Men’s Hoops Garners Four All-CCIW Selections, Rose Named Coach of the Year

Titans host the CCIW Tournament, Feb. 23-24

2/19/2024 4:30:00 PM

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Following an outright College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team landed four student-athletes on the all-conference teams released Monday afternoon, Feb. 19. IWU's four selections led the league.

Junior Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) and senior Luke Yoder (Normal, Ill.-Central Catholic) received First Team All-CCIW nods, while juniors Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) and Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) were second team honorees. Ron Rose was voted the CCIW Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. Yoder garnered First Team All-CCIW status for the first time in his career, after being a second teamer in 2022.

Roper has had a breakout junior season after sitting out most of his sophomore year with an injury. One of the most unique scoring threats in the league, Roper is averaging 14.3 points per contest in CCIW play on a 51.5 percent clip from the floor. Additionally, he is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. Also a threat from deep, Roper converts from three on 36.4 percent of his attempts. On the Titans, who have four all-conference picks, Roper is top-three on the team in steals, blocks, and minutes. A two-time CCIW Player of the Week selection this season, Roper most recently reeled in the honors after scoring 25 and 18 points, against Elmhurst and Carthage, respectively, Feb. 7 and 10, to secure the CCIW regular season title for the Green and White.

For the second time in his career, Yoder garnered league honors in his return to Bloomington-Normal this season. The 2020 CCIW Newcomer of the Year, Yoder ranks second on the Titans in scoring in his final season at 11.3 points per game. One of the elite passers in the conference, he ranks fourth in the CCIW in assists with 3.8 per game, and sits at fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Wilmsen is the Titans' third leading scorer, and one of four averaging in double figures, with 10.8 points per game. Averaging 1.1 assists per game, Wilmsen's hefty presence down low opens up looks for his teammates. Additionally, while Wilmsen is one of the best post players in the conference, his three point clip is nearly 30 percent.

The ultimate glue guy for the Titans, Williams has done a little bit of everything this season on his way to a Second Team All-CCIW selection. The Titans' third leading rebounder, Williams pulls down 5.5 boards per game. He is second in the league in blocks per game with 1.2 while also dishing out 1.2 assists per game. One of the most efficient scorers for the Green and White, Williams leads the team in three point percentage at 40.6 and gets to the free throw line often, converting 78.3 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe. Additionally, Williams is one of the premier defenders in the league, as much of his value fails to show up on a stat sheet.

Illinois Wesleyan looks ahead to the CCIW Tournament, as the top-seeded Titans are set to host the semifinal and championship, Feb. 23-24. IWU is back to action

CCIW Coach of the Year
Ron Rose, Illinois Wesleyan

Fred Young CCIW Most Outstanding Student-Athlete
Jonathan Zapinski, Elmhurst

CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year
Ryan Johnson, Carthage

All-CCIW First Team
Tyler Knuth, Augustana
*Fillip Bulatovic, Carthage
Antuan Nesbitt, Carthage
*John Ittounas, Elmhurst
*Jonathan Zapinski, Elmhurst
*Nick Roper, Illinois Wesleyan
Luke Yoder, Illinois Wesleyan
Kolden Vanlandingham, North Park
* -- Unanimous selection.

All-CCIW Second Team
Kobe Simpson, Carroll
Ryan Johnson, Carthage
Ocean Johnson, Elmhurst
Hakim Williams, Illinois Wesleyan
Harrison Wilmsen, Illinois Wesleyan
JT Welch, Millikin
Ethan Helwig, North Central
Nick Schiavello, Wheaton

CCIW RESPECT Award Recipients
Brett David, Augustana
Josh Hudgens, Carroll
Anthony Bernero, Carthage
Kole Hornbuckle, Elmhurst
Grant Hardy, Illinois Wesleyan
Demarcus Bond, Millikin
Sean Molloy, North Central
Kenton Lei, North Park
Daniel Garza, Wheaton

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