A stellar season by Valparaiso University men’s basketball freshman Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Link Year]) received well-earned recognition on Wednesday night as the Valpo rookie was presented with the league’s Freshman of the Year Award, as announced at the MVC Awards Banquet in St. Louis.
Schwieger, also a member of the all-freshman team, becomes just the fourth Valpo freshman to win a league’s Freshman or Newcomer of the Year Award, joining Lubos Barton (1998-99), Bryce Drew (1994-95) and Lance Barker (1991-92) and the first to do so in a quarter of a century. The high honor only furthered one of the greatest freshman seasons in the program’s storied history. This marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that Valpo has boasted at least one all-freshman team honoree.
Schwieger finished the regular season averaging 13.2 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per contest. He finished with a league-only scoring average of 14.6 and rebounding average of 5.7. The Kansas native is just the fourth MVC freshman since 1992-93 to average 13.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, joining three other MVC Freshmen of the Year – Southern Illinois’ Marcus Domask (2019-20), Creighton’s Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Tulsa’s Shea Seals (1993-94).
Schwieger is one of eight freshmen nationally averaging 13 points and five rebounds per game and is one of four averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in league play. He is the only freshman in the country shooting 50 percent from the floor, 80 percent from the free-throw line and scoring in double figures in conference play. He is one of five total MVC players shooting 50 percent from the field, 80 percent from the free-throw line and averaging double figures in scoring in league play, joining Robbie Avila (Indiana State), Cade Tyson (Belmont), Malevy Leons (Bradley) and Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Belmont).
Schwieger led all MVC rookies in overall scoring average, overall rebounding average, league-only scoring average and league-only rebounding average. A five-time MVC Freshman of the Week, Schwieger had career highs in each of his final two regular-season games, including 28 on Sunday vs. Illinois State, the highest single-game scoring output by a Valpo freshman since Alec Peters in March 2014.
Valpo will open Arch Madness – the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis – on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against fifth-seeded Belmont. The game will air on the MVC TV Network including NBC Sports Chicago Plus and ESPN+.
2024 All-Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Team
First Team Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown
Robbie Avila, Indiana State So. C 6-10 Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest High
Darnell Brodie, Drake Gr. F 6-10 Newark (N.J.) Newark East Side/Seton Hall
Duke Deen, Bradley Sr. G 170 Shreveport (La.) Bossier High/Troy
Tucker DeVries, Drake Jr. G/F 6-7 Waukee (Iowa) Waukee High
Xavier Johnson, S. Illinois Gr. G 6-1 Germantown (Md.) Episcopal/George Mason
Malevy Leons, Bradley Gr. F 6-9 IJmuiden (Netherlands) Apollo Amsterdam
Second Team
Ryan Conwell, Indiana St. So. G 6-4 Indianapolis (Ind.) Pike HS/South Florida
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont So. G 6-1 Greeneville (Tenn.) Greeneville High
Jayson Kent, Indiana State Jr. G/F 6-8 Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest HS/Bradley
Isaiah Swope, Indiana St. Jr. G 5-10 Newburgh (Ind.) Castle HS/Southern Indiana
Cade Tyson, Belmont So. G/F 6-7 Monroe (N.C.) Carmel Christian High
Third Team
Malik Dia, Belmont So. F 6-9 Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Ensworth HS/Vanderbilt
Connor Hickman, Bradley Jr. G 6-3 Bloomington (Ind.) Bloomington South High
Nate Heise, UNI Jr. G 6-5 Lake City (Minn.) Lincoln High
Julian Larry, Indiana St. Jr. G 6-3 Frisco (Texas) iSchool Entrepreneurial Acad.
Alston Mason, Missouri St. Jr. G 6-2 Phoenix (Ariz.) Blue Valley NW High/Oklahoma
All-Newcomer Team
Ryan Conwell, Indiana St. So. G 6-4 Indianapolis (Ind.) Pike HS/South Florida
Malik Dia, Belmont So. F 6-9 Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Ensworth HS/Vanderbilt
Myles Foster, Illinois State Sr. F 6-7 Brooklyn (N.Y.) Brooks School/Monmouth
Ben Humrichous, Evansville Sr. G/F 6-9 Tipton (Ind.) Tipton HS/Huntington Univ.
Isaiah Swope, Indiana St. Jr. G 5-10 Newburgh (Ind.) Castle HS/Southern Indiana
All-Freshman Team
Almar Atlason, Bradley F 6-8 Reykjabik (Iceland) Sunrise Christian Acad.
Chuck Bailey III, Evansville G 6-5 Detroit (Mich.) Hamtramck High
Cooper Schwieger, Valpo F 6-9 Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Southwest
Johnny Kinziger, Illinois St. G 5-11 De Pere (Wis.) De Pere High
Kevin Overton, Drake G 6-5 Oklahoma City (Okla.) Midwest City
All-Defensive Team
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont So. G 6-1 Greeneville (Tenn.) Greeneville High
Jayson Kent, Indiana State Jr. G/F 6-8 Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest HS/Bradley
Julian Larry, Indiana St. Jr. G 6-3 Frisco (Texas) iSchool Entrepreneurial Acad.
Malevy Leons, Bradley Gr. F 6-9 IJmuiden (Netherlands) Apollo Amsterdam
Toby Okani, UIC Sr. G 6-8 Orange (N.J.) Cushing Academy/Duquesne
Major Awards
Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso, Freshman of the Year
Ryan Conwell, Indiana State, Newcomer of the Year
Xavier Bledson, Indiana State, Sixth Man of the Year
Malevy Leons, Bradley, Defensive Player of the Year
MVC Freshmen of the Year – All-Time
1986 Bart Friedrick, Drake
1987 Joe Griffin, Wichita State
1988 Eddie Bird, Indiana State
1989 Tony Harvey, Southern Illinois
1990 Ashraf Amaya, Southern Illinois
1991 James Hamilton, Bradley
1992 Marcus Timmons, S. Illinois
1993 Deon Jackson, Bradley
1994 Shea Seals, Tulsa
1995 Dan Muller, Illinois State
1996 Rodney Buford, Creighton
1997 Jason Perez, Wichita State
1998 Ryan Sears, Creighton
1999 Victor Williams, Illinois State
2000 Kent Williams, Southern Illinois
2001 Luke McDonald, Drake
2002 Randy Burns, Wichita State
2003 David Moss, Indiana State
2004 Blake Ahearn, Missouri State
2005 Eric Coleman, UNI
2006 Bryan Mullins, Southern Illinois
2007 Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State
2008 P’Allen Stinnett, Creighton
2009 Kevin Dillard, Southern Illinois
2010 Colt Ryan, Evansville
2011 Doug McDermott, Creighton
2012 Seth Tuttle, UNI
2013 Marcus Marshall, Missouri State
2014 Milton Doyle, Loyola
2015 Brenton Scott, Indiana State
2016 Markis McDuffie, Wichita State
2017 Landry Shamet, Wichita State
2018 Cameron Krutwig, Loyola
2019 AJ Green, UNI
2020 Marcus Domask, S. Illinois
2021 Bowen Born, UNI
2022 Tucker DeVries, Drake
2023 Cade Tyson, Belmont
2024 Cooper Schwieger, Valpo
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