Michael Johnson was selected as the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Year as the conference released the awards from the 2021-22 season.
Johnson was a big reason why Benedictine led the conference in scoring defense. Consistently assigned to blanket the opponent's top scorer, Johnson regularly held players below their scoring average while making shots difficult. Benedictine allowed just 65.9 points per game, which ranked in the top-50 nationally. Johnson becomes the second player from Benedictine to earn the honor of Defensive Player of the Year, joining John Dodson from 2016. Johnson led Benedictine in steals and finished second in assists. The Chicago, Ill. native averaged 8.6 points per game to go with 4.5 rebounds per contest, often getting involved on the glass.
Additionally, Trevor Montiel was named First Team All-NACC and Marvin Agwomoh received honorable mention status. Montiel led the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game and in rebounding at 7.3 per contest. The 13.7 points per game ranked 15th in the conference. The sophomore was named all-conference last year along with the South Division Freshman of the Year. Montiel posted three double-doubles and surpassed double scoring scoring on 17 occasions with a stretch of eight straight in conference play at the end of the year. The Roselle, Ill. native eclipsed 20 points on four occasions with a season high of 26 against nationally ranked Wheaton, who is in the NCAA Tournament.
Agwomoh was second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game. The junior was also second on the team at 6.4 rebounds per game. Agwomoh also tallied 17 games with double-digit scoring including the first six games of the year. The Orland Park, Ill. native scored a season high 23 points against Edgewood on February 9. Agwomoh notched three double-doubles on the season.
Benedictine finished the year 12-13.
BELOW COURTESY OF THE NACC
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) has announced its major awards and all-conference team for the 2021-2022 men's basketball season.
Concordia University Wisconsin forward Jordan Johnson was named NACC Player of the Year, while Benedictine University guard Michael Johnson was honored as NACC Defensive Player of the Year and St. Norbert College guard Parker Lawrence was selected as NACC Freshman of the Year. Concordia University Chicago, led by head coach Steve Kollar, was recognized as the NACC Coaching Staff of the Year. All honors were voted on by the league's 13 head coaches.
NACC Player of the Year - Jordan Johnson, Concordia University Wisconsin
Johnson, a senior from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, led Concordia Wisconsin to a share of its second NACC men's basketball title in four seasons. He started all 25 games for the Falcons in 2021-2022, averaging 20.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 52.0 percent from the floor and 42.6 percent from behind the arc. Johnson was held to single-digit scoring on just one occasion this season while topping the 20-point plateau 17 times. His top game statistically came Feb. 5 against Benedictine when he scored 34 points on 13-of-21 shooting in an 81-77 victory. In that game, Johnson also surpassed 2,000 career points.
Overall, Johnson led all NACC players in free throw attempts (127), and ranked second in points (517), scoring average (20.7), made field goals (191) and made free throws (95), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage, seventh in assists (74), and 13th in rebounding average.
Johnson wrapped his five-year career with a program-record 2,098 points - second only to Lakeland's Jake Schwarz (2,199; 2008-09, 2011-13) on the NACC's all-time scoring list.
This is Johnson's second major NACC men's basketball award. He was also named NACC Freshman of the Year following the 2017-2018 season. He is also the second Falcon to be named NACC Player of the Year following Luke Doedens in 2012.
NACC Defensive Player of the Year - Michael Johnson, Benedictine University
Johnson, a senior from Chicago, was a key figure defensively for a Benedictine squad that led the NACC in scoring defense at 65.9 points per game. An athletic guard, he was regularly assigned to the opponent's best player regardless of size. Johnson started 20 of the 23 games in which he played this season, averaging 8.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He pulled together one of his best statistical games against Aurora in early February, posting season-highs with 18 points and eight rebounds in a 64-54 victory.
Johnson is the second Benedictine men's basketball player to be named NACC Defensive Player of the Year. The first was John Dodson in 2016.
NACC Freshman of the Year - Parker Lawrence, St. Norbert College
Lawrence, a Hortonville, Wisconsin native, finished the season as the top-scoring true freshman in the league, averaging 9.7 points per game. Also a wide receiver and kick returner for the Green Knights football team, he missed four of St. Norbert's first five games and played limited minutes through the first week of December. Lawrence announced his presence to the NACC as a scoring threat on Dec. 11 when he came off the bench to score 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting with seven 3-pointers in a loss to Rockford. He was inserted into the starting five by head coach Gary Grzesk the following week and started the Green Knights' final 18 games.
Despite his missed time at the beginning of the season, Lawrence ranked sixth among league players in steals (39) and seventh in made 3-point field goals (43).
Lawrence is St. Norbert's first major award winner in men's basketball. A multi-sport athlete for the Green Knights, he also earned all-NACC honorable mention for football last fall.
NACC Coaching Staff of the Year - Concordia University Chicago (Steve Kollar, head coach)
Kollar, in his third season at the helm, led Concordia Chicago to a 15-10 record overall and an 11-6 mark in league play. Along the way, the Cougars - who were 10th in the league's annual preseason poll - claimed a share of the NACC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the NACC Tournament. The title was the first for the program since tying for the NACC South Division crown during the 2011-2012 season. CUC also picked up what was probably the league's best non-conference win this season - an 81-75 victory over then-No. 2 Illinois Wesleyan on the Titans' home floor.
The Cougars led the NACC in total steals (246) and blocked shots per game (4.0) while ranking second in total blocks (54), steals per game (9.8), offensive rebounds per game (12.36), and free throw attempts (472) and third in free throws made (307), rebound margin (+2.2), and turnovers forced (15.72 per game).
Kollar is assisted by Jordan Foster, Kevin Howard, and Matt Mahlke.
All-Conference Team Announced
A total of 10 institutions had players listed among the 15 players named to the two all-conference teams. Edgewood and Illinois Tech each had two players named to the 10-member first team, while Concordia Wisconsin, Marian, and St. Norbert had one player each on the first team and the five-member second team. One player each from Benedictine, Concordia Chicago, and Rockford rounded out the first team, while MSOE and Wisconsin Lutheran both had a player selected to the second team.
Johnson was recognized by the NACC for the fifth time. In addition to being named the NACC Freshman of the Year, he also received all-NACC honorable mention in 2018. Johnson was named to the all-NACC second team the following year before being named all-NACC first team (or all-division) each of the past three seasons. MSOE's Michael Pitrof and Rockford's Brandon Emerick both earned their third all-NACC honor. Pitrof sandwiched a pair of all-NACC second team honors (2020, 2022) around an all-NACC North Division honor from 2021, while Emerick was an all-NACC first-team pick in 2020 and 2022 and a South Division honoree in 2021. Benedictine's Trevor Montiel, Concordia Chicago's Jordan Matthews, Edgewood's Jake Schroeckenthaler, Marian's David Britton (all first team), and Wisconsin Lutheran's Jacob Stoltz (second team) each earned all-NACC honors this season after being an all-NACC divisional selection a year ago.
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