Illinois State guard Tarise Bryson, the nation's sixth-leading scorer, has been named the Missouri Valley Conference's Player of the Year. He joins Rico Hill (1998) as the only two ISU players so honored.
Bryson also was a first-team all-conference selection for a second consecutive season. Shawn Jeppson was an honorable mention pick for that team, while Shedrick Ford was named to the all-newcomer team.
Bryson won the player of the year balloting in convincing fashion with 88 voting points, some 38 more than Indiana State's Matt Renn. Bryson was listed as the top selection for the honor on 20 of the 40 ballots.
He was joined on the first team by Renn, Bradley's Jerome Robinson, Creighton's Ryan Sears and Northern Iowa's Joe Breakenridge.
Bryson is the active scoring leader in the Valley with 1,649 points and he ranks third in the league in steals (1.93 per game) and ninth in free throw percentage (.824).
He led Illinois State to the fifth-best turnaround in the nation this season. The Redbirds are 20-7 overall and 12-6 (tied for second) in the Missouri Valley Conference. Last season, the Redbirds were 10-20, 5-13.
More information is available on the Missouri Valley's web site -- www.mvc.org
