Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012
DES MOINES, Iowa--Drake sophomore Rayvonte Rice and junior Ben Simons have been named to the 2012 All-Missouri Valley Conference second team, it was announced today. It is the first all-conference selection for each. Rice received honorable mention All-MVC consideration last year as a freshman.
This marks the first season Drake has had two players receive All-MVC honors since 2008-09, when Josh Young and Bucky Cox earned second-team honors. Rice and Simons are the 87th and 88th Bulldogs to be named either first- or second-team all-conference in school history.
"It takes an entire team effort for any individuals to shine, but Ben and Rayvonte are certainly deserving of this recognition," said head coach Mark Phelps. "They have had terrific seasons and played a large role in our team's success. We still have more we want to accomplish this year, and they will be central to that effort."
Rice (Champaign, Ill.) and Simons (Cadillac, Mich.) rank among the top four scorers in the Missouri Valley Conference, with Rice third at 16.6 points per game and Simons fourth at 16.2. If those numbers hold, Drake will be the first MVC team with two players to finish in the top four in scoring since 2003-04, and first with two players to average 16.0 or more points per game since '02-'03.
Rice's 16.6-point scoring average is on pace to be the best by a Bulldog in 11 seasons, since Luke McDonald averaged 17.9 in 2001-02. Rice ranks No. 94 in the nation in scoring and No. 31 in steals (2.0; No. 1 MVC).
Simons leads the MVC and ranks 48th in the NCAA in three-point field goals per game (2.6), while ranking No. 23 among NCAA Division I players in three-point field goal percentage (42.6%). With a career-high seven three-pointers at Wichita State (2/25) Simons now ranks sixth among active MVC players and eighth on Drake's career list with 145. His 66 this season tie for 10th-most by a Bulldog.
Simons has topped the 20-point mark seven times this season, including a career-high of 29 points vs. Wichita State (1/28/12), which matched the best output by a Bulldog since Young scored 34 points vs. Morehead State on Nov. 19, 2008.
The Bulldogs open play in the State Farm MVC Tournament on Thursday, March 1, at approximately 8:38 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest and nationally on FOX College Sports Central.
Full MVC Release here
