MIAC Men's Basketball: CSN Honors Cassens, Brown, Burtzel, Anderson and Griess

Senior guard Jon Cassens of Augsburg was named the Most Valuable Player of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the fifth annual honors as chosen by College Sporting News. CSN’s Player of the Year for the MIAC award is shared by Ray Brown of Hamline and Aaron Burtzel of Saint John’s. Augsburg’s Aaron Griess was named Coach of the Year, while Seth Anderson of Gustavus was named Sixth Man of the Year.

Joining Cassens, Brown and Burtzel as First Team All-MIAC are Carl Hipp of Hamline, Tyler Nicolai of St. Thomas and Jeremy Sutherland of Carleton.


(Pictured top row left to right: Jon Cassens, Ray Brown, and Aaron Burtzel. Bottom row left to right: Carl Hipp, Tyler Nicolai and Jeremy Sutherland.)

Cassens, a 6’1” senior from Prior Lake (Prior Lake HS), averaged 13.1 points per game in MIAC contests. He was second in the league in assists, averaging 4.05 per contest. His 90.8% from the free throw line was second among MIAC players and his 1.84 assists-to-turnovers ratio was 11th in the league. He played an average of 33.55 minutes per game, third most in the conference. Cassens, captain of the Augsburg team for three seasons, was cited for his impact on his team’s performance, helping them exceed expectations with a finish they would not have accomplished without him. Cassens’ leadership was a vital part in the team’s success, as he led Augsburg to a tie for second place with a 13-7 record.

Brown and Burtzel shared the Player of the Year award, which honors the most dominant individual performer, regardless of team performance. Brown a 6’7” senior from St. Paul (Richfield HS), led the league in scoring with an average of 18.6 points per game. He also led the league in three-pointers made (2.50 per game) and was sixth in rebounding (7.7 rpg). Brown was among the MIAC leaders in steals, blocked shots, free throw percent and three-point accuracy.

Burtzel, a 6’5” junior from Cold Spring (ROCORI HS), led the conference in field goal accuracy (67.3%) and assists (4.85 per game). He was second in rebounding, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game, and was second in both offensive and defensive rebounds. Burtzel finished third in steals (.1.75 per game) and ninth in scoring (13.8 ppg).His 35.60 minutes per game ranked second in the league.

Griess was honored for guiding his team to a share of second place with a 13-7 MIAC record and an 18-7 overall mark. This is the fourth consecutive season Griess’ team has improved its record and its place in the standings. They enter the upcoming MIAC Playoffs ranked eighth in the West Region.

Anderson, a 6’1” sophomore from Minnesota Lake (Maple River HS), averaged 6.8 points per game, helping lead Gustavus to a tie for second place. He was 12th in the MIAC in assists with 2.60 per game and his assists-to-turnovers ratio (2.74) was second in the league.

2009-10 COLLEGE SPORTING NEWS ALL-MIAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM

Most Valuable Player
Jon Cassens, Augsburg College

Co-Players of the Year
Ray Brown, Hamline University
Aaron Burtzel, Saint John’s University

Sixth Man of the Year
Seth Anderson, Gustavus Adolphus College

Coach of the Year
Aaron Griess, Augsburg College

First Team All-MIAC
Jon Cassens, Augsburg College
Ray Brown, Hamline University
Aaron Burtzel, Saint John‘s University
Carl Hipp, Hamline University
Tyler Nicolai, University of St. Thomas
Jeremy Sutherland, Carleton College

Second Team All-MIAC
John Fraase, Concordia College
Alex Healy, University of St. Thomas
David Olson, Augsburg College
Nate Robertson, Bethel University
Bryan Rosett, Carleton College
Will Wright, Saint Mary’s University

Honorable Mention
Teddy Archer, University of St. Thomas
Lukas Holland, Saint Mary’s University
Seth Jonker, Carleton College
Ryan McPartland, Gustavus Adolphus College
Darrin Olmscheid, Concordia College
Chris Palmer, Saint Mary’s University
Joe Scott, University of St. Thomas
Mark Torell, St. Olaf College
Chris Vavra, Bethel University
Phil Wirtjes, Gustavus Adolphus College