ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Valley Conference announced the 2023-24 season awards on Wednesday night before Arch Madness begins on Thursday. Bradley was very well represented with four players taking home six total awards.
For the second-straight year, Bradley's Malevy Leons is the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Leons is the first MVC player in the past 33 years (since the 1991-92 season) to record 40+ blocks and 40+ steals in back-to-back seasons -- he has 50 steals and 45 blocks this year after going 52-52 last season. He's the fifth player in school history to win the award, following Adebayo Akinkunle (1998), Jerome Robinson (2001), Patrick O'Bryant (2006) and Dyricus Simms-Edwards (2013). He's the first Bradley player to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year and seventh in league history to earn the award twice. The league began selecting a Defensive Player of the Year in 1989.
Leons was also named to the MVC All-Conference First Team after he was named to the Second Team last season. In the MVC this season, he is 14th in points per game (14.1), eighth in rebounds (6.8), 12th in free throw percentage (.766), fourth in blocks (1.5), fourth in steals (1.6) and sixth in minutes (34.5). He is five blocks away from his second straight 50 block and 50 steal season. His season highs this year include 24 points and 14 rebounds at UAB, six blocks versus SIU and four steals twice. Before the season, Leons was named to the Preseason All-MVC First Team.
Senior Duke Deen was also named to the MVC All-Conference First Team after his All-Newcomer honors in 2023. Deen finished the regular season 13th in the Valley in points per game (14.3), 12th in FG percentage (.440), third in 3-PT FG percentage (.385), fourth in 3-PT FG per game (2.6), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.1) and ninth in minutes played (33.3). In MVC play, Deen led Bradley with 15.4 points per game, a .419 three-point percentage and 4.2 assists per game. In the MVC Preseason Poll, Deen was named to the MVC Third Team but jumped up to the First Team at the end of the season.
Junior Connor Hickman earned a spot on the MVC All-Conference Third Team after he was not named to a team in the Preseason Poll. At the end of the regular season in the MVC, Hickman is 15th in points per game (14.1), 10th in FG percentage (.455), seventh in 3-PT FG per game (2.3), eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), 11th in steals (1.3) and 16th in minutes played (32.5). He was second on the team in points in conference play with 15 per game and a .410 three-point percentage.
Freshman Almar Atlason was named to the All-Freshman team. Atlason started in 15 games this season with appearances in all 31 games. He led Bradley in qualified players in 3PT FG percentage this season at .415. That is first all-time in Bradley history for a freshman. This season, Atlason had 154 points, 52 rebounds, 24 assists and 13 steals. As a Freshman, he averaged 19.7 minutes per game with a .415 field goal percentage.
What's Next
Bradley will take on the winner of SIU/UIC on Friday night at 8:30 PM for their first game of Arch Madness. That game can be watched on the MVC TV Network. The preview to that game can be found here.
List of All MVC Awards:
LARRY BIRD TROPHY (presented by Great Southern Bank): Tucker DeVries, Drake
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Ryan Conwell, Indiana State
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso
DEFENSIVE MVP: Malevy Leons, Bradley
SIXTH-MAN OF THE YEAR: Xavier Bledson, Indiana State
STATE FARM MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Ben Humrichous, Evansville
MOST IMPROVED TEAM CAPTAIN: Xavier Johnson, Southern Illinois
MVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Josh Schertz, Indiana State
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First Team
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Robbie Avila, Indiana State
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So.
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C
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Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest High
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Darnell Brodie, Drake
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Gr.
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F
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Newark (N.J.) Newark East Side/Seton Hall
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Duke Deen, Bradley
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Sr.
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G
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Shreveport (La.) Bossier High/Troy
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Tucker DeVries, Drake
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Jr.
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G/F
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Waukee (Iowa) Waukee High
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Xavier Johnson, S. Illinois
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Gr.
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G
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Germantown (Md.) Episcopal/George Mason
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Malevy Leons, Bradley
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Gr.
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F
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IJmuiden (Netherlands) Apollo Amsterdam
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Second Team
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Ryan Conwell, Indiana St.
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So.
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G
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Indianapolis (Ind.) Pike HS/South Florida
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Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont
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So.
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G
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Greeneville (Tenn.) Greeneville High
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Jayson Kent, Indiana State
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Jr.
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G/F
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Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest HS/Bradley
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Isaiah Swope, Indiana St.
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Jr.
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G
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Newburgh (Ind.) Castle HS/Southern Indiana
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Cade Tyson, Belmont
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So.
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G/F
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Monroe (N.C.) Carmel Christian High
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Third Team
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Malik Dia, Belmont
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So.
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F
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Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Ensworth HS/Vanderbilt
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Connor Hickman, Bradley
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Jr.
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G
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Bloomington (Ind.) Bloomington South High
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Nate Heise, UNI
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Jr.
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G
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Lake City (Minn.) Lincoln High
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Julian Larry, Indiana St.
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Jr.
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G
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Frisco (Texas) iSchool Entrepreneurial Acad.
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Alston Mason, Missouri St.
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Jr.
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G
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Phoenix (Ariz.) Blue Valley NW High/Oklahoma
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All-Newcomer Team
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Ryan Conwell, Indiana St.
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So.
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G
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Indianapolis (Ind.) Pike HS/South Florida
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Malik Dia, Belmont
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So.
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F
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Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Ensworth HS/Vanderbilt
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Myles Foster, Illinois State
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Sr.
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F
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Brooklyn (N.Y.) Brooks School/Monmouth
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Ben Humrichous, Evansville
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Sr.
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G/F
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Tipton (Ind.) Tipton HS/Huntington Univ.
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Isaiah Swope, Indiana St.
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Jr.
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G
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Newburgh (Ind.) Castle HS/Southern Indiana
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All-Freshman Team
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Almar Atlason, Bradley
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F
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Reykjabik (Iceland) Sunrise Christian Acad.
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Chuck Bailey III, Evansville
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G
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Detroit (Mich.) Hamtramck High
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Cooper Schwieger, Valpo
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F
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Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Southwest
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Johnny Kinziger, Illinois St.
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G
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De Pere (Wis.) De Pere High
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Kevin Overton, Drake
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G
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Oklahoma City (Okla.) Midwest City
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All-Defensive Team
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Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont
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So.
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G
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Greeneville (Tenn.) Greeneville High
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Jayson Kent, Indiana State
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Jr.
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G/F
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Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest HS/Bradley
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Julian Larry, Indiana St.
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Jr.
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G
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Frisco (Texas) iSchool Entrepreneurial Acad.
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Malevy Leons, Bradley
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Gr.
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F
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IJmuiden (Netherlands) Apollo Amsterdam
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Toby Okani, UIC
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Sr.
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G
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Orange (N.J.) Cushing Academy/Duquesne
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All-Bench Team (selected by beat writers & panel)
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*Xavier Bledson, IndSt.
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R-Sr.
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G
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Gainesville (Ga.) Gainesville High
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Chuck Bailey III, Evansville
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Fr.
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G
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Detroit (Mich.) Hamtramck High
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Tanner Cuff, Evansville
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Jr.
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F
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American Fork (Utah) Salt Lake City CC
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Cesare Edwards, MoState
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Jr.
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F
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Hartsville (S.C.) Hartsville High
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Colby Garland, Drake
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Fr.
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G
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Magnolia (Ark.) Maumelle High
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Johnny Kinziger, Illinois St.
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Fr.
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G
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De Pere (Wis.) De Pere High
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Brian Moore Jr., Murray St.
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Jr.
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G
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Harlem (N.Y.) Kingston High
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Most-Improved Team (selected by beat writers & panel)
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*Xavier Johnson, S. Illinois
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Gr.
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G
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Germantown (Md.) Episcopal High
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Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont
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So.
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G
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Greenville (Tenn.) Greenville High
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Darius Hannah, Bradley
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Sr.
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F
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Milwaukee (Wis.) Milwaukee Academy of Science
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Connor Hickman, Bradley
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Jr.
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G
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Bloomington (Ind.) Bloomington South High
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Jayson Kent, Indiana State
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Jr.
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G/F
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Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest High
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*denotes team "captain" as designated by the league's beat writers and media panel
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