Busting Brackets
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Summit League Basketball: Top 10 players in conference for 2019-20 season

By Austin Hamm

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 22: Tyson Ward #24 of the North Dakota State Bison reacts against the Duke Blue Devils in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 22: Tyson Ward #24 of the North Dakota State Bison reacts against the Duke Blue Devils in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 20: The North Dakota State Bison celebrate defeating the North Carolina Central Eagles 78-74 in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 20, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 20: The North Dakota State Bison celebrate defeating the North Carolina Central Eagles 78-74 in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 20, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

With the season set to start, who are some players positioned to make their mark on the Summit League Basketball?

With the season getting underway, this is the final reminder that guys like Mike Daum, John Konchar and David Jenkins are no longer in Summit League Basketball. All in all, five of the six first-team all-conference players from a year ago have moved on.

2019-20 will be an unpredictable year in the Summit League, and the race for the Player of the Year trophy will be no different.

The season is upon us, so let’s waste no more time. Here are the 10 players I see as the 10 best in the Summit League this year.

10. Triston Simpson, South Dakota, Sr., G (14.0 ppg/3.7 rpg/3.6 apg)

Simpson can, at times, be a dominant scorer. And even when his shots not falling, he gets to the free throw line and makes it go from there (nearly 80% on 4.7 attempts per game last year). He was a preseason first-team all-conference selection, and if he can improve his efficiency in an expanded role with the graduation of Trey Burch-Manning he might live up to that billing.

9. Tyson Ward, North Dakota State, Sr., F (12.4 ppg/6.2 rpg/2.3 apg)

Ward has one of the better all-around games in the Summit League. He has size and athleticism to never be caught in a mismatch defensively. Last season he was the second-leading scorer for the Bison, but came up huge late in the season, with 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting in the conference tournament championship, and 23 in a play-in game against North Carolina Central in the NCAA tournament. He is more of a dependent player offensively, but he’ll make hay playing off his teammate who will appear later on this list.

8. Matt Holba, Purdue Fort Wayne, Sr., F (11.7 ppg/4.2 rpg/1.2 apg)

Holba is an elite shooter, hitting over 43% from deep a year ago. This year he won’t get to play off of Fort Wayne great John Konchar so those same looks may be more contested. But even if his efficiency dips slightly playing in a more primary role, an uptick in volume should see his counting stats skyrocket. He was picked as preseason second-team all-conference player, a nod to the likelihood of him being the top player on an almost always solid Mastodon squad.