AP FILE PHOTO - Drake forward Tucker DeVries grabs a rebound during the first half of a Missouri Valley Conference basketball game against Northern Iowa on Feb. 1 at the Knapp Center in Des Moines.

ST. LOUIS — Drake sophomore swingman Tucker DeVries was presented the Larry Bird Trophy as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, the first for a Bulldog since Adam Emmenecker in 2008.

DeVries became the fifth-ever Drake player to earn the honor, joining Emmenecker, Curt Smith, Lewis Lloyd (twice) and Jeff Halliburton as the only Drake men’s basketball players to hoist the Larry Bird Trophy. DeVries was the MVC Preseason Player of the Year and averaged 18.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists over the course of 30 games this season.

Belmont’s Cade Tyson received Freshman of the Year honors. Indiana State’s Courvoiser McCauley was picked as MVC Newcomer of the Year, and Ja’Shon Henry of Bradley picked up Sixth Man of the Year. Brian Wardle of Bradley was named the MVC Coach of the Year.

Drake graduate guard Roman Penn received votes for the Larry Bird Trophy and landed a spot on the All-MVC first team. Penn played 30.9 minutes per game while putting up 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists a night. Penn was an All-MVC third team selection last year.

Newton native Garrett Sturtz was recognized on the All-MVC third team with a stat line of 9.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game this season. Sturtz was an All-MVC second team performer during the 2021-22 campaign.

Redshirt freshman guard Conor Enright picked up MVC All-Freshman Team honors as a spark off the bench, providing 1.7 assists over 19.1 minutes a game.

Born leads UNI honorees

ST. LOUIS — Northern Iowa sophomore guard Bowen Born was selected to the All-MVC second team, while freshman forward Michael Duax was named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team as voted on by the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and media.

Born, who was named MVC Sixth Man of the Year last season and Freshman of the Year in 2021, led the Panthers with 17.2 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting. Selected to the MVC preseason second team back in October, the Norwalk native started all 30 games for UNI during his third season, leading the league in free throws (127) and free throw attempts (153).

Born scored in double figures in 24 of 30 games this season, including a career-high 30 points against Northern Illinois in November and again in early February in a double-overtime game at Drake.

Duax averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in his first season on the floor for UNI while shooting 56.1 percent. The Dubuque native recorded the second most points scored by an MVC freshman with 293, and ranks second among Panther rebounders with 142 boards.

Notching a career-high 21 points in a win at Illinois-Chicago in January, Duax ranks 12th in the league with three double-doubles this year, as well as 13th in total steals (38).