March 5, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS , IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Loras College junior forward Kyle White (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) has been named the 2007-08 IIAC Men’s Basketball Most Valuable Player and Buena Vista University head coach Brian Van Haaften has been named the 2007-08 IIAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year.

White, who was also named MVP in 2006-07, led a balanced Loras attacked in scoring and rebounding with 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 27 contests, leading Loras in scoring 13 times and rebounding 15 times. He ranked second in the Conference in rebounding, and third in the Conference in scoring and field goal percentage (54.0 percent, 167-of-309).

In 16 Conference games, White recorded six double-doubles, most in the IIAC. He averaged 17.9 points (1st in IIAC) and 8.5 rebounds (2nd) per game and ranked third in field goal percentage (55.7 percent). He ranked fourth in the league with 34 offensive rebounds. White is the eighth two-time IIAC Most Valuable Player, the first since Buena Vista's Adam Jones (2000, 2002), and the first to win the honor in back-to-back seasons since Dave Crawford of Dubuque in 1990 and 1991.

Van Haaften led Buena Vista to its ninth Iowa Conference title, its sixth title since 1996-97, with a 14-2 Conference record. The Beavers enter their eighth NCAA Division III Tournament with a 21-6 overall record, the seventh time in 12 years under Van Haaften that BVU has won 20 games or more. In conference games, the Beavers led the IIAC in scoring offense (75.9 points/game), scoring margin (+12.2), field goal percentage (47.2 percent), 3-point field goal percentage (39.8 percent), and steals (8.38 steals/game). This marks the sixth time Van Haaften has been named IIAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, earning similar honors following the 1996-97, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04 seasons.

The IIAC also announced today the 2007-08 Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team. The 15-member Team includes seven repeat All-Conference performers including White, Coe College's Kyle Kuenstling, and University of Dubuque’s Tyler Daugherty who become the 57th, 58th, and 59th three-time All-Conference picks. Kuenstling becomes the 26th three-time First Team All-Conference performers. Loras had a league-high four All-Conference performers. Central had three All-Conference selections, while Cornell and league champion Buena Vista each had two players selected.

The complete 2007-08 IIAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team is here.

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