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NACC Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams, Major Awards Announced

03/22/2021, 8:45am CDT
By NAAC

From the NACC -- 

The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) has announced its all-conference teams and major award winners for the 2020-21 men's basketball season.

In response to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NACC split into two divisions for the 2020-2021 season. With little-to-no crossover play between the two divisions, it was decided by NACC athletics administrators to select major award winners and a single eight-member all-conference team in each division.

NACC Player of the Year honors went to Edgewood College's Jake Negus (Janesville, Wis.) and Rockford University's Kevin Diemer (Rockford, Ill.), while Milwaukee School of Engineering's Deonte Vanselow (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Concordia University Chicago's Izak Ruddell (Saint Joseph, Mich.) were named NACC Defensive Players of the Year, and Benedictine University's Trevor Montiel (Roselle, Ill.) and Wisconsin Lutheran College's Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) captured NACC Freshman of the Year honors.

Jeremy Reigle of Rockford and Aaron Aanonsen of Wisconsin Lutheran were recognized by their peers as this year's NACC Coaches of the Year.

Players of the Year
North Division - Jake Negus, Edgewood College
Negus, a senior guard, averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from behind the arc to lead the Eagles. In divisional play, he ranked among the North Division's best in scoring (16.2 ppg), field goal percentage (54.8 percent), rebounding (5.1 rpg), and assists (4.7 apg). Negus registered double figures in scoring in 15 of Edgewood's 17 games, including five games of 20-plus points. 

South Division - Kevin Diemer, Rockford University
Diemer, a junior forward, led the NACC in rebounding at 9.8 boards per game while also ranking in the top five in the league in both scoring (third) at 19.5 points per game and shooting percentage (fifth) at 59.8 percent. He scored in double figures in all but two games this season, topping out at 41 points against Concordia Chicago on Feb. 12. In that contest, Diemer was 15-of-18 from the field and 10-of-15 at the free-throw line while also pulling down 16 rebounds. He also had eight games with double-digit rebounding figures, including a league season-high 19 in the Regents' NACC Tournament-opening win over Concordia Chicago. 

Negus and Diemer are the first players from their respective institutions to be named NACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year. 

Defensive Players of the Year
North Division - Deonte Vanselow, Milwaukee School of Engineering
Vanselow, a junior forward, averaged 6.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 13 games for the Raiders. He came on strong towards the end of the season, starting MSOE's final eight games and hitting double figures in scoring in each of the last three.

Vanselow is the second MSOE player in three years to be named NACC Defensive Player of the Year and third in the award's 10-year history (Jason Palesse, 2019; John Cording, 2014).

South Division - Izak Ruddell, Concordia University Chicago
Ruddell, a junior guard, led the Cougars in rebounds (83), steals (27), and blocks (11), while ranking second in total scoring (224) over the course of CUC's 16-game schedule. An extremely versatile defender, he ranked in the top-10 amongst NACC players in steals (second), blocks (sixth), and points (ninth). Ruddell scored in double figures in 10 games, led by a 28-point effort against Rockford in the opening round of the NACC Tournament.

Ruddell is the first Concordia Chicago player to be named NACC Defensive Player of the Year and only the third to receive any NACC major award in men's basketball. Jarek Hotwagner (2017) and Landen Gladney (2019) were both NACC Freshman of the Year honorees.

Freshmen of the Year
North Division - Jacob Stoltz, Wisconsin Lutheran College
Stoltz, a guard, led the Warriors in scoring (17.6 points per game), assists (3.7 per game), and steals (1.9 per game) while starting 13 of WLC's 14 games. He ranked among the top 10 in the NACC in all three categories. Also one of the league's top free-throw shooters, he led all NACC players in made free throws (77) and ranked third in free-throw percentage (86.5 percent). Stoltz had 10 games of 10 points or more, including a 30-point game at Concordia Wisconsin on Feb. 20

Stoltz is the third Wisconsin Lutheran player to earn NACC Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year honors, following Christian Lindberg (2007) and Collin Kennedy (2016).

South Division - Trevor Montiel, Benedictine University
Montiel, a forward, led Benedictine with team-best averages of 13.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the floor, ranking eighth among NACC players in rebounding. He finished in double figures in scoring in 10 of the 12 games in which he played while posting a pair of double-doubles. Montiel narrowly missed a third double-double with a 20-point, 9-rebound effort in an 80-57 rout of Rockford in the regular-season finale that gave the Eagles a share of the South Division title.

Montiel is the fourth Benedictine player to be named NACC Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year, and the second in a row after Nick Kosich a year ago.

Coaches of the Year
North Division - Aaron Aanonsen, Wisconsin Lutheran College
Aanonsen, who recently wrapped his fourth season at the helm at WLC, led the Warriors to an 11-3 mark overall and the North Division title with a 7-3 record. His charges then captured the overall NACC title with a 78-71 victory over Rockford in the NACC Tournament championship game. The overall title was the second in succession for WLC, while the tournament crown was the first for a WLC men's basketball squad since winning the Lake Michigan Conference tournament in 2006 - that league's final season.

The Warriors were the NACC's top rebounding squad, averaging 7.4 boards per game. That number jumped to 8.4 rebounds per game in league play. WLC also experienced success getting to - and converting from - the free throw line, leading all NACC schools in free-throw makes (16.8) and attempts (22.7) per game.

This is Aanonsen's second consecutive NACC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year honor.

South Division - Jeremy Reigle, Rockford University
Reigle, concluding his second season in charge of the Regents program, led Rockford to a 9-5 overall mark, a share of the NACC South Division title, and a berth in the NACC Tournament title game. The Regents were the league's top team offensively this season, averaging 84.4 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from behind the arc and a NACC-best 49.6 percent from the field overall.

By advancing to the NACC Tournament final, Rockford picked up its first league tournament wins since 2009 and won multiple games in a NACC Men's Basketball Tournament for the first time ever.

Reigle is the second Rockford coach to be named NACC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year (Ryan Rebsom, 2009). 

2020-21 All-NACC Men's Basketball Team

SCHOOL YR. POS. HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL
NORTH DIVISION
Jordan Johnson Concordia Wisconsin Sr. G Cedarburg, Wis. Cedarburg
Joey Zietlow Concordia Wisconsin Sr. G Oak Creek, Wis. Oak Creek
Jake Negus Edgewood Sr. G Janesville, Wis. Craig
Jake Schroeckenthaler Edgewood Jr. F Cottage Grove, Wis. Monona Grove
David Britton Marian Jr. G Hartford, Wis. Mountain Top Christian
Michael Pitrof MSOE Jr. G Milwaukee, Wis. Pius XI
Jacob Stoltz Wisconsin Lutheran Fr. G Kewaskum, Wis. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
Alex VanCrete Wisconsin Lutheran Jr. G Green Lake, Wis. Green Lake
SOUTH DIVISION
Rashad Johnson Aurora Sr. G Oak Lawn, Ill. Oak Lawn
Bailey Vance Aurora Sr. F Roselle, Ill. Lake Park
Chris Hester Benedictine Sr. F Countryside, Ill. Lyons Township
Trevor Montiel Benedictine Fr. F Rosele, Ill. Lake Park
Jordan Matthews Concordia Chicago Jr. G Chicago, Ill. St. Rita
Jackson Smith Dominican Sr. F Sandwich, Ill. Sandwich
Kevin Diemer Rockford Jr. F Rockford, Ill. Boylan Catholic
Brandon Emerick Rockford Sr. G Elkhart, Ind. Concord
HONORABLE MENTION
Mahlik Hall Aurora Jr. G Seattle, Wash. Kent-Meridian
Shamar Pumphrey Aurora So. G Chicago, Ill. Lindblom
Izak Ruddell Concordia Chicago Jr. G Saint Joseph, Mich. Saint Joseph
Brent Hatten Concordia Chicago So. G Olney, Ill. Richland County
Luke McDermott Dominican Sr. G Rockford, Ill. Boylan Catholic
Jake Graff Edgewood Sr. G Brookfield, Wis. Brookfield East
Trenton Nickel Lakeland Sr. G Kiel, Wis. Kiel
Cam Jaeger Lakeland Fr. G Oostburg, Wis. Oostburg
Tyler Gouin Marian So. G Hartland, Wis. Arrowhead
De'Marius Bonds Rockford Jr. G Jackson, Tenn. Liberty Tech
Zach Zuleger Wisconsin Lutheran Jr. F West Bend, Wis. Kettle Moraine Lutheran

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