If the season were to end today, who would be my vote for various Summit League awards? That’s not an easy question to answer for many of those awards, but I will do my best to answer below.
Player of the Year
Tommy Bruner
Denver
I do believe that winning should factor into the Player of the Year award. Far more so than 1st or 2nd team awards. That said it’s not nearly as simple in my opinion as who is the best player on the best team. At the same time, two things are happening. no one is really separating in the standings, and Bruner is having a special season. One rarely seen in the Summit League. I don’t think the race for Player of the Year is particularly close right now. Before everyone starts getting too excited. I want to stress the words right now. There is plenty of time for this to change, both if Bruner’s play comes down to earth or if Denver starts to struggle in the win column. Why don’t I think it is particularly close? As I said above Denver is winning, generally considered a top-half team in the league at this point, and the play on the court is special and not just special numbers. One only needs to look back at Bruner’s game against South Dakota where Bruner willed Denver to victory on several occasions. Then there are the numbers. Bruner is currently the NCAA scoring leader, averaging 26.3 points per game. The chances are pretty decent that Bruner will finish in that spot. Bruner is also scoring at this level with efficiency. Shooting 45% from the field, 42% from 3, and shooting less than 20 field goal attempts per game. Oh, and Bruner also leads the Summit League in assists, at 4.3 per game. So nation’s leading scorer, the league’s top assist man. A good place to start. Bruner does lead the league in turnovers with 68, but that’s not unheard of for a lead guard with the ball in his hands all game, and his stiffest competition for the award, Zeke Mayo has 67. Bruner is also averaging a steal per game on the defensive end.
In hot pursuit
Frankie Fidler Omaha
Zeke Mayo South Dakota State
1st Team All-Summit
G Zeke Mayo South Dakota State:
G Issac McBride Oral Roberts:
F Frankie Fidler Omaha
F Parker Bjorklund St. Thomas
F Touko Tainamo Denver
2nd Team All-Summit
G Kaleb Stewart South Dakota
G Jamar Brown Kansas City
G Raheem Anthony St. Thomas
F William Kyle South Dakota State
F Lahat Thioune South Dakota
Players feeling slighted right now
G Jailen Bedford Oral Roberts
G Boden Skunberg North Dakota State
G BJ Omot North Dakota
F Amar Kuljuhovic North Dakota
Newcomer of the Year
Guard Raheem Anthony St. Thomas
All-Newcomer
G Jailen Bedford Oral Roberts
G Kaleb Stewart South Dakota
G Jamar Brown Kansas City
G Jaxon Brenchley Denver
F Lahat Thioune South Dakota
Defensive Player of the year
Guard Charlie Easley South Dakota State
All-Defensive Team
G Drake Dobbs St. Thomas
G Kareem Thompson Oral Roberts
G Raheem Anthony St. Thomas
F Isaiah Carr Denver
F William Kyle South Dakota State