ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Illinois State senior forward Myles Foster and freshman guard Johnny Kinziger has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team and All-Freshman Team, respectively, announced by the MVC office on Wednesday evening.
The awards are voted on by a panel of two media personnel from each school, the head coach, and the school's athletic communications directors, and a panel of media voters.
Foster, a transfer from Monmouth University, is Illinois State's 22nd member of the All-Newcomer Team, and the first since Milik Yarbrough earned the award in 2018.
The Brooklyn, N.Y. native is averaging 12.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, to go along with 51 assists, a team-high 22 blocked shots, and 20 steals. He has made 52 percent of his shots from the field on the year (147-of-282), and 64.8 percent (83-of-128) from the charity stripe.
He has twice solely led Illinois State in points, rebounds, and assists, the second-most times in a season by a Redbird since at least 1988-89. He reached 1,000 career points in the last home game of the 2023-24 regular season, and is climbing towards eclipsing the 600 career rebound mark.
Foster is joined on the All-Newcomer team by Indiana State's Ryan Conwell, Belmont's Malik Dia, Evansville's Ben Humrichous, and Indiana State's Isaiah Swope.
Other Redbirds to earn the award include Yarbrough (2018), Phil Fayne (2017), DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (2015), Daishon Knight (2014), Reggie Lynch (2014), Tyler Brown (2012), Champ Oguchi (2009), Osiris Eldridge (2007), Boo Richardson (2007), Anthony Slack (2007), Lorenzo Gordon (2005), Marcus Arnold (2003), Baboucarr Bojang (2002), Shedrick Ford (2001), Tarise Bryson (1999), Skipp Schaefbauer (1997), Dan Muller (1995), Markku Larkio (1994), Reggie Wilson (1991), Richard Thomas (1990), and Todd Starks (1986).
The De Pere, Wisconsin, native is Illinois State's 11th member of the All-Freshman Team, with the last honoree on the team coming from DJ Horne after the 2020 season.
Kinziger averages 8.6 points per game and is one of five players on the team this season to have played in all 31 of the games. He has dished out 57 assists on the year with 26 steals and is the only freshman in the country this year with shooting percentages of .466 (field goals), .394 (three-point field goals), and .864 (free throws).
His 37 three-point baskets made this season are tied for the eighth-most by a Redbird freshman in program history (tied with Paris Lee), while his free throw percentage stands as the highest among ISU freshmen, and his three-point percentage fifth.
The Redbird freshman was joined on the All-Bench Team by Kevin Overton of Drake, Cooper Schwieger of Valparaiso, Chuck Bailey III of Evansville, and Almar Atlason of Bradley.
The other Illinois State men's basketball players to earn a spot on the MVC All-Bench team include Horne (2020), Reggie Lynch (2014), Nic Moore (2012), Jackie Carmichael (2010), Osiris Eldridge (2007), Marcus Arnold (2003), Gregg Alexander (2002), P.J. Smith (2000), Victor Williams (1999), and Todd Starks (1986).
ISU opens play at the 2024 MVC Tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. when the squad faces off against the Evansville Aces, a team that the Redbirds split with during the regular season, falling 58-54 in Evansville on January 27 and winning 86-79 in Normal on February 18.
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