less minutes and has a higher FG %.

[tomahawk chop]

There are a lot of games left, the reason why we at the moment have none on the first team so far is because we play more team ball. Playing more as a team helps in winning more games.

[ollienanyes]

Leons, Hickman, Dean and Hannah are all serious candidates. I'd say Leons makes it and the others are second team/honorable mention.

[BUfan17]

Overall I would argue Leons is our most likely 1st team candianted. He doesn't put up as big of scoring numbers, but overall his stats are pretty impressive and he does a lot more than his stats say as well.

[yoda]

2 thoughts on All-MVC & POY voting.
First- lots of those who vote have not really seen much of some of the candidates, thus they are swayed by the hype & the stats as their main criteria
Second- regardless of how dominant or valuable a player might be, if he is NOT the highest scorer or best player on the best team in the league, then his chances diminish significantly. As a corollary, rarely will anyone vote for 2 guys on the same team, and only then it would be only for the top team.
That said, if the season ended today, 1st Team would be Swope, Avila, Malevy, Tucker, Xavier Johnson.

[bradleyfan124]

I think they still give out the Francis Pomeroy award for the best player 6'and under. I would think Duke Deen would be a lead candidate for that

[bigjimmy]

The 3 clear candidates for POY are ISU Blue's Avila, who is the only player who is in the top 10 in points (8th), rebounds (4th), and assists (7th), Drake's DeVries who is 2nd in points, 9th in rebounds and 12th in assists and SIU's Xavier Johnson who leads the Valley in scoring and assists. I think Malevy will repeat on the first team due to his defense as much if not more then his offense. The 5th guy is still being determined