Should auld acquaintance be forgot... but big-time stats always be remembered. As we celebrate the New Year and second half of the 2023-24 DII men's basketball season, let's look back at the players who have been stuffing the box scores over the first two months of the season.
This is the fifth season of the all-stats starting five — my monthly dream team based on statistical leaders in DII men’s basketball. Some may be outright No. 1 in a single category, while others are sometimes top-five in several categories. This is simply a snapshot of the moment, based 100 percent on stats and not a list of the best players in DII men's basketball.
DII MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON PREP:
- Latest Power 10 rankings
- November all-stats team
- 15 players to watch
- Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic lessons learned
The December DII men’s basketball All-Stats Starting Five
(Note: All stats through Dec. 31 per )
Guard: Jake Hilmer, Upper Iowa
Upper Iowa's 5-foot-11 guard was a pretty easy choice. Hilmer led DII men's basketball in scoring at the holiday break and now heads into the New Year second in scoring with 26.1 points per game. He is shooting a career-high 50.9 percent from the floor while hitting an impressive 40.5 percent of his 3-pointers. Hilmer contributes 4.5 assists per game as well and posts the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in DII men's basketball. Upper Iowa is set to enter the heart of GLVC play for the first time ever (the Peacocks switched from the NSIC this season), so we'll see if Hilmer can lead them to the top.
Guard: KJ Jones II, Emmanuel (GA)
DII men's basketball's active career leader in scoring is now leading the division in points scored for the 2023-24 season. After a 43-point explosion against Lenoir-Rhyne — the second-most points scored in a game this season — Jones is averaging 26.3 points per game. He has games where he seemingly can't miss, like that most recent performance when he shot 76.5 percent from the floor and went 6-for-7 from 3 as one of the most prolific scorers in any division. Jones also leads the team in assists and is tied for first in steals, showing how dynamic a player he truly is.
Honorable mention: Tray Alexander, Pace; Darnell Evans, Caldwell; Javeon Jones, Catawba; Marty Silvera, Southern Connecticut State; Marcus Tomashek, Michigan Tech
Forward: Martez Brown, Lincoln Memorial
The 6-foot-9 forward is off to a hot start for the Railsplitters. Brown is tops in DII men's basketball in rebounds, pulling down 13 per game. That includes 9.4 defensive rebounds per game, which is also the top mark in the division. He adds 12.8 points per game on a DII-best 71.6 field-goal percentage. While Brown has been a solid player in years past for the Railsplitters, his current stats are almost all career bests, meaning we may be watching one of the breakout stars of 2024 if he keeps it up in conference play.
Forward: Alex Steen, Florida Southern
Steen started off the season with an All-Tournament Team nod at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic and hasn't really slowed down since. He is atop DII men's basketball with nine double-doubles in his first 14 games played and posts nightly averages of 15.8 points and 11.2 rebounds — a top-7 mark in DII men's basketball. He also helps prevent points in the paint, second in DII men's basketball with 3.85 blocks per game. Steen seems to be heating up as the season sets to flip to the second half with five of those division-leading double-doubles in his last six games, so keep an eye on the Florida Southern sophomore in 2024.
Honorable mention: Dalton Albrecht, Bemidji State; Frank Champion, North Georgia; Jahcoree Ealy, Eastern New Mexico; James Montgomery, Barry; Milos Vicentic, McKendree
Center: Max Amadasun, Augusta
The Dublin, Ireland native had a tall task in replacing Augusta legend Tyshaun Crawford at center. Crawford was a fixture on the DII men's basketball all-stats teams and led the Jaguars to its best run in program history. Amadasun has done very well in doing that so thus far: He leads all centers in rebounds per game with 11.3 and is also tops amongst centers with seven double-doubles, six of which have come in his last seven games. He has yet to score fewer than 12 points in any game this season and is shooting 53.5 percent from the field as a power in the paint for the Jags.
Honorable mention: Charles Johnston, Cal State Monterey Bay; Matheus Silveira, Rollins; Ashraf Tchadouwa, Salem (WV)
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