Four student-athletes from the Marian University men’s basketball program have been named All-NACC, the most since 1999-2000.
Junior Andrew Ayeni (Chicago, Ill.) took a significant step forward in his second season as a Sabre earning First Team All-Conference honors. This is the second straight season he has earned All-NACC recognition after being named Honorable Mention last season. He led the Sabres in multiple categories, averaging 15.0 points per game to go along with 96 assists, and a conference-best 52 steals across 26 contests. Ayeni opened the season with a then-career-high of 23 points against UW-Superior. He later averaged 21.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals during a four-game stretch from Dec. 3-13, helping Marian go 3-1 during that span. In a win over Wisconsin Lutheran, he posted 16 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. He continued his all-around play against Dominican recording 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in that victory. Ayeni played a key role in Marian winning five of its final six regular-season games, highlighted by a career-high 25 points and six steals in the regular-season finale against Rockford. He finished the year ranked in the top 10 of the conference in total points, free throws made, rebounds, assists, and steals. His 115 free throws made rank fifth on Marian’s single-season list.
Senior Alex Vassilakis (Homer Glen, Ill.) emerged as one of the top rebounders in the NACC earning Second Team All-Conference honors, his first All-Conference appearance. In his second season as a Sabre, he led Marian in rebounding at 8.9 per game, ranking third in the conference. Vassilakis recorded 11 games with 10 or more rebounds and finished with eight double-doubles on the year, third in the NACC. Defensively, he grabbed 35 steals to put him 10th in the NACC. In an early-season match-up against Augsburg, he posted a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with 14 points. He followed that with a 24-point, 13-rebound performance in a win over Benedictine, shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. During a four-game stretch from Jan. 31 to Feb. 11, Vassilakis averaged 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds while knocking down nine three-pointers. The stretch concluded with a win over Wisconsin Lutheran where he scored a career-best 25 points on four three-pointers and added 11 rebounds. His 232 total rebounds rank fifth in the Marian single-season records.
Senior Derek Lindert (Pardeeville, Wis.) made an immediate impact for the Sabres earning Honorable Mention recognition. He was one of the top three-point threats not only in the NACC but the entire nation leading the conference and ranking 17th in th enation with his 73 made three-pointers. Lindert also led the conference shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc. Lindert hit at least four triples in nine games including four performances with five or more. In just his fourth game as a Sabre, Lindert delivered one of the most prolific shooting performances in program history going 9-of-12 from beyond the arc, one shy of the NACC record, for 37 points in a win over Saint Mary’s (Minn.). In the following game, he hit four threes against Concordia Wisconsin. In the first game of the second half against Benedictine, he hit a game-winning jumper in the final second to secure a come-from-behind victory. Over the final month of the regular season, Lindert averaged 18.4 points per game, scoring 20 or more four times in the final seven games. In a win over Wisconsin Lutheran, he poured in 27 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three. In the Marian single-season record books his 73 made three-pointers rank fifth.
Freshman Marvin Haslett (Fond du Lac, Wis.) impressed in his first year at Marian earning Honorable Mention honors and being named the NACC Freshman of the Year. He finished the season as the highest-scoring freshman in the NACC averaging 12.1 points per game. His 314 total points set a Marian program record for points as a freshman. Haslett had his breakthrough game in a win over Wisconsin Lutheran leading the team with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He followed that with 18 points in the next game against Lakeland on the road. After averaging 15.5 points over a four-game stretch, he was promoted to the starting lineup. He took full advantage with three 20-plus point games in his first five starts. That stretch included a 22-point performance in an overtime win against Edgewood where he scored seven of the final nine Marian points to force overtime. A strong free-throw shooter, Haslett converted 83.8 percent of his attempts, highlighted by an 11-of-11 performance against Concordia Wisconsin. He ranks fourth in the NACC for free-throw percentage. He is the first Sabre to win Freshman of the Year since Mike Keller in 2012.
The full release and All-Conference lists from the NACC can be found at https://naccsports.org/sports/mbball.
