By: Ryan Hilgemann, USD Sports Information
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - South Dakota sophomore guard
Stanley Umude has been named a first-team all-Summit League honoree while
Trey Burch-Manning,
Triston Simpson and
Cody Kelley were also honored by the league announced Thursday at the Summit League Tip-Off press conference.
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Umude earns first-team honors after averaging 17.1 points and 6.3 rebounds over the 16 game league season. The San Antonio, Texas, native set a career-high 32 points at Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 30 and scored 20 or more points in six contests while hitting double digits on 13 occasions. He also tallied a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds against Omaha on Feb. 7. Umude finished the conference season ranked sixth in points, eighth in rebounds and second with 23 blocked shots.
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"It's an amazing accomplishment for Stanley to go from averaging one point a game last year to being named first-team all-league," head coach
Todd Lee said. "That is a credit to him as he has improved a lot. Really, this is his first year of playing college basketball because he didn't play many minutes at all last year, so his ceiling is high. His learning curve is high. He keeps getting better, keeps learning the game and if he keeps working hard, the sky is the limit."
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Simpson and Burch-Manning were honorable mentions after averaging 15.8 and 10.5 points per Summit League game, respectively.Â
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Simpson, a junior, is one of two players in the league to rank in the top 10 of points, assists, and steals. The Lincoln, Nebraska, native tallied 3.8 assists and swiped 1.1 steals per game. Over his last seven games, he owns a 10:1 assist-to-turnover ratio behind 30 assists against just three turnovers. He has also scored in double digits in 11-straight games including matching a career-high 24 points against Omaha on Feb. 7.
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"I thought Triston had a great Summit League season, and especially the second half of the year," Lee said. "I thought he was one of the best guards in the league in the second half and he led us all year. It was hard to get him rest, get him out of games because he was so valuable to us. Once we moved him back to the point, his assist to turnover ratio was off the charts."
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Burch-Manning rebounded to score 10.5 points and grab 5.3 rebounds per game despite missing four games due to injury. He scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Coyotes' victory over Western Illinois on Feb. 16. The senior from Federal Way, Washington, developed a 3-point shot during the offseason and sank 43.5 percent of his long-range shots during the season, a mark that ranks sixth in the league for the year.
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Trey Burch-Manning is our leader, our senior," Lee added "He dealt with some injuries this year but had some great games. He is always our leader on the defensive end of the floor, a leader in the locker room and our leader in practice. We had him work on shooting the three, and that was something he added to his game. He worked hard on it and he became a much better offensive player. "
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Kelley, a graduate-transfer from Wyoming, earned a spot on the all-newcomer team after averaging 10.6 points and 3.1 assists per Summit game. Having heated up in the second half of the league season, Kelley hit 51.2 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts (21-41) since the beginning of February. The Gillette, Wyoming, native totaled seven games of double-digit points including a career-high 21 points at South Dakota State on Feb. 23.
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"Coming from the Mountain West Conference, Cody had to get used to a new system and did a great job," Lee said. "He felt like someone who had been in the program for a number of years with his leadership and toughness. He really improved his 3-point shooting, one of the best 3-point shooters in the league the second half of the season. When you think about Cody, you think about tough, competitive and smart."
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South Dakota opens play at the Summit League Tournament on Sunday against Purdue Fort Wayne. Tipoff from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls is slated for 8:30 p.m.
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2019 Summit League Men's Basketball Awards
First Team
Mike Daum, South Dakota State
Mitch Hahn, Omaha
Zach Jackson, Omaha
David Jenkins, South Dakota State
John Konchar, Purdue Fort Wayne
Stanley Umude, South Dakota
Second Team
Skyler Flatten, South Dakota State
Brandon Gilbeck, Western Illinois
Emmanuel Nzekwesi, Oral Roberts
Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts
Kobe Webster, Western Illinois
Honorable Mention
Trey Burch-Manning, South Dakota
Kason Harrell, Purdue Fort Wayne
Cortez Seales, North Dakota
Vinnie Shahid, North Dakota State
Triston Simpson, South Dakota
All-Newcomer Team
Ronnie Harrell, Jr., Denver
Matt Holba, Purdue Fort Wayne
Cody Kelley, South Dakota
Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts
Vinnie Shahid, North Dakota State
Player of the Year
Mike Daum, South Dakota State
Defensive Player of the Year
Brandon Gilbeck, Western Illinois
Sixth Man of the Year
Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts
Freshman of the Year
Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts
Newcomer of the Year
Vinnie Shahid, North Dakota State
Coach of the Year
Derrin Hansen, Omaha
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