For each of the nine geographic districts, ten players are selected (11 in the case of ties) as well as a player and coach of the year. Four schools – Gonzaga (Kyle Wiltjer and Mark Few), Kentucky (Willie Cauley-Stein and John Calipari), Northern Iowa (Seth Tuttle and Ben Jacobson) and Wisconsin (Frank Kaminsky and Bo Ryan) – can boast the honor of having the district player and coach of the year. Villanova’s Jay Wright (District II) and Tony Bennett (District III) have earned back-to-back District Coach of the Year honors.
Jacobson has guided UNI to a school-record tying 30 victories and the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title. The Panthers set a school record with 16 consecutive wins and achieved the school’s first appearance in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. Jacobson was also named the MVC Coach of the Year for the third time in his tenure at UNI.
Tuttle, who was also selected the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year, leads the Panthers in scoring, rebounding, assists and blocks. Tuttle was also named the Most Outstanding Player at the MVC Tournament, where he helped lead the Panthers to the crown.
