ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Drake University men's basketball
senior Ben Simons (Cadillac, Mich.) and freshman Joey King (Eagan,
Minn.) have earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, the league announced
Tuesday afternoon in advance of the MVC Tournament.
Simons was named to the All-MVC second team for the second
straight season after averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game, the eighth
most in the MVC this season. King was voted on to the All-Freshman team thanks
to averaging 6.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while stretching defenses
with 33 three-pointers, the third most on the team.
Simons has led Drake in scoring 11 times this season and
recorded double-figure scoring efforts in 13 MVC games with a season high of 27
at Evansville. One of the top three-point threats in the conference, he has
converted on 41.1 percent of his attempts this season with 76 makes on the
season, the second most in the MVC.
The four-year contributor will end his career as one of the
most prolific scorers in Drake history, ranking eighth in career scoring with
1,355 career points and fourth in three-pointers with 232.
King collected the first MVC honor of his career with a standout
freshman season in which his scored a season high of 21 points twice, including
a home loss to Missouri State and against Xavier in the DirecTV Classic. In the
win at Illinois State he recorded his first career double-double with 11 points
and 11 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to an MVC road win. In addition to his
presence around the basket, he had nine games with multiple three-pointers
including a season-high of five against Xavier and Creighton.
Following a 12-point effort on 5-of-11 shooting with a pair
of three-pointers in the overtime win against Indiana State, he was named the
MVC Newcomer of the Week.
Simons and King will join their teammates in beginning MVC
Tournament play later this week in St. Louis, Mo. The Bulldogs face Bradley on
Thursday at 6:05 p.m. in the first round of the tournament at the Scottrade
Center.
2013 All-Missouri
Valley Conference Men's Basketball Team
First Team
Jackie Carmichael, Illinois State
Cleanthony Early, Wichita State
Doug McDermott, Creighton
Jake Odum, Indiana State
Colt Ryan, Evansville\
Second Team
Tyler Brown, Illinois State
Carl Hall, Wichita State
Anthony James, UNI
Walt Lemon, Jr., Bradley
Ben Simons, Drake
Honorable-Mention
Selections
Malcolm Armstead, Wichita State
Anthony Downing, Missouri State
Gregory Echenique, Creighton
Grant Gibbs, Creighton
Desmar Jackson, Southern Illinois
All-Newcomer Team
Malcolm Armstead, Wichita State
Cleanthony Early, Wichita State
Desmar Jackson, Southern Illinois
Marcus Marshall, Missouri State
Tyshon Pickett, Bradley
All-Freshman Team
D.J. Balentine, Evansville
Anthony Beane, Southern Illinois
Joey King, Drake
Marcus Marshall, Missouri State
Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville
All-Defensive Team
Jackie Carmichael, Illinois State
Gregory Echenique, Creighton
Walt Lemon, Jr., Bradley
Troy Taylor, Evansville
Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Bradley
LARRY BIRD MVC PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
Doug McDermott, Creighton
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Cleanthony Early, Wichita State
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Marcus Marshall, Missouri State
DEFENSIVE MVP
Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Bradley
SIXTH-MAN OF THE YEAR
Ethan Wragge, Creighton
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD DEFENSIVE
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Wichita State
