Men's Basketball

MIAC announces 2024-25 men’s basketball awards

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its men's basketball awards for the 2024-25 season on Tuesday.

Saint John's senior wing Ryan Thissen and Hamline junior guard Brendan Ebel were voted the MIAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, while Carleton first-year guard Matt Drake received MIAC Rookie of the Year honors, and Gustavus head coach Justin DeGrood was celebrated as the MIAC Coach of the Year.

Thissen (Rosemount, Minn. | Eastview) was named MIAC Joe Hutton Offensive Player of the Year after averaging 16.4 points and 2.8 assists per game for the regular season co-champion Johnnies. Thissen started all 16 conference games for Saint John's and scored at least ten points in 15 of them while surpassing the 20-point plateau in five contests. He is the first Johnnie to receive MIAC Offensive Player of the Year honors since the Men's Basketball Player of the Year award was split into offensive and defensive categories following the 2021-22 season.

Ebel (Farmington, Minn.) was selected MIAC Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 26 steals and 62 rebounds in 16 conference starts for the Pipers. Ebel was tasked with guarding the opposing team's top scorer, regardless of position, and consistently held those players below their season averages while helping Hamline hold opponents to an average of 65.3 points in conference play. Ebel is the second consecutive Piper to be named MIAC Defensive Player of the Year, joining teammate and 2023-24 recipient Austin Holt.

Drake (Lakeville, Minn. | North) was voted MIAC Rookie of the Year after starting every game and averaging 30.8 minutes per contest in his debut season at Carleton. Drake averaged 11.8 points per game and dished out 29 assists in conference play. He is the second consecutive Knight to receive MIAC Rookie of the Year honors, joining teammate and 2023-24 recipient Sam Koelling.

DeGrood (third season) was honored by his peers with the MIAC Coach of the Year award after leading the Gusties to a share of the MIAC regular season title for the first time since 2011-12. Gustavus averaged 81.4 points per game while holding opponents to a conference-best 64.6 points in league play, going 15-1 in regular-season conference games and securing the 18th regular-season crown in program history. DeGrood joins his former college coach, eight-time honoree Mark Hanson, as recipients of the MIAC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year award.

In addition to the individual awards, 17 players were named All-Conference, and five received honorable mention distinction. All awards were nominated by and voted on by the eleven MIAC head men's basketball coaches, and only statistics from regular season MIAC contests were considered for conference honors; any nominated player not selected as All-Conference but still receiving votes from at least three coaches was named honorable mention.

Nine of the 17 All-Conference honorees were also selected in 2024. SJU's Ryan Thissen became just the fourth men's basketball player in record MIAC history to earn four All-Conference selections. The MIAC has not had a four-time All-Conference honoree in men's basketball since Carleton's Josh Wilhelm in 1999.

Six players became three-time All-MIAC picks, a feat achieved by just 68 men's basketball players in recorded conference history. Carleton's Luke Harris, Concordia's Rowan Nelson, Gustavus' Spencer Swanson, Hamline's Bradley Cimperman and Austin Holt, and Saint John's Kooper Vaughn each earned the third All-Conference honor of their careers.

The MIAC also announced the annual All-Playoff Team for men's basketball, which recognized the top nine performers from the conference tournament, as selected by playoff-participant head coaches. Harris and Cimperman became the first men's basketball players in MIAC history selected to three consecutive All-Playoff squads.

| 2024-25 MIAC Men's Basketball Awards |