INDIANAPOLIS – Truman State University junior Cade McKnight was named the 2020-21 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, the league office announced on Tuesday afternoon. Teammate Masen Miller earned GLVC Freshman of the Year honors, while mentor Jeff Horner was dubbed the league’s Coach of the Year. University of Missouri-St. Louis redshirt-junior Steve Webb was also voted the GLVC Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season.
In addition, 21 student-athletes were picked as All-Conference honorees, 10 representatives were named to the league’s All-Defensive Team, and five individuals were selected to the All-Freshman Team. McKendree University and Southwest Baptist University shared the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award, and 15 honorees were recognized as GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award recipients. The annual All-GLVC teams are voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches. Per league policy, coaches are proibiting from voting for their own players.
McKnight is the third Bulldog in GLVC history to be named Player of the Year, following Brodric Thomas a season ago and Mike Carlson in 2014. The junior ranked ninth in scoring (17.2), 11th in field-goal percentage (.523), and 11th in free-throw percentage (.830) among GLVC counterparts, while leading his team in scoring. The Grinnell, Iowa, product led the third-ranked Bulldogs to the GLVC Central Division crown in 2021, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game and 2.1 assists per game. McKnight posted a pair of double-doubles during his junior campaign, including a 21-point, 11-rebound effort against Southern Indiana on Feb. 15, on his way to being named one of three unanimous All-GLVC First Team selections.
Webb was once again named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2020-21, as the redshirt-junior was the lone unanimous choice on the GLVC All-Defensive Team. The St. Louis native was even more thrifty this winter, swiping 24 steals in just 13 games, while averaging 5.0 rebounds per game and totaling four blocks. Webb set new career highs in assists per game (4.2), field-goal percentage (.532), free-throw percentage (.727), and points per game (7.7), and earned his first career GLVC weekly award in early January. This is Webb’s third All-Defensive team selection and first All-GLVC Second Team nod.
Miller was voted as the league’s top rookie after averaging 10.6 points per game, 1.3 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game in nearly 33 minutes of action in 17 starts. The Iowa City, Iowa, native made 18 appearances during the Bulldogs’ run to the top of the GLVC standings, as he was voted the sole unanimous selection on the All-Freshman squad. The guard was also considered one of the top defensive players over the season, earning a spot on the coveted All-Defensive team. Miller is the second Bulldog to be named Freshman of the Year, and first since McKnight in 2018.
Horner guided Truman to an 18-1 overall record this season, including a divisional title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming GLVC Championship Tournament, to become the first GLVC Coach of the Year in program history. The third-year head coach also led the Bulldogs to a No. 3 ranking in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll. Horner coached four All-GLVC players, with Turner Scott also receiving a nod on the First Team and Dylan Peeters earning second-team honors.
Joining McKnight as unanimous first-team selections were Drury University senior Conley Garrison, Lindenwood University senior TJ Crockett, and University of Southern Indiana senior Josh Price. The following six names also earned All-GLVC First Team recognition: Maryville University sophomore Owen Long, McKendree University sophomore Bryson Bultman, Quincy University redshirt-senior Tanner Stuckman, Southwest Baptist senior Brady Smith, Truman senior Turner Scott, and William Jewell College senior Eysan Wiley.
Southwest Baptist and McKendree earned the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award, while 15 student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior were also recognized. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
A complete list of the 2020-21 GLVC All-Conference teams and postseason honors follows.
| GLVC Player of the Year: | All-GLVC First Team | All-GLVC Second Team* | All-Defensive Team | All-Freshman Team |
| Cade McKnight, Jr., F, TSU | Conley Garrison, Sr., G, DU # | Jason Montgomery, So., F, DU | Conley Garrison, Jr., G, DU | Jack Weber, F, UIS |
| TJ Crockett, Sr., G, LWU # | Dee Montgomery, Sr., G, UINDY | Cory Miller Jr., Sr., G, UINDY | Jesse Bingham, F, UINDY | |
| GLVC Defensive Player of the Year: | Owen Long, So. F, MU | Cory Miller Jr., Sr., G, UINDY | Marquise Jackson, Jr., G, LEWIS | Julien Smith, G, S&T |
| Steve Webb, R-Jr., G, UMSL | Bryson Bultman, So. G, MCK | Brendon Gooch, Sr., F, MCK | Kamto Eze, So., F, MU | Masen Miller, G, TSU # |
| Tanner Stuckman, R-Sr., F, QU | Marty Jackson, Jr., F, UMSL | Steve Webb, R-So., G, UMSL # | Grant Stubbs, F, WJC | |
| GLVC Freshman of the Year: | Josh Price, Sr., F, USI # | Steve Webb, R-Jr., G, UMSL | Shane Wissink, Sr., G, UMSL | |
| Masen Miller, G, TSU | Brady Smith, Sr. G, SBU | Shane Wissink, Sr., G, UMSL | Mitch Ganote, So., G, SBU | |
| Cade McKnight, Jr., F, TSU # | Curtis Lewis, Sr., G, RU | Josh Price, Sr., F, USI | ||
| GLVC Coach of the Year: | Turner Scott, Sr., G, TSU | Mateo Rivera, Sr., G, USI | Masen Miller, Fr., G, TSU | |
| Jeff Horner, TSU | Eysan Wiley, Sr., F, WJC | Quinn Nelson, Jr., G, SBU | Eysan Wiley, Sr., F, WJC | |
| Dylan Peeters, So, F, TSU | ||||
| # Unanimous selections | ||||
| *Extra Member Due to Tie |
2020-21 GLVC Men’s Basketball James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award
Southwest Baptist & McKendree
2020-21 GLVC Men’s Basketball James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Conley Garrison, DU
Casey Tuttle, UIS
Ben Nicoson, UINDY
Christian Walker, LEWIS
Romelo Burrell, LWU
Daniel Farris, MU
Jacob Donaldson, MCK
Kelly Vaughn, S&T
Shane Wissink, UMSL
Tanner Stuckman, QU
Charlton Offermans, RU
Glen Rouch, USI
Quinn Nelson, SBU
Alex McQuinn, TSU
Carter Olsen, WJC
