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The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced on Wednesday that Southwest Minnesota State University senior guard Jordan Miller has been named first team All-NSIC, while Brad Bigler was named NSIC Coach of the Year. The awards were selected by the league’s 16 head coaches and announced on Wednesday morning.
Miller, a native of Mitchell, S.D., is one of 10 players named to the first team squad. It’s the second straight season Miller has been named first team All-NSIC and becomes the first SMSU player to earn first team honors in back-to-back seasons since Jacob Fahl in 2002 and 2003.
Miller finished the season averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game, while finishing second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game. He also led the team in both assists (109) and 3-point field goals made (72), while shooting 41.2 percent (153 of 371) from the field, 35 percent (72 of 206) from 3-point range and a team-high 84 percent (79 of 94) from free throw line. His 109 assists ranks as the eighth highest total in one season in program history, while the 72 3-pointers is tied for the 10th highest in one season.
In NSIC games only, Miller ranked fifth in the conference in 3-point field goals made (2.27), eighth in assists (3.7), ninth in scoring (16.0), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.48), 10th in free throw percentage (85.3) and 11th in rebounding (6.0).
Miller never missed a game in his four-year career, starting all 115 games and concluded his career ranking high in several categories in the program record book, including third with 1,563 career points. He finished first in school history in 3-point field goals attempted (692), second in assists (321), third in 3-point field goals made (253), fourth in field goals attempted (1,222), fourth in free throws made (300), fifth in free throw percentage (83.1), sixth in field goals made (505) and tied for 10th in games played.
SMSU head coach Brad Bigler was voted by his peers as the 2012-13 NSIC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Bigler led the Mustangs to a 16-14 overall record, including a 13-9 mark in NSIC play, tying for seventh place in the 16-team conference. SMSU played one of the toughest schedules in NCAA II and Bigler had SMSU ranked among the top 10 in the first two NCAA region rankings in late February. Bigler has guided SMSU to three winning seasons in his four years as head coach, including two appearances in the NSIC tournament championship game, one NSIC tournament championship and one NCAA tournament appearance.
Winona State senior forward Clayton Vette was named the NSIC Player of the Year, while Jarvis Williams from Minnesota State earning both the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year award. Daniel Jansen from Augustana was named the Freshman of the Year.
Southwest Minnesota State finished the season 16-14 overall, 13-9 in the NSIC, tying for seventh place in the 16-team league.
