Valparaiso University men’s basketball senior Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / Jasper Place) was tabbed a Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference selection by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook this week, one of only five players to receive this honor.

Krikke averaged a team-high 14.2 points per game while shooting 53.9 percent from the floor, 84.3 percent from the free-throw line and squeezing 4.5 rebounds per outing last season. He also blocked 23 shots and swiped 23 steals. The Valpo forward was one of three players in the MVC to shoot 50 percent or better from the floor and 80 percent or better from the free-throw line.

Krikke finished his junior year with 974 career points, 26 away from 1,000. He finished the season with a career field-goal percentage of 53.4, a mark that ranks seventh in the program record book. He ranked 11^th in the MVC in scoring average, eighth in field-goal percentage and fifth in free-throw percentage.

Following the 2021-2022 campaign, Krikke was named to the All-MVC Third Team for the second consecutive season while also repeating MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honors. In 2020-21, he also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District and was a member of the MVC Most-Improved Team, making him the only player in the league to earn all-conference, scholar-athlete and All-MVC honors that season.

BLUE RIBBON FORECAST

1. Drake
2. Southern Illinois
3. Bradley
4. Belmont
5. Indiana State
6. UNI
7. Missouri State
8. Valparaiso
9. Illinois State
10. Murray State
11. UIC
12. Evansville

ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

F-Ben Krikke, SR, Valparaiso

F-Marcus Domask, SR, Southern Illinois

G-Tucker DeVries, SO, Drake

G-D.J. Wilkins, SR, Drake

G-Cooper Neese, SR, Indiana State

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Tucker DeVries, SO, Drake

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Rod Perry, JR, Murray State