NSU MBB Team Honored with Coach-of-the-Year and Three All-Conference Honors
BURNSVILLE, MN (NSUWolves.com) – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released this morning the 2019 men’s basketball all-conference teams. Three Northern State Wolves were honored, as well as head coach Paul Sather. Ian Smith, Justin Decker, and Gabe King were named to the first, second, and honorable mention teams, while Sather grabbed his second straight NSIC Coach of the Year award.
Sather led the Wolves to back-to-back NSIC overall and North Division Championships this season, finishing the league schedule with an 18-4 record. Northern closed out the regular season, leading the NSIC in scoring defense, scoring margin, 3-point field goal percentage defense, and assists. In addition, NSU sits eighth in the country in 3-point field goal percentage, and ranks in the top-30 in rebound margin, assist/turnover ratio, and field goal percentage. The Wolves are 22-6 overall heading into postseason play.
Smith started 26 games for the Wolves thus far in 2018-19, leading the team averaging 14.0 points and 5.4 assists per game. The senior is shooting 47.6 percent from the floor this season, and has totaled 150 rebounds and 22 steals. Smith recorded a career high 39 points versus Wayne State at 11 assists versus Minnesota Crookston this season. He has four double-doubles on the year and has knocked down double figure points in 23 contests. Smith finished the year ranked eighth in scoring, third in assists, and four in assist/turnover ratio in the NSIC. This is the third all-conference honor of his career.
Decker started 27 games for the Wolves this season, averaging 11.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 71.9 percent from the foul line this season. The senior has 24 assists, 14 blocks, and ten steals on the year. Decker notched a career high 25 points against Concordia-St. Paul, nine rebounds versus MSU Moorhead, and two steals versus Minnesota Duluth. The second team nod is the first all-conference honor of his career.
King started all 28 games for Northern in the regular season, averaging 11.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He has come on strong as of late, averaging 18.4 points per game in the team’s last five contests. The junior is shooting 49.1 percent from the floor, 42.5 percent from the 3-point line, and 89.6 percent from the foul line. He leads the team with 45 made 3-pointers, and has added 45 assists, 11 blocks, and ten steals. King tallied a career high 23 points versus Southwest Minnesota State, eight rebound against Northwest Missouri State, six assists versus Concordia-St. Paul, and three steals against St. Cloud State this season. This is the first all-conference accolade of his career.