Valparaiso University men’s basketball sophomore Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Link Year]) was one of five Missouri Valley Conference players named to the preseason all-conference team by Blue Ribbon Magazine on Tuesday.
Schwieger was named to the 2023-24 Kyle Macy Freshman All-America Team and a finalist for the Kyle Macy Freshman of the Year Award by CollegeInsider.com last season. He also earned the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year Award, becoming just the fourth Valpo rookie to win a league Newcomer/Freshman of the Year Award, joining Lubos Barton (1998-99), Bryce Drew (1994-95) and Lance Barker (1991-92). He was the first to do so in a quarter of a century and the last two are members of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame. Schwieger was just the fourth MVC freshman since 1992-93 to average at least 13.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, joining three other Freshmen of the Year – Southern Illinois’ Marcus Domask (2019-20), Creighton’s Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Tulsa’s Shea Seals (1993-94).
Also a member of the MVC All-Freshman Team, Schwieger led all MVC rookies in the following categories – overall points per game (13.2), overall rebounds per game (5.4), MVC-only points per game (14.6) and MVC-only rebounds per game (5.7). He also had 11 steals, 28 blocks and 31 assists while shooting 50.2 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from 3 and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line. In league play, he shot 51.9 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3 and 82.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Schwieger finished the season as the only freshman in the nation averaging double figures in scoring and shooting 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line in league play. He was one of only six players in the MVC to average double figures in scoring and shoot at least 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line in league play, joining Robbie Avila (All-MVC First Team), Malevy Leons (All-MVC First Team), Cade Tyson (All-MVC Second Team), Jayson Kent (All-MVC Second Team) and Ja’Kobi Gillespie (All-MVC Second Team). He finished the season with 409 points, tied with Belmont’s Cade Tyson’s 2022-23 season for the 23rd most points by a freshman in the long and proud history of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Schwieger was one of nine freshmen nationally to average 13.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg. He became just the third Valpo freshman to average over 13.0 points per game since 1992-93, joining Lubos Barton (13.8, 1998-99) and Bryce Drew (13.4 ppg, 1994-95), both Valpo Athletics Hall of Famers. Schwieger became the third Valpo freshman since 1992-93 to average over 5.0 rebounds per game, joining Raitis Grafs (1999-00, 5.8) and Lubos Barton (1998-99, 5.6), both Valpo Athletics Hall of Famers. He was named the MVC Freshman of the Week a league-high five times – Nov. 27, Jan. 15, Jan. 24, Feb. 12 and March 4.
Schwieger scored in double figures 20 times and had six games with 20+ points including a season-high 28 points in a March 3 win over Illinois State, the highest scoring output by a Valpo freshman since Alec Peters in March 2014. He had back-to-back double-doubles on Jan. 14 at Illinois State and Jan. 17 at Evansville including a season-high 13 boards in the Jan. 14 win in Bloomington-Normal. The rookie ranked 19th in the MVC in scoring average at 13.2 ppg, 20th in rebounding at 5.4 rpg, ninth in field-goal percentage at 50.2, ninth in blocked shots per game at 0.9 and 10th in offensive rebounds per game at 1.94. In league-only play, he ranked 14th in scoring average at 14.6, 19th in rebounding average at 5.74, seventh in field-goal percentage at 51.9, tied for 14th in blocks per game at 0.74 and tied for ninth in offensive rebounds per game at 2.0.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
1. Bradley
2. UNI
3. Drake
4. Illinois State
5. Belmont
6. Murray State
7. Southern Illinois
8. Valparaiso
9. Evansville
10. Indiana State
11. UIC
12. Missouri State
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
F-Darius Hannah, SR, Bradley
F-Tytan Anderson, SR, UNI
F-Cooper Schwieger, SO, Valparaiso
G-Duke Deen, SR, Bradley
G-Johnny Kinziger, SO, Illinois State
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Duke Deen, SR, Bradley
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Bennett Stirtz, JR, Drake
