BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Seniors Avery Tyler and Eugene Bain were named to the 2010-11 all-Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference team as the select 10-member squad was announced today. In addition, Bain was named the MCAC Newcomer of the Year and Ousseynou Diop was named the MCAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Diop,  junior Jelani Johnson, and senior Jeremy Cruise  earned honorable mention accolades.

The selections were announced in conjunction with the 2011 MCAC Men's Basketball Tournament being held this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25-26 at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center on the Bellevue University campus.

The Bruins are currently ranked No. 6 national with a 25-5 overall mark and a 12-2 league record. Bellevue tied No. 3-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan (27-3, 12-2 MCAC) for the MCAC regular season title.

Tyler, who also earned all-MCAC honors last season, is second on the team in scoring averaging 11.3 points per game. He recorded 24 points, eight assists and four rebounds at Central Christian College on Jan. 22. Tyler has dished out two or more assists in 18 games and has scored in double figures 13 times.

Diop averages 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game and is second in NAIA Division II with 114 blocked shots and ranks first in blocks per game (3.8). He has tallied five double-doubles this season and was named MCAC Player of the Week on Feb. 14 after averaging 13.3 points, 14.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. He scored a season-high 20 points while pulling down 14 rebounds at Peru State College on Feb. 8.

Bain leads the Bruins in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and has a team-high 11 double-doubles. He has scored in double figures a team-high 24 times, including eight games with 20 or more points. Bain was named the MCAC Player of the Week on Dec.13 after scoring 23 points and pulling down 16 rebounds versus William Penn University.

Johnson is the only Bruin to play in and start all 30 games this season and leads the conference with 108 assists. He ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.4 points  per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field. Johnson also has a team-high 42 steals.

Cruise leads the Bruins with 62 3-pointers and a .402 shooting percentage from behind the arc. He has started 28 of 30 games this season and had a career-high 22 points in the Bruins' 77-68 win over Midland University on Dec. 18.

2010-11 All-MCAC Team
Eugene Bain, Bellevue University
Don Gavin, Central Christian College
Jared Howerton, College of the Ozarks
Chris Jones, Central Christian College
Sadiel Rojas, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Murray Shaw, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Cory Standerfer, York College
Avery Tyler, Bellevue University
Michael Wiebe, College of the Ozarks
Derrick Williams, Peru State College

Honorable Mention
Jelani Johnson, Bellevue University
Jeremy Cruise, Bellevue University
Ousseynou Diop, Bellevue University
Randall Conley, Central Christian College
Marcellous Hill, Haskell Indian Nations University
Trey Osborne, Haskell Indian Nations University
Josh Gamblin, Southwestern Christian University
Reimond Prince, Southwestern Christian University
Dominique Rambo, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Desmond Strickland, York College
Weston Wiebe, College of the Ozarks

Player of the Year: Sadiel Rojas, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Freshman of the Year: Dominique Rambo, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Newcomer of the Year: Eugene Bain, Bellevue University
Defensive Player of the Year: Ousseynou Diop, Bellevue University
Coach of the Year: Donnie Bostwick, Oklahoma Wesleyan