BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The No. 7 nationally ranked Gustavus Adolphus College men's basketball team was well represented in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Awards for the 2025-26 season that were announced on Tuesday.
Myles Barnette and head coach
Justin DeGrood led the way for the Gusties as Barnette was named Defensive Player of the Year and DeGrood took Coach of the Year honors.
Barnette earned MIAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, was an All-Conference selection, and was selected to the All-Playoff Team after a dominant season on both ends of the court. The junior had the fourth-best scoring average in the MAIC at 18.8 points per game while shooting 60.5% from the floor for the second-best mark in the conference this season. Defensively, Barnette led the MIAC with 65 steals and 2.5 steals per game while his 19 blocked shots ranked 11
th. The junior had the third-most assists in the conference with 104 and his 2.7 assist to turnover ratio ranked second in the MIAC.
Coach DeGrood was named Coach of the Year for the second year in a row after leading Gustavus to win both the MIAC Regular Season and Playoff Championships this winter. The fourth-year head coach led the Gusties to a 15-1 record in the conference and has them at 25-2 heading into the NCAA Tournament. DeGrood's team led the MIAC with the most points per game (83.6), fewest points allowed per game (65.2), and in average margin of victory (18.4)
Jake Schmitt was named to the All-Conference team and the All-Playoff Team. The junior averaged 15.4 points per game on 40.1% shooting while averaging 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Schmitt led the MIAC in three-pointers made with 80 on the year, averaging 3.1 per game on 36.4% shooting from beyond the arc.
Eli Wolff was named to the All-Conference team. The senior averaged 9.4 points per game on 42.6% shooting. From long range, Wolff's 65 threes were the fourth-most in the MIAC while his 42.2% clip from beyond the arc was the third-best mark in the conference.
Andrew Quam was named an All-Conference Honorable Mention. The sophomore averaged 11.8 points per game on 46.4% shooting. From distance, Quam made 41 threes on a 38.0% clip. The sophomore also averaged 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Obinna Izuora was named to the All-Playoff team. The junior averaged 16.0 points per game in the two MIAC Playoff games the Gusties competed in on 68.4% shooting.
Up next for Gustavus is the NCAA Tournament, which they will open at home as they host a regional. The Gusties will take on the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings in the opening round on Friday, March 6 at 7:20 p.m.
