Valparaiso University men’s basketball sophomore Javon Freeman-Liberty (Chicago, Ill. / Whitney Young) added another honor to his long list of accolades from the 2019-2020 season on Monday as he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District First Team for District 16.

Freeman-Liberty was previously tabbed to the All-MVC First Team, MVC All-Defensive Team, MVC Most-Improved Team and MVC All-Tournament Team this season. He ranked 12^th nationally in total steals (74), 15^th in steals per game (2.24), 18^th in total field goals made (227), 27^th in total points (628) and 49^th in points per game (19.0).

The star sophomore finished second in the MVC in scoring average, sixth in rebounds per game (6.1), sixth in assists per game (3.2) and first in steals per game. He was the only player in the conference in the top six in all four categories and one of two in the top 10 in all four. His single-season point total ranked fifth in program history and set the program record for points by a sophomore, while his steal total shattered the previous record of 63 that had stood for nearly two decades.

Freeman-Liberty finished the season with 992 career points and likely would have become the second player in program history to score his 1000^th point as a sophomore if it weren’t for the cancellation of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament due to coronavirus concerns. He became the first player to lead the MVC in steals in back-to-back seasons since Bradley’s Hersey Hawkins did so in 1986, 1987 and 1988.

Freeman-Liberty finished in double figures in 31 out of 33 games, scored 20+ points 15 times and scored 25+ points on eight occasions.  He turned in the 34^th double-double in the history of the MVC Championship Game with 24 points and 10 rebounds, becoming just the ninth player with a 20&10 game in an MVC final. In addition, Freeman-Liberty’s performance in the championship game against Bradley helped him become the third player in the long history of the MVC with at least 24 points and at least 10 rebounds in the MVC title game, joining Wichita State’s Xavier McDaniel in 1985 and Southern Illinois’ Gary Wilson in 1977.