BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its men’s basketball postseason awards Tuesday and two Gustavus student-athletes received recognition. Riley Sharbono (Jr., Marshall, Minn.) was named to the Third Team while Kelsey Thomas (Sr., Wiesbaden, Germany) earned All-Conference Honorable Mention.
An All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree last season, Sharbono led Gustavus this year with 362 points for an average of 14.5 per game. Sharbono was one of three Gusties to start in all 25 games and shot 46.7 percent from the floor, including 34.5 percent from three-point range, sinking a team-high 119 field goals with 40 from long-range. From the free-throw line, Sharbono ranked third in the MIAC with an 84-104 clip from the charity stripe, making a difference as the Gusties were 8-2 when he converted at least four free throws. Sharbono tallied double figure scoring numbers in all but five games while dishing out 23 assists, tallied 12 steals and eight blocks. Just 87 points shy of the 1,000-point club, he heads into his senior season on pace to become a member with 913 career points in Black and Gold.
Thomas finished the season as the team’s second highest scorer, averaging 11.6 points per game for a total of 278 points while starting in 24 of 25 games. Thomas led the Gusties with 5.7 rebounds per game and ranked sixth in the conference with a 56.4 field goal percentage, draining 110-of-195 field goal attempts. Thomas also paced Gustavus defensively, leading the team with 30 steals (10th/MIAC). He finished the season with three double-double performances and broke the 20-point mark four times, including a season-high 25 points with 10 field goals at Hamline.
Austin Goetz (Sr., Chaska, Minn.) was also recognized by the league as he was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team. Collin Olmscheid of Augsburg was named the Joe Hutton Player of the Year, Jubie Alade of Saint John’s was named Sixth Man of the Year, and Pat McKenzie of Saint John’s was named Coach of the Year.