MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[faunch]

Gusties lose in the NCAA's by 25? How bad was the MIAC this year?
Good lord!

[SagatagSam]

Yeah, the MIAC is certainly not the kind of power conference in basketball like it is in football.

I would have liked to see how the Johnnies could have done in the national tournament. not saying they would have done much better, but doing better than losing by 25 in the first round isn't exactly a high bar. It's a shame that they had to lose the way they did against Hamline in the MIAC Tournament.

You have to go back a long time to find a school year where the Johnnies did not make a national tournament appearance in either football, basketball, or hockey.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Yeah - there was a fair amount of parity among the top half of the conference, without anyone truly standing out.  I think SJU was probably the best team, but not by a large margin.

The team I'd really like to see have a do-over would be the 2019-2020 SJU team...they were really, really good, and didn't get a chance to see it through when covid ended the season.

[MIAC Veteran]

I'm glad to have the board back up. This was a fun season to watch. This is a great post summarizing the awards. I only have one issue with the awards for 1st and 2nd team all-conference. Caleb Williams doesn't deserve to be 1st team. He's way too streaky to be held as a top player. I would put Matt Banovetz in his place. Banovetz was a rebounding force while scoring mid-teens for the 2nd team in the conference consistently.

I also have some question about not having a 2nd 1st teamer on the squad. I agree with your assessment that there wasn't a standout SJU player in exchange for the balance. However, it's hard to not have at least 2 on the list. I would choose Kooper Vaughn instead of Ryan Thiessen. I think Ryan is the better player, but Kooper had more of an impact on SJU success. There was a definitely intentional moving away from Thiessen as the primary scoring option this year. The issue I have with my own statement is taking someone off. Is that Matt Johnson? I'm not certain Cooper had a better season than Matt; it's debatable.

I also have an issue with Coby Gold being listed as 2nd/3rd team. You have Kooper as honorable mention and Kooper is leaps and bounds better than Gold.

Lastly, I appreciate the argument for COY. However, GAC, imho, underperformed to expectations. They are loaded. Hamline had their best record since 1977. Granted, they probably underperformed as well compared to expectations. Coach MacKenzie did a great job of bringing a balanced attack and do more with the team than I expected they could or would. Much of that is because of the growth of Blake Berg.

Great post bball1122

The MIAC season is finished, with the playoffs being as exciting as I can recall.  Hamline pulling the upset over #1 seed St. John's on a last second shot by Buzzer Beater Brad Cimperman, Gustavus outlasting Carleton in double OT, and then surviving a furious second half comeback by Hamline, winning by one after Cimperman's attempt at a buzzer beater redux fell awry.  As was the case last year, I believe this year the MIAC is issuing the following awards:  16 player all-conference team, Offensive, Defensive, Rookie, and Coach of the Year.  These awards categories are terrible, and I would love for the MIAC to admit it and return to their old awards.  Alas...to recap from last year:

Offensive Player of the Year:  Raheem Anthony, Saint Mary's
Defensive Player of the Year:  Badou Ba, Macalester
Rookie of the Year:  Kobe Kirk, Saint Olaf
Coach of the Year: Ryan Kershaw, Carleton

My picks for this year:

First Team All-Conference (8 players)

I refuse to not pick a first team all-conference team.

Luke Harris, Jr., CAR:  18.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 37 steals, 128 FTM.  Took over as the leading man and kept Carleton a contender.

Spencer Swanson, Jr., GAC: 18.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 46% 3FG, 24 steals.  Best player on the NCAA tourney representative, tough matchup with his versatility.

Austin Holt, Jr.,  HAM: 15.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 27 steals, 56% FGM.  Does it all for the Pipers, including being a dominant defensive force.

Kobe Kirk, So., STO:  19.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 26 steals, 91 FTM.  Pure scorer, 44 against Carleton being a highlight.

Blake Berg, Sr., SJU: 12.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 64% FGM, 14 steals, 12 blocks.  Some will have Thissen here, but Berg was more dynamic this season.  Outstanding defender.

Zach Doely, Sr., BET: 16.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.0 APG,  65% FGM, 17 steals, 23 blocks. Has been a force in the paint for three straight years.

Matt Johnson, Sr., CORD:  15.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 38% 3FG, 88% FT, 17 steals.  Outstanding shooter who gave defenses fits all season.

Caleb Williams, Sr., MAC: 18.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 19 steals.  Did not quite match his previous season, but the 51 point outburst at Concordia showed how dangerous he can be.

Other All-Conference Players

Ryan Thissen, Sr.,  SJU
Payton Thomsen, So., BET
Bradley Cimperman, Jr., HAM
Matt Banovetz, Sr., CAR
Wyatt Olson, Sr., GAC
Brady Kienitz, Jr., GAC
Rowan Nelson, Jr., CORD
Connor Martin, Sr., STO
Coby Gold, Sr.,  MAC


Honorable Mention All-Conference

Kooper Vaughn, Jr., SJU
Evan Wieker, Sr., GAC
Cameron Mallory, Jr., SMU
Breyton Buysman, Jr., SMU
Joey Kidder, Sr., BET
Spencer Goetz, Jr., CAR


Offensive Player of the Year

Luke Harris, Jr., CAR
Such a unique player, a small guard that really does not shoot threes (only 14 makes on the season).  His ability to get in the paint, finish, or draw contact gives him this award.


Defensive Player of the Year

Austin Holt, Jr., HAM
Holt deserved this award last year, so I will give it to him this year.  He can slow posts or point guards, with incredibly nimble footwork and elite hand strength allowing him to move on the perimeter and snatch rebounds at a high clip.


Rookie of the Year

Sam Koelling, Fr., CAR: 10.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 16 blocks, 49% 3FG

Other Notable Freshmen

Trent Gomez, AUG: 8.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.1 APG, 26 steals
Elias Batala, AUG: 7.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 20 steals
Emmanuel Schmitter, BET: 6.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 15 steals
Raoul Vaidya, HAM: 6.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 55% 3FG
Kaiden Holbrook, MAC: 8.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 33 3FGM
Tanner Thomson, SCH: 8.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 19 steals

Coach of the Year

Justin DeGrood, GAC

DeGrood wins the award over Jim Hayes, HAM by virtue of their two wins over the Pipers in the last week, with the last one clinching the conference championship.  Both have risen the level of their programs in the last couple of years.

Player of the Year

Spencer Swanson, GAC

I will candidly say that I have no idea who would win this not-an-award award, and there is not really one candidate that stood out. However, I really wish it were still an award (have I mentioned how much I hate the new award structure?) so we could find out who the conference coaches thought was the best of the best this year.  Any of Swanson, Harris, Holt, or Kirk has an argument.  Swanson was clearly the best player on the conference champion, Harris the most dynamic offensive player, Holt finished in the top 15 in points, rebounds, assists, and steals and was my defensive player of the year, and Kirk led the league in scoring.  All in all, I would not have a problem with any of Swanson, Holt, or Harris winning it.  Kirk was great, but his team did not make the playoffs.  While St. John's dominated the regular season, they did not have one clear standout.  Thissen was solid, but his numbers were down across the board this year.  Berg was, in my opinion, their best player this year, and Kooper Vaughn led the team in scoring.  None of them were league player of the year.  I will give it to Swanson, who after an 3 game losing streak in January led the Gusties to a 10-2 record to close the season, winning the conference tournament.

All in all, a really fun MIAC season.  Would love to hear others' thoughts on these awards -  good luck to the Gusties in the NCAA tournament!

[MIAC Veteran]

Yeah - there was a fair amount of parity among the top half of the conference, without anyone truly standing out.  I think SJU was probably the best team, but not by a large margin.

The team I'd really like to see have a do-over would be the 2019-2020 SJU team...they were really, really good, and didn't get a chance to see it through when covid ended the season.

That Sweet 16 game against St. Thomas would have been epic!

[MIAC Veteran]

There is a new Instagram account @MIAC.basketball that is being run by a reporter for the MIAC. It has announced commitments so far, but I'd imagine there will be a lot more coming from it during the season.

[Greek Tragedy]

Does the MIAC go to a 16-game conference schedule this upcoming season or is that still a year off?

[MIAC Veteran]

I do believe the unbalanced schedule happens this coming season, yes.

[Greek Tragedy]

16-game schedule next season.
https://miacathletics.com/sports/2022/5/23/MBB_0523225409.aspx

[faunch]

Johnnies pre-season D3hoops ranked at #12. I don't see that. Did they get some stud transfers?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Johnnies pre-season D3hoops ranked at #12. I don't see that. Did they get some stud transfers?

They return the whole lineup - voters tend to overcorrect for that sort of thing.  Plus, you know, St. John's is usually pretty good.

[faunch]

Johnnies pre-season D3hoops ranked at #12. I don't see that. Did they get some stud transfers?

They return the whole lineup - voters tend to overcorrect for that sort of thing.  Plus, you know, St. John's is usually pretty good.

So all the guys that were "seniors" are coming back for a 5th year?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Johnnies pre-season D3hoops ranked at #12. I don't see that. Did they get some stud transfers?

They return the whole lineup - voters tend to overcorrect for that sort of thing.  Plus, you know, St. John's is usually pretty good.

So all the guys that were "seniors" are coming back for a 5th year?

I'm terrible about checking if rosters are up before opening my mouth.  It's a bit of a grey area as to when voters are allowed to talk about the info we get, but I suspect St. John's placement in the poll has a lot to do with what they reported to d3hoops.com about their returning players.

[faunch]

Johnnies pre-season D3hoops ranked at #12. I don't see that. Did they get some stud transfers?

They return the whole lineup - voters tend to overcorrect for that sort of thing.  Plus, you know, St. John's is usually pretty good.

So all the guys that were "seniors" are coming back for a 5th year?

I'm terrible about checking if rosters are up before opening my mouth.  It's a bit of a grey area as to when voters are allowed to talk about the info we get, but I suspect St. John's placement in the poll has a lot to do with what they reported to d3hoops.com about their returning players.

SJU posted a story the other day that mentioned all the guys that are returning.

Pat McKenzie '04 was named the MIAC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year for the third time of his career (2017-18 and 2021-22) in 2023-24 and begins his 10th season with a 174-53 career record, including a 131-33 mark in MIAC play. He returns a trio of All-MIAC honorees in senior guard Blake Berg (West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne), senior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) and senior guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.). Berg, Thissen and another starter from last season, senior wing Connor Schwob (Waconia, Minn.), return for the 2024-25 campaign thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://gojohnnies.com/news/2024/10/23/basketball-sju-ranked-no-12-in-d3hoops-com-preseason-poll.aspx

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

We were told, 9 rotation players returning.  That's a pretty big deal for a consistently good program.  Definitely more security than most teams are offering.  I'm sure that's why voters latched on.