ISU’s Clayton, Hawkins earn MVC honors

Posted on March 2, 2017
DJ Clayton and Deontae Hawkins
ISU’s DJ Clayton (left) made the MVC All-Bench team while teammate Deontae Hawkins was named to the Valley’s Most Improved team. (Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)

By ISU Sports Information

ST. LOUIS – Illinois State senior forward Deontae Hawkins has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference Most-Improved Team, and junior guard DJ Clayton has earned a spot on the MVC All-Bench Team, the league office announced Wednesday.

The teams, which were selected by the league’s newspaper beat writers, are comprised of a minimum of five student-athletes on each squad.

Also named an All-MVC Second Team selection, Hawkins is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game, a 3.8-point increase from his average of 10.3 points per game, which ranked fourth on the team in 2015-16, averaging a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game, an increase from his average of 5.8 rebounds per game in 2015-16. Hawkins has recorded a team-high five double-doubles this season compared to one in 2015-16 and scored a career-high 24 points against Fort Wayne on Nov. 16 to surpass his previous career high of 18 points recorded in 2014.

Clayton has played in all 30 games, with five starts. He’s averaging 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and has scored in double figures eight times in 2016-17. He scored a career-high 15 points with seven rebounds in the win over Drake on Jan. 21 and collected a career-best nine rebounds in the win over Fort Wayne on Nov. 16.

The Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Illinois State men’s basketball team is the No. 1 seed in the 2017 State Farm MVC Tournament held at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The Redbirds begin play Friday at noon versus the winner of Thursday night’s No. 8 Evansville versus No. 9 Indiana State game.

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