All-Mid-Major Madness: Honorable mention and Third Team

The All-Mid-Major Madness honorable mentions and Third Team have been announced, with players from 11 teams represented.

All awards were voted on by our staff.

Players who received Honorable Mention were featured on more than one writer’s ballot, but did not receive enough votes to appear on our Third Team.

2016-17 All-Mid-Major Madness Honorable Mention:

Chris Clemons, Campbell
Jimmy Hall, Kent State
Kevin Hervey, UT Arlington
Cameron Oliver, Nevada
Scoochie Smith, Dayton
Steve Taylor Jr., Toledo
Jacorey Williams, Middle Tennessee

2016-17 All-Mid-Major Madness Third Team:

Evan Bradds, Belmont

There’s a reason Belmont won 18 of its last 19 regular season games. Bradds, the two-time Ohio Valley player of the year, averaged an even 20 points per game to go with 8.4 rebounds. He also ranked in the top five in the conference in all major advanced shooting metrics inside the three-point line. Bradds scored in double figures in all but one game that he appeared in this season, and was a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, given annually to the best small forward in the country.

Keon Johnson, Winthrop

Johnson was an undeniable Mid-Major Madness staff favorite this year, and rightfully so. The senior is just 5’7, but was one of the best bucket-getters in the nation. Take, for example, his three consecutive 30-point games in the Big South Tournament to lead the Eagles back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2010. Johnson shot 40 percent from three and 44 percent in conference play, and was nearly automatic from the line. Now excuse us while we try and figure out how to get him another 10 years of eligibility.

Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga

Big Shem! As another staff favorite, our Burly Buddy was instrumental in Gonzaga’s run to the national championship game. While the media narrative was centered around North Carolina’s run at redemption, Karnowski had one of his own. He sat out most of last year with a back injury, but made up for it and more with the Bulldogs this season. At 7’1 and 300 pounds, Karnowski became more than just a big body inside over his four years in Spokane. He honed his post moves, making him a solid finisher at the basket and an excellent defender on the other end.

Tim Kempton, Lehigh

Kempton spent four seasons at Lehigh littering the stat sheet with his ridiculousness. He saved his best for last, quite literally, earning KenPom MVP honors in five of the Mountain Hawks’ final six games. That included a 31-point, 13-rebound, six-block performance in a double-overtime thriller over Boston University in the Patriot League semifinals. The Patriot League first-teamer averaged a double-double for the season and posted 21 of them along the way.

Marcus Marshall, Nevada

Marshall makes it five seniors on our Third Team, and, like many of the others, he majored in buckets. As big a role as head coach Eric Musselman has had in the Wolf Pack’s recent Mountain West resurgence, Marshall was just as important. The guard was truly the catalyst of the Nevada offense, ranking sixth in the conference in assist rate, while shooting 40 percent from three and 87 percent from the line. Marshall also played the full 40 minutes seven times this season.