Feehan Takes Home Top SLIAC Award
Shea Feehan can add to his long list of accomplishments for the Eureka Red Devils, taking home the 2017-18 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award. Feehan, who has his name scattered throughout the Red Devils record book, becomes the fourth player in program history to take home the conference's top individual award. Feehan, who is second in the nation in scoring average this season, upped his output during conference games by averaging 31.5 points per game against SLIAC foes. He shot 58-percent including a conference-best 49-percent from three-point range while finishing in the top three in the conference in field goals, three-pointers and free-throws made. He had five 40 point games this season including a 49 point effort that ranks third most in SLIAC history.
Webster University freshman Nigel Wilcox is the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year. Wilcox is the fourth Gorlok to take home the award and the first since Tim McDoniel won in 2002. Wilcox, a center, was in the middle for a team that led the league in blocked shots. He averaged 15.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while leading the SLIAC with 46 blocked shots during conference action. Wilcox also shot 61-percent from the field, ranking in the top five in both field goal percentage and total rebounds.
This year the SLIAC will honor a pair of coaches as the Coach of the Year, as voted on by their peers. This year Greenville University head coach George Barber and Blackburn College head coach Steve Kollar will share the honor.
Barber guided the Panthers to their third straight share of a SLIAC regular season title and second outright regular-season championship. The Panthers were 17-8 overall and finished 14-4 in SLIAC play this season. Greenville currently leads NCAA Division III in scoring and was part of an NCAA Division III record for combined points in a game earlier this season. This is the second time that Barber has won the award, also winning in 2016.
Steve Kollar, in his third season as the helm for Blackburn, has increased the teams overall win total in each of his subsequent seasons. The Beavers were 14-11 overall and 10-8 in the SLIAC this season, earning the program's first postseason berth since 2006. He led the Beavers to a third-place finish in the conference after being picked 9th in the coaches preseason poll. Kollar is just the fourth different Beaver head coach to win the SLIAC Coach of the Year award.
This year's SLIAC All-Defensive team consists of Parker Davidson (Principia), Johari Dix (Greenville), Nigel Ferrell (Blackburn), Ryan McElmurry (Eureka), Carter Wands (Westminster), and Nigel Wilcox (Webster).
In addition, the SLIAC recognizes one team each season with a Team Sportsmanship award, with Westminster College winning for a fifth consecutive season. The conference would also like to recognize those players named by their coaches to the All-Sportsmanship team: Reed Rusten (Blackburn), Brady Sanders (Eureka), James Wiggins (Fontbonne), Ethan Leib (Greenville), Elijah Johnson (Iowa Wesleyan), Derek Bourke (MacMurray), Brennan Paulson (Principia), Brandon Williams (Spalding), Dominic Newton (Webster), and Casey McCollum (Westminster).
First Team All-Conference | |
Brock Butler | Iowa Wesleyan University |
Johari Dix | Greenville University |
Shea Feehan | Eureka College |
Brent Long | MacMurray College |
Kobe Wands | Westminster College |
Second Team All-Conference | |
Parker Davidson | Principia College |
Micah Paulson | Principia College |
Malcolm Scott | Blackburn College |
Carter Wands | Westminster College |
Nigel Wilcox | Webster University |
Third Team All-Conference |
|
Dakota Bennington | Eureka College |
Dominique Ellis | Spalding University |
TreVaughn Goodman | Principia College |
Karson Hayes | Blackburn College |
Isiah Price | Greenville University |
Hank Thomas | Eureka College |
All-Defensive Team | |
Parker Davidson | Principia College |
Johari Dix | Greenville University |
Nigel Ferrell | Blackburn College |
Ryan McElmurry | Eureka College |
Carter Wands | Westminster College |
Nigel Wilcox | Webster University |
All-Sportsmanship Team | |
Reed Rusten | Blackburn |
Brady Sanders | Eureka |
James Wiggins | Fontbonne |
Ethan Leib | Greenville |
Elijah Johnson | Iowa Wesleyan |
Derek Bourke | MacMurray |
Brennan Paulson | Principia |
Brandon Williams | Spalding |
Dominic Newton | Webster |
Casey McCollum | Westminster |