Your vote on All Conference

[oklahomamick]

All Conference 1st team
Kay Felder, OU
Alec Peters, Valpo
Jordan Johnson, Milwaukee
Matt Tiby, Milwaukee
Paris Bass, Detroit

2nd Team
Keith Carter, Valpo
Jalen Hayes, Oakland
Jordan Fouse, Green Bay
Carrington Love, Green Bay
Dikembe Dixson, UIC

All-Freshman
Dikembe Dixson, UIC
Drew McDonald, NKU
Rob Edwards, CSU
Josh McFolley, Detroit
Michael Kolawole, UIC

All Defense:
Vashil Fernandez, Valpo
Jordan Fouse, Green Bay
Tai Odiase, UIC
Keith Carter, Valpo
Terrell Hales, CSU

Player of the Year: Kay Felder, Oakland
Freshman of the Year: Dikembe Dixson, UIC
Defensive Player of the Year: Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso
6th Man: Darien Walker or Shane Hammick? Valparaiso
Coach of the Year: Bryce Drew, Valparaiso

[talksalot]

I like Joe Tomassen from WSU to replace Terrell Hales on the all-defensive team... but that's a good ballot, mick!

[oklahomamick]

Carter could even be on 1st team.  And Jubril is another 6th man candidate along with Hopper. 

[mgovalpo]

Should coach of the year go to the coach of the best team, or the coach who did the best job with what he had? Bryce did a great job this year, but WSU was 3-13 in the league last year and turned it around to 13-5. I think Billy Donlan should be coach of the year.

[valpocleveland]

Should coach of the year go to the coach of the best team, or the coach who did the best job with what he had? Bryce did a great job this year, but WSU was 3-13 in the league last year and turned it around to 13-5. I think Billy Donlan should be coach of the year.

Agree it might go to Donlan. I looked at predicted finish at start of the year and WSU was 5th, ended up tied for 2nd. Obviously we were predicted to win and did. Bryce won last year so more reason for the press to go Donlan.

[wh]

Vashil is the centerpiece of one of the top 10 defensive teams in the country. He is the best shot blocker and rim protector the league has had in our 9 years. If we were conducting a player draft, no one in their right mind would pick Fouse before Vashil. If he isn't on one of the 2 all-conference teams, the media people that cover the HL are even dumber than I give them credit for. By the way, as much as I like KC, I would vote for  Vashil in a heartbeat.

[oklahomamick]

Horizon League basketball award predictions from Sports Nations

http://www.midmajormadness.com/horizon-league/2016/2/29/11129392/horizon-league-awards-preview-predictions-felder-dixson

[wh]

Should coach of the year go to the coach of the best team, or the coach who did the best job with what he had? Bryce did a great job this year, but WSU was 3-13 in the league last year and turned it around to 13-5. I think Billy Donlan should be coach of the year.

Agree it might go to Donlan. I looked at predicted finish at start of the year and WSU was 5th, ended up tied for 2nd. Obviously we were predicted to win and did. Bryce won last year so more reason for the press to go Donlan.

People seem to forget that recruiting is as important as coaching. In my book Donlon gets an A- in coaching and a D+ in recruiting. Yes, he does a good job coaching up players, but they still don't have enough raw ability to win anything. That's on Donlon, as well.

[covufan]

Should coach of the year go to the coach of the best team, or the coach who did the best job with what he had? Bryce did a great job this year, but WSU was 3-13 in the league last year and turned it around to 13-5. I think Billy Donlan should be coach of the year.

Valpo was expected to be at the top.  Meeting expectations should not necessarily get you coach of the year.  Donlan would be my choice.

[aevans12]

Horizon League basketball award predictions from Sports Nations http://www.midmajormadness.com/horizon-league/2016/2/29/11129392/horizon-league-awards-preview-predictions-felder-dixson

I hear a really smart guy wrote that piece 

[HC]

1st Team:
Alec Peters - Co POY
Kay Felder - Co POY
Paris Bass
Jordan Johnson
Carrington Love

Defensive POY:
Vashil Fernandez

Freshman of the Year:
Dikembe Dixon

Coach of the Year:
Bryce Drew edges Donlan - is it harder to finish first when predicted to finish first?  I don't know, ask Brian Wardle.

[sliman]

Horizon League basketball award predictions from Sports Nations http://www.midmajormadness.com/horizon-league/2016/2/29/11129392/horizon-league-awards-preview-predictions-felder-dixson

I hear a really smart guy wrote that piece 

Not if he left Carter off the second team!   

[aevans12]

Horizon League basketball award predictions from Sports Nations http://www.midmajormadness.com/horizon-league/2016/2/29/11129392/horizon-league-awards-preview-predictions-felder-dixson

I hear a really smart guy wrote that piece 

Not if he left Carter off the second team!   

I sure hope he makes it!  There were a lot of tough choices looking over some of the stats.  It could go a lot of different directions in my opinion.

[a3uge]

It's completely ridiculous and ignorant to not have Vashil as DPOY. I don't know what it is about this award that gets people thinking so irrationally. Vashil's defensive rating was 88.5 last year, the best in the Horizon. This year? 82.9, which is 2nd in the COUNTRY. The next best defensive rating this year is 89.4 by Keith Carter. I believe it's also the single best defensive rating in the History of the Horizon. He's also 1st in the Horizon and 6th in the country in defensive win shares. Oh and he's #1 in the country in defensive box plus/minus. That's just the overall defensive advanced metrics. He's #1 in the league in rebounding percentage, and #1 in the entire country in block percentage. He actually improved from last year's DPOY run in rebounding AND steals.

Oh, and he's also the best defensive player on a top 5 NCAA defense. He has an argument of being the best defensive player in all of D1 basketball. Awarding this to any other player would be down right idiotic.

[valpotx]

I agree.  I understand that Odiase has a lot of blocks as well, but that team is anything but a defensive wonder, so he gets a lot of action his way.  Teams tend to AVOID going at Vashil for the most part, yet he still alters 5+ shots/game, and blocks 3+. 

[Kyle321n]

Oh, and he's also the best defensive player on a top 5 NCAA defense. He has an argument of being the best defensive player in all of D1 basketball. Awarding this to any other player would be down right idiotic.

Coming to a HL press release near you...


March 3, 2016
Kay Felder sweeps the regular season awards
Detroit- Kay Felder, arguably the best player in the history of the Horizon League, takes the Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and surprisingly the Coach of the Year award. The only other award winner was Freshman Dikembe Dixson taking home the Freshman of the Year award.

[a3uge]

POTY
Alec Peters (Valpo)

1st Team
Alec Peters (Valpo)
Kay Felder (Oakland)
Matt Tiby (UWM)
Keith Carter (Valpo)
Carrington Love (UWGB)

2nd Team
Vashil Fernandez (Valpo)
Cameron Morse (YSU)
Paris Bass (Detroit)
Jordan Johnson (UWM)
Jordan Fouse (UWGB)

Defensive POTY
Vashil Fernandez (Valpo)

Defensive Team
Vashil Fernandez (Valpo)
Keith Carter (Valpo)
Tevonn Walker (Valpo)
Darien Walker (Valpo)
Alec Peters (Valpo)

FOTY
Dikembe Dixson (UIC)

All Freshman Team -Extremely Weak List!
Dikembe Dixson (UIC)
Rob Edwards (CSU)
Jordan Andrews (YSU)
Drew McDonald (NKU)
Derrik Smits (Valpo) - Provided good moral support, decent bench celebrations

COTY
Bryce Drew

6MOY
Co Champion - Shane Hammink/Darien Walker/Jubril Adekoya (Valpo)

[Valpower]

A3uge, I don't much care for individual honors (POTY, 1st team, etc.) and don't usually get involved in the fray, but bravo to you for at least putting a defensive player on the 2nd team.  When I think about how important Vashil is to our team it's difficult to understand how the DPOTY doesn't automatically make the 1st or 2nd team cut.

#HorizonLeagueAwardsSoOffensive

[a3uge]

A3uge, I don't much care for individual honors (POTY, 1st team, etc.) and don't usually get involved in the fray, but bravo to you for at least putting a defensive player on the 2nd team.  When I think about how important Vashil is to our team it's difficult to understand how the DPOTY doesn't automatically make the 1st or 2nd team cut.

#HorizonLeagueAwardsSoOffensive

That was my thought last year as well. Plus his offensive rebounding numbers give Valpo a ton of extra possessions - these don't always show up on the stat-sheet.

[VUfan]

Forget them Lets win the team of the year award.The League Championship!!  and go make some noise in the NCAA's 

[atkins]

Vashil is a bit of an offensive liability, but on defense, he is akin to a shutdown corner whose mere presence causes teams to go the opposite direction.  Basically, Vashil is the Darrell Revis of the Horizon (and would be in the vast majority of other conferences).

[atkins]

p.s., Can you imagine just how good we would be if Tiby were also on Valpo's team?  Scary!

[HC]

He would be a nice 6th or 7th man

[a3uge]

p.s., Can you imagine just how good we would be if Tiby were also on Valpo's team?  Scary!

Did we offer Tiby? First I'm hearing about this...

[agibson]

p.s., Can you imagine just how good we would be if Tiby were also on Valpo's team?  Scary!

Did we offer Tiby? First I'm hearing about this...

Nah, don't think so. He's just dreaming about adding a dynamic player to our roster. And he is dynamic, but I'm not sure where he'd play. Slide Alec to SF? Somewhere in the rotation with Jubril?

Sounds like it was D2 and JUCO's out of high school
http://uwmpost.com/sports/long-hair-dont-care-matt-tibys-journey-to-milwaukee
and he was more or less set to return for a second year of junior college when the Milwaukee offer came along. He was maybe thinking, "Should I be on the market?" but sounds like he wasn't actively hunting for offers. So, maybe he didn't have any others (yet?).