ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Valley Conference has announced specialty awards for the 2019-20 season. UNI’s AJ Green has been named the Larry Bird Player of the Year and Isaiah Brown has been named MVC Defensive Player of the Year.
AJ Green adds to his post season honors after being named First Team All-MVC. Green has finished the MVC regular season leading the Valley in points per game (21.8), three point field goals per game (3.3), free throw percentage (.936), and minutes played per game (36.6). Green has made 88 three pointers this season, ranking third most in a single season at UNI. His 591 points ranks seventh in a single season at UNI.
Green is UNI’s fourth Larry Bird Player of the Year, following Jason Daisy (1997), Adam Koch (2010), and Seth Tuttle (2015). Green is now the third sophomore to win the league’s top award, following Doug McDermott (2012) and Fred VanVleet (2014). UNI had two NCC MVP’s in Pete Spoden (1962) and Craig Kneppe (1965).
Senior Isaiah Brown has been named Defensive Player of the Year. The leader of the Panthers, Brown has been matched up with the top offensive weapon every game this season. The Panthers have surrendered just 64.7 points per game against Valley opponents and have held opponents to just 42.2 percent from the field, second lowest in the league. Brown has recorded 121 rebounds, 28 steals and 12 blocks this season. Brown is just the second Panthers to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, following Kwadzo Ahelegbe (2011).