Week 5 In The Summit League: Mid-Season All-League Check-In

We've reached the halfway point in conference play, and fans are already talking about who's who among the league's best players. While we'll learn what the voters have to say on this matter in about a month or so, we thought we'd do a mid-season check-in on the top players from each team in the league. To help in the evaluation, we're using John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating, which is designed to measure a player's total impact and uses an average of 15.0 as the baseline of measurement.

CENTENARY

Honorable Mention Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Maxx Nakwaasah	-	-

- The PER doesn't pick up Nakwaasah nor any other Centenary player, but it's hard to overlook the fact that he's the only double-digit scorer on his team, and he chips in with 5.7 rebounds per game. He's a longshot candidate since his team hasn't won, but kudos to the guard for sticking around in Shreveport when most others didn't.

IPFW

First Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Ben Botts	17.1	21.51

Second Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Frank Gaines	19.6	20.42

Honorable Mention Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Jeremy Mixon	21.2	19.17

- You could make a case for Zach Plackemeier here, but based on this metric he falls out of contention. Jeremy Mixon, a guard who comes off the bench, is a bit of a surprise but nonetheless holds up in PPR (especially interesting considering his high usage rate). Gaines has been a surprise player for the Mastodons, but Botts might be the only one represented on any of these teams when it is all said and done.

IUPUI

First Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Alex Young	25.3	23.72

Second Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Leroy Nobles	19.3	19.12

Honorable Mention Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Christian Siakam	13.8	23.05

- It's unlikely IUPUI gets two first team players like last year when Robert Glenn and Alex Young both received the distinction, but it's not because the team lacks worthy candidates. Alex Young is a sure bet for his second-straight first team award and is probably one year away from being the conference POTY. A worthy case could be made for Leroy Nobles to make the first team, and it could very likely come down to who has the better second-half between him and OU's Reggie Hamilton.

NDSU

Second Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Michael Tveidt	17.0	18.53

Honorable Mention Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Marshall Bjorklund	13.5	22.74

All-Newcomer Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Marshall Bjorklund	13.5	22.74

- Michael Tveidt played like a first teamer last season, but he'll likely fall short of that this season. The only way he gets there is if he has an unreal second half while leading the Bison back to a winning record. Freshman Marshall Bjorklund has had a great season thus far and looks to be getting better. His PER is rather telling of the contribution he makes, however his usage rate shows he is getting it done as a role player rather than featured player. Still, he's a likely lock for the All-Newcomer team and is in contention for Newcomer of the Year.

OAKLAND

First Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Keith Benson	19.8	28.10
Will Hudson	13.1	21.82
Reggie Hamilton	22.5	20.00

Honorable Mention Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Drew Valentine	13.0	16.48
Larry Wright	15.9	14.86

All-Newcomer Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Travis Bader	13.2	14.42

- It's very rare for a team to place three players on the first team, but Oakland has a realistic shot at doing so this season. The primary reason is because Keith Benson is a lock and Will Hudson and Reggie Hamilton are playing like first-teamers. However, OU also gets a break because two pre-season first-teamers are out of contention due to injury and another, Tveidt, hasn't been playing at such a level. Reggie Hamilton probably has the better shot at guard, but the case can be made for Will Hudson as well. There are typically three forwards who make the team, and we assume that ORU's Dominique Morrison and IUPUI's Alex Young are sure things. Therefore, Hudson's most likely competitors at that spot are Jay Cousinard (UMKC) and Spencer Johnson (UMKC). Cousinard will get some love for his scoring, but Hudson has proven to be a brute force in the League this season on both ends of the floor. Whatever the case, it's likely Hamilton's inclusion would exclude Hudson, or vice versa. Drew Valentine has had a stellar conference season and should be in contention for Honorable Mention, and Larry Wright, pending how this last month goes, could be anywhere from just off the HM list to a second team appearance. Travis Bader is a lock for the All-Newcomer team.

ORAL ROBERTS

First Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Dominique Morrison	20.7	25.29

Honorable Mention Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Damen Bell-Holter	17.4	23.02
Steven Roundtree	19.1	18.52
Warren Niles	21.1	17.59

All-Newcomer Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Steven Roundtree	19.1	18.52

- Dominique Morrison will be a first team selection this season, despite the fact he missed some time with an injury. His PER captures well the fact that he is a box score stuffer. So let's take a look at ORU's youth movement candidates. Warren Niles was selected to the All-Newcomer team last season but has been wildly inconsistent in his sophomore campaign. He's a borderline Honorable Mention candidate right now and can improve his stock with a sensational second half. Damen Bell-Holter has had a fine second season playing major minutes, and it's hard to see him being left off any of these lists due to the fact he's a big forward without much competition. Finally, Steven Roundtree is probably in the discussion for Honorable Mention based on some strong games he had earlier in the season. His production has tapered off just a bit in recent games which could leave him out of contention for anything more than All-Newcomer team. Still, that'd be an impressive feat for the string bean forward. ORU's future, as usual, is bright.

SDSU

First Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Nate Wolters	23.4	27.11

Second Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Clint Sargent	18.2	17.47

All-Newcomer Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Jordan Dykstra	17.3	20.81

- Nate Wolters will be a first team selection, no doubt. Many are justifiably calling for him to get the Player of the Year nod, but the sophomore has yet to develop into a threat on both ends of the court like Keith Benson. If he progresses at his current rate, Wolters will get his POTY trophy before all is said and done. Clint Sargent was a second-teamer last season and was tabbed in the preseason for the same honor in 2010-11. However, the PER doesn't really like Sargent as much as the voters probably will because his role is primarily that of a scorer and not much else, at least offensively. Still, he's a senior and featured scorer on a team that should pick up a few more wins so he'll likely finish the season with another selection. Jordan Dykstra will almost surely be an All-Newcomer selection and should compete for higher honors in future seasons.

SOUTHERN UTAH

All-Newcomer Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Ray Jones, Jr.	15.9	13.03

- Perhaps not so surprisingly, there are no players on this year's SUU squad that scream for all-conference attention. In fact, the PER does not like this team too much as there is not a single Thunderbird ranked in the top 25. However, Ray Jones, Jr. has been a bright spot for the team this season as a junior college transfer. He's been inconsistent in his scoring, but he's consistently been a team leader in assists and steals. The All-Newcomer team will have a lot of freshman this year, but Jones could squeak in to represent the JUCO contingent.

UMKC

First Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Jay Cousinard	21.5	21.62

Second Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Spencer Johnson	14.5	21.34

All-Newcomer Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Reggie Chamberlain	14.8	12.94

- Jay Cousinard is having a great senior season for UMKC. He was an Honorable Mention selection last season and is making a case to move up based on the fact he has upped his statistics in all of the key areas. However, what makes Cousinard a more enticing candidate this year is that he is helping his team win games. UMKC is quietly having a much better season than expected, and Cousinard has been a big reason why. His partner in crime, Spencer Johnson, is having a revivalist final season that sees him just on the verge of averaging a double-double. Johnson has been an elite rebounder this season (his 24.2 rebounding rate rivals that of Keith Benson) and has shown he is a perfect scoring complement to Cousinard. It would be a shame if Johnson is left off the second team given his current level of performance. Reggie Chamberlain is a darkhorse All-Newcomer candidate as a role playing transfer from Wichita State.

WIU

Second Team Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Matt Lander	21.0	16.28

All-Newcomer Candidate(s)

Player	Usage	PER
Kaimarr Price	18.3	14.44

- Matt Lander has had to be the Western Illinois offense this season as several of his teammates have gone down with an injury. The PER doesn't like him much despite the fact that he scores 16.5 points per game and has serviceable assist and rebound figures. Despite that, everyone knows WIU would be in an even more desperate spot without Lander which is where an objective stat fails. Lander's best case scenario is a second team spot. Junior college transfer Kaimarr Price has had to shoulder most of the low-post load for the Leathernecks this season, and he very well could be rewarded for his perseverance with an All-Newcomer selection.

It will be fun to see which players improve their stock over the course of the next month of conference play. There is still plenty of time for players to make their respective cases for inclusion or exclusion on the various teams. The race I am most looking forward to following is that of the newcomers as there are a slew of freshmen playing important roles for contenders this year.