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MVC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

By Joey Loose

Feb 1, 2014; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers players Ron Baker (31), Fred VanVleet (23) and Nick Wiggins (15) walk off the court during a time-out against the Evansville Aces during the second half at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers won 81-67. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2014; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers players Ron Baker (31), Fred VanVleet (23) and Nick Wiggins (15) walk off the court during a time-out against the Evansville Aces during the second half at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers won 81-67. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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MVC Basketball Evansville Aces guard D.J. Balentine (31) dribbles by Northern Iowa Panthers guard Paul Jesperson Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
MVC Basketball Evansville Aces guard D.J. Balentine (31) dribbles by Northern Iowa Panthers guard Paul Jesperson Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

7. D. J. Balentine

Balentine is a 6’2 point guard from Kokomo, Indiana who fit nicely at Evansville and had quite a career with the Purple Aces. His career began in 2012, though his freshman season was pretty quiet compared to his final three years in the MVC.

Taking a big step forward, Balentine averaged 22.8 points and 4.2 assists as a sophomore, albeit in a tough year for his Purple Aces. He actually scored at least 29 points in Evansville’s first five games (all wins) and would remain a potent scorer. Balentine averaged at least 20 points a game in each of those three seasons and had a 43-point effort against Northern Iowa as a sophomore. He averaged more than 27 points a game during Evansville’s run to the CIT title as a junior before playing a major role in the program’s 25-win campaign as a senior, coming so tantalizingly close to the NCAA Tournament.

Balentine was named First Team All-MVC in each of those three seasons and actually led the conference in scoring each of those years. His 2464 career points puts him in some incredible company, and his hot shooting and impressive offense lead to some great results for Evansville in the early parts of this decade. Things have not been the same for the Purple Aces since his departure, and he’s sorely missed in southwestern Indiana.