Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Assistant Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
GRINNELL, Iowa - Ripon College senior guard
Trent Jones has been named the Midwest Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, headlining a group of ten players selected to the 2019-20 All-Conference Team. The league's ten head coaches selected the full All-Conference Team, Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Coach of the Year, and the Sportsmanship Award recipient.
Jones is joined on the First Team by Cornell College junior forward
Cooper Kabela, Lake Forest College junior guard
Sean Espinosa, and St. Norbert College seniors, guard
Joe Ciriacks and forward
Connor Curtis.
Espinosa garnered his second consecutive All-MWC First Team honor as the Foresters leading scorer (16.9 points per game) and the league leader in assists, averaging 5.1 per game. A Second Team selection last season, Joe Ciriacks leads St. Norbert in scoring at 14.4 points per game, just ahead of his teammate Connor Curtis (13.8).
Repeat First Team All-Conference selection Connor Curtis and first-time selection Cooper Kabela lead the league in field goal percentage as number one (60.4 percent) and number two (57.6 percent), respectively. Kabela also averages 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Rams.
Headlining the All-Conference Second Team is Knox College junior guard
Ethan Meeker. Meeker was honored with the 2019-20 Men's Basketball Newcomer of the Year award to commemorate his first season in the league. He averaged 17 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Prairie Fire.
Joining Meeker on the Second Team is Beloit College senior forward
Tristan Shoup making his third consecutive appearance, Grinnell College junior guard
Hannes Kogelnik, Lawrence University junior guard and the league's leading scorer (22.4 points per game)
Brad Sendell, and Monmouth College senior guard
Justin Batterton.
St. Norbert College head coach
Gary Grzesk was also recognized by his peers as the Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. In his fourteenth season, Grzesk led the Green Knights to a 17-1 Conference record this season, its second consecutive league title and ninth overall under his leadership.
Recognized for their tremendous sportsmanship throughout the season, the Prairie Fire of
Knox College was honored with the Team Sportsmanship Award.
The full list of honorees can be found below:
2019-20 Midwest Conference
Men's Basketball All-Conference & Major Awards |
| Player of the Year |
Trent Jones, Sr., Ripon
|
| Newcomer of the Year |
Ethan Meeker, Jr., Knox
|
| Coach of the Year |
Gary Grzesk, St. Norbert |
| First Team |
Institution |
Classification |
Position |
| Cooper Kabela |
Cornell |
Junior |
Forward |
| Sean Espinosa ! |
Lake Forest |
Junior |
Guard |
| Trent Jones |
Ripon |
Senior |
Guard |
| Joe Ciriacks * |
St. Norbert |
Senior |
Guard |
| Connor Curtis ! |
St. Norbert |
Senior |
Forward |
| Second Team |
Institution |
Classification |
Position |
| Tristan Shoup ^* |
Beloit |
Senior |
Forward |
| Hannes Kogelnik |
Grinnell |
Junior |
Guard |
| Ethan Meeker |
Knox |
Junior |
Guard |
| Brad Sendell * |
Lawrence |
Junior |
Guard |
| Justin Batterton |
Monmouth |
Senior |
Guard |
| Previous Honors |
| ! 2018-19 First Team All-Conference |
| * 2018-19 Second Team All-Conference |
| ^ 2017-18 Second Team All-Conference |