Valparaiso University junior center Derrik Smits (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Second Team, as announced by the conference office Thursday morning, for his work on the court and in the classroom.

Smits, who was named to the MVC’s Most-Improved Team on Wednesday, enters the MVC Tournament leading Valpo in both scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg), and is second on the team in blocked shots. He is shooting at a 59.9% clip from the field this season, a mark which is good for second in the Valley and would rank seventh in a single season in program history if he maintains it.

In the classroom, Smits graduated this past December with a bachelor’s degree in communication, along with a business administration minor, with a 3.29 cumulative GPA. He is currently enrolled in graduate school at Valpo. Smits was a member of the MVC Academic Honor Roll last year.