MT. PLEASANT, Iowa - Ashford University men's basketball senior guards Daniel Joiner of West Chicago, Ill., and Byron Emerson of Rockford, Ill., were honored by the Midwest Collegiate Conference as first-team all-league selections announced earlier today.
The Saints' seniors were two of 10 student-athletes in the MCC to be selected to the first team. An additional 12 players were chosen as honorable mention picks. Voting was determined among the league's coaches.
Viterbo University's Scott
Buschman received MCC Player of the Year honors, Paul Gavin of Mt. Mercy College was chosen by his colleagues as MCC Coach of
the Year and
"D.J. and Byron have shouldered a lot of the offensive load for a very successful season," AU Head Coach Andy Eberhart said. "Their contributions and senior leadership will be sorely missed, but there is no question that both players are very deserving of this honor."
Joiner and Emerson helped carry the Saints to a 20-win season that included a trip to the semifinals of the MCC Tournament. They both achieved a number of statistical milestones in their final seasons wearing purple and gold.
Joiner averaged 16.2 points per game to lead the Saints in scoring while finishing sixth among all conference players. He became the AU men's basketball program's all-time leading scorer while scoring a season-high 29 points at St. Ambrose on Jan. 21.
Joiner, an Honorable Mention All-MCC selection as a junior, equaled his season-best scoring total with 29 against Missouri Baptist College and scored in double digits in 25 of Ashford's 32 games this year.
Joiner was also named the MCC's Most Improved Player following his sophomore year in 2007-08. He made over 40 percent of his tries from 3-point range and ranked 21st in the nation in free throw percentage (82.9 percent).
Emerson joined the prestigious 1,000-point club in his career on the road at Clarke College on Jan. 25. He averaged just under 13 points per contest (12.8 ppg), good for 15th in the conference.
Battling back after a season-ending knee injury in his junior campaign, Emerson was revitalized to start all 32 games in his final year. He was clutch in AU's postseason triumph over St. Ambrose, hitting 14 free throws to help the Saints advance in the conference tournament.
Emerson was also chosen by the conference as an honorable mention all-league recipient in his freshman year (2006-07). He had a season-high 22 points on separate occasions against Mt. Mercy and Waldorf, respectively.
2009-10 All-MCC Men's Basketball TeamFirst Team
Byron Emerson - Ashford
Daniel Joiner - Ashford
Grant Burns - Grand View
Corey Viet - Grand View
Keith Kuenstling - Mount Mercy
Mike Kennedy - St. Ambrose
Eric Ambrose - Viterbo
Scott Buschman - Viterbo
Karl Dehesa - Waldorf
Kris Miller - William Penn
Honorable Mention Team
Cory Billingsley - Clarke
Greg Schulz - Grand View
Jared Callanan - Iowa Wesleyan
Jake Carey - Mount Mercy
James Henderson - Mount Mercy
Alex Burkle - St. Ambrose
Chris Donnelly - St. Ambrose
Justin Tiner - St. Ambrose
Nick Stilwell - Viterbo
Chris Holloway - Waldorf
Jeremy Winters - Waldorf
Joel Stout - William Penn
