NSIC Men's Basketball 25-26

[MrMustang]

I'm going with the categories that were handed out last year even if they're different than the categories highlighted in the preseason release.

NSIC Player of the Year: Tameron Ferguson. I have yet to see more impactful offensive player this year when it comes to how defenses focus on him and how he's able to dictate the action with the ball in his hand.

NSIC Defensive POY: Wyatt Hawks. I think the coaches will look at this as a consolation prize for not getting POY as well as the fact that SCSU has the best defense in the league and Hawks is an elite rebounder and shot blocker.

Newcomer of the Year: Brogan Madson. The coaches will look at points scored and give it to him despite the fact that he's a FT merchant who has attempted 42 more FTs than anyone else in NSIC play. My pick would be Deuce Benjamin. He is as shifty as Ferguson but with less of a conscious when it comes to taking bad shots which makes watching him quite enjoyable.

Coach of the Year: Quincy Henderson. The team that knows themselves better than anyone else in the league. What a tremendous hire by St Cloud despite the opinions of a vocal minority who turned out to be hilariously wrong.

Other guys I've enjoyed watching this season:

Henry Shannon, Bemidji - non-stop motor on both ends
Anthony Walters, Jamestown - THICK is an understatement
Arhman Lewis, Mankato - today REDEMPTION is spelled A - R - H - M - A - N
JJ Ferin, Wayne - Kaminsky running him wild off screens for 30ish minutes is enjoyable if he isn't playing your team
Mekhi Shaw, SMSU - the only Mustang I've ever enjoyed watching play basketball

I appreciate the hate ! Rivalries are good

[NSICHoops]

Latest from Inkblot

CENTRAL

1. Washburn
8. Fort Hays State

4. Arkansas–Fort Smith
5. Missouri Western

3. Oklahoma Baptist
6. St. Cloud State

2. Central Missouri
7. Ouachita Baptist

I don't really understand the UAFS jump of SCSU. The Huskies have better metrics in all 3 criteria. He explained the UAFS jump of Western as head-to-head and record vs. RPI Top-10.

Western has SCSU just barely in RPI and KPI, but significantly behind in PI. The Huskies feel closer to Central Mo than to Oklahoma Baptist. The first regional rankings will be very interesting.

[Mark Emmert's Burner]

My last-minute guesses for end-of-year and All-Conference selections!

North Player of the Year - Anthony Walters (Jamestown)
South Player of the Year - Tameron Ferguson (Augustana)
Defensive Player of the Year - Wyatt Hawks (St. Cloud)
Newcomer of the Year - Brogan Madson (Sioux Falls)
Coach of the Year - Quincy Henderson (St. Cloud)

Pretty much for all of the reasons Augieholic smartly put last week.

All-Conference guesses (not always who *I* would select, but who I think the coaches will pick):

1st Team:

• Tameron Ferguson (Augustana)
• Ben Kopetzki (Concordia SP)
• Luke Winkel (St. Cloud)
• Anthony Walters (Jamestown)
• Jakob Braaten (SMSU)
• Brogan Madson (Sioux Falls)
• Arhman Lewis (Mankato)
• Deuce Benjamin (Minot)
• Joshua Book (Northern)
• Caden Hinker (Augustana)
• Kole Hanson (Duluth)
• John Pecarich (Bemidji)

2nd Team:

• Henry Shannon III (Bemidji)
• Wyatt Hawks (St. Cloud)
• Caleb Siwek (Duluth)
• Sam Rensch (Augustana)
• Isa El-Amin (MSUM)
• Matt Noll (Wayne)
• Traijan Sain (Mankato)
• Sam West (Concordia SP)
• Micah Schlaak (SMSU)
• Spencer Swenson (Crookston)
• Ryan Heise (Winona)
• Mekhi Shaw (SMSU)

I feel like the last three slots on 1st team could go to any of 6 guys. I think Hinker will be the first "2nd guy" on a team chosen (and deserves that 1st team slot), and they'll want to respect Duluth's (semi-dubious) North Division win with one guy on first team, and Hanson had the better conference run than Siwek. Pecarich & Shannon kept a bad Bemidji team afloat with their immense talent, so I think one will be recognized on 1st team, but not both. (Wyatt Hawks would be the only other one I could see launching onto 1st team.)

For 2nd team the last 5 picks feel precarious. I would vote Sam West with my whole heart, as I just love his do-everything game. I feel a little uneasy about giving two more slots to SMSU guys, but Schlaak was a revelation when Aeron Stevens wasn't performing, and the Mekhi Shaw guess may be some wishful thinking on my part, as I've always respected his pesky-ass play. Other guys that could sneak onto 2nd team are Darik Dissette (Minot), Noah Paulson (Duluth), Andrew Stokes (Wayne), James Glenn (Northern), or Taylen Ashley (Sioux Falls).

[Augieholic]

I feel like the last three slots on 1st team could go to any of 6 guys. I think Hinker will be the first "2nd guy" on a team chosen (and deserves that 1st team slot), and they'll want to respect Duluth's (semi-dubious) North Division win with one guy on first team, and Hanson had the better conference run than Siwek. Pecarich & Shannon kept a bad Bemidji team afloat with their immense talent, so I think one will be recognized on 1st team, but not both. (Wyatt Hawks would be the only other one I could see launching onto 1st team.)

Tremendous work as always. I think Hawks gets first team (conference champs usually get two guys) and Pecarich gets bumped to second team.

Semi-dubious.... fraudulent...and we're not talking about Wieck's hair!

[Mark Emmert's Burner]

I'll take a very rushed run at the women's side, too.

North Player of the Year - Bergen Kinnebrew (UMary)
South Player of the Year - Natalie Bremer (Mankato)
Defensive Player of the Year - Allison Undlin (UMary)
Newcomer of the Year - Krista Langager (Sioux Falls)
Coach of the Year - Emilee Thiesse (Mankato)

1st Team All-Conference:

• Natalie Bremer (Mankato)
• Bergan Kinnebrew (UMary)
• Izzy Moore (Northern)
• Lydia Haack (Concordia SP)
• Audrey Swanson (SMSU)
• Lauren Wilson (Concordia SP)
• Myra Moorjani (Duluth)
• Emma Miller (Crookston)
• Allison Undlin (UMary)
• Hailey Markworth (Winona)
• Krista Langager (Sioux Falls)
• Natalie Nielsen (SMSU)

2nd Team All-Conference:

• Jada Eggebrecht (St. Cloud)
• Terryn Johnson (MSUM)
• Anna Vaaler (Sioux Falls)
• Taryn Hamling (Minot)
• Claire Bjorge (Duluth)
• Isabella Sanneh (Augustana)
• Kassandra Caron (Bemidji)
• Allie Berns (Jamestown)
• Kylah vanDonkersgoed (Wayne)
• Nicole Maenke (SMSU)
• Ashton Safranski (MSUM)
• Mackenzie Schweim (Mankato)

[NSICHoops]

Only in Mankato can you be 5th in the league and get the most players on the all-conference team.

[Mark Emmert's Burner]

I once again did better on the women's side, despite following their season much less closely... *shrug*

Well both Hawks & Pecarich made first team, and the booted man was Joshua Book. I thought he was a shoe-in for 1st team, and wonder how much of that was the coaches looking at his overall season-long numbers instead of conference-only games.

I'm definitely surprised the second Duluth representative was Noah Paulson over Caleb Siwek. I don't mind the pick, as Siwek had a brutal shooting stretch from 12/11 to 1/24 before he turned things around with a late-season surge. I just figured his preseason North POTY (for as silly as those are) would ring in minds more than a steady-but-understated Paulson.

Otherwise, picking the wrong Winona guy is whatever, and even Spencer Swenson's excellent last month was not enough for coaches to respect the Golden Eagles (I don't necessarily blame them).

And I'm delighted that my guys Sam West & Mekhi Shaw got recognized!

[Purple Mav Man]

Only in Mankato can you be 5th in the league and get the most players on the all-conference team.

You gonna be ok?

[MrMustang]

My last-minute guesses for end-of-year and All-Conference selections!

North Player of the Year - Anthony Walters (Jamestown)
South Player of the Year - Tameron Ferguson (Augustana)
Defensive Player of the Year - Wyatt Hawks (St. Cloud)
Newcomer of the Year - Brogan Madson (Sioux Falls)
Coach of the Year - Quincy Henderson (St. Cloud)

Pretty much for all of the reasons Augieholic smartly put last week.

All-Conference guesses (not always who *I* would select, but who I think the coaches will pick):

1st Team:

• Tameron Ferguson (Augustana)
• Ben Kopetzki (Concordia SP)
• Luke Winkel (St. Cloud)
• Anthony Walters (Jamestown)
• Jakob Braaten (SMSU)
• Brogan Madson (Sioux Falls)
• Arhman Lewis (Mankato)
• Deuce Benjamin (Minot)
• Joshua Book (Northern)
• Caden Hinker (Augustana)
• Kole Hanson (Duluth)
• John Pecarich (Bemidji)

2nd Team:

• Henry Shannon III (Bemidji)
• Wyatt Hawks (St. Cloud)
• Caleb Siwek (Duluth)
• Sam Rensch (Augustana)
• Isa El-Amin (MSUM)
• Matt Noll (Wayne)
• Traijan Sain (Mankato)
• Sam West (Concordia SP)
• Micah Schlaak (SMSU)
• Spencer Swenson (Crookston)
• Ryan Heise (Winona)
• Mekhi Shaw (SMSU)

I feel like the last three slots on 1st team could go to any of 6 guys. I think Hinker will be the first "2nd guy" on a team chosen (and deserves that 1st team slot), and they'll want to respect Duluth's (semi-dubious) North Division win with one guy on first team, and Hanson had the better conference run than Siwek. Pecarich & Shannon kept a bad Bemidji team afloat with their immense talent, so I think one will be recognized on 1st team, but not both. (Wyatt Hawks would be the only other one I could see launching onto 1st team.)

For 2nd team the last 5 picks feel precarious. I would vote Sam West with my whole heart, as I just love his do-everything game. I feel a little uneasy about giving two more slots to SMSU guys, but Schlaak was a revelation when Aeron Stevens wasn't performing, and the Mekhi Shaw guess may be some wishful thinking on my part, as I've always respected his pesky-ass play. Other guys that could sneak onto 2nd team are Darik Dissette (Minot), Noah Paulson (Duluth), Andrew Stokes (Wayne), James Glenn (Northern), or Taylen Ashley (Sioux Falls).

Kudos for Jamestown men for a solid season and a POY. No one say either happeneing in November

[MrMustang]

My last-minute guesses for end-of-year and All-Conference selections!

North Player of the Year - Anthony Walters (Jamestown)
South Player of the Year - Tameron Ferguson (Augustana)
Defensive Player of the Year - Wyatt Hawks (St. Cloud)
Newcomer of the Year - Brogan Madson (Sioux Falls)
Coach of the Year - Quincy Henderson (St. Cloud)

Pretty much for all of the reasons Augieholic smartly put last week.

All-Conference guesses (not always who *I* would select, but who I think the coaches will pick):

1st Team:

• Tameron Ferguson (Augustana)
• Ben Kopetzki (Concordia SP)
• Luke Winkel (St. Cloud)
• Anthony Walters (Jamestown)
• Jakob Braaten (SMSU)
• Brogan Madson (Sioux Falls)
• Arhman Lewis (Mankato)
• Deuce Benjamin (Minot)
• Joshua Book (Northern)
• Caden Hinker (Augustana)
• Kole Hanson (Duluth)
• John Pecarich (Bemidji)

2nd Team:

• Henry Shannon III (Bemidji)
• Wyatt Hawks (St. Cloud)
• Caleb Siwek (Duluth)
• Sam Rensch (Augustana)
• Isa El-Amin (MSUM)
• Matt Noll (Wayne)
• Traijan Sain (Mankato)
• Sam West (Concordia SP)
• Micah Schlaak (SMSU)
• Spencer Swenson (Crookston)
• Ryan Heise (Winona)
• Mekhi Shaw (SMSU)

I feel like the last three slots on 1st team could go to any of 6 guys. I think Hinker will be the first "2nd guy" on a team chosen (and deserves that 1st team slot), and they'll want to respect Duluth's (semi-dubious) North Division win with one guy on first team, and Hanson had the better conference run than Siwek. Pecarich & Shannon kept a bad Bemidji team afloat with their immense talent, so I think one will be recognized on 1st team, but not both. (Wyatt Hawks would be the only other one I could see launching onto 1st team.)

For 2nd team the last 5 picks feel precarious. I would vote Sam West with my whole heart, as I just love his do-everything game. I feel a little uneasy about giving two more slots to SMSU guys, but Schlaak was a revelation when Aeron Stevens wasn't performing, and the Mekhi Shaw guess may be some wishful thinking on my part, as I've always respected his pesky-ass play. Other guys that could sneak onto 2nd team are Darik Dissette (Minot), Noah Paulson (Duluth), Andrew Stokes (Wayne), James Glenn (Northern), or Taylen Ashley (Sioux Falls).

you damn near nailed it. Impressive