Three members of the Bluffton University men's basketball team were recognized when the Heartland Conference announced it post-season awards on Wednesday, Feb. 27.
Dezman Brown
Sophomore Dezman Brown (Elyria) has been named the first-ever Heartland Conference Defensive Most Valuable Player and along with that Honorable Mention All-HCAC. Andrew Renner (Cairo/Bath) and Isaiah Taylor (Yellow Springs) were also honored by the Heartland Conference coaches.
Brown matched up against the most prolific scorers in the conference on a nightly basis and made his presence felt from tip to buzzer. He averaged a team-high 35.4 minutes per game, including over 36 minutes a night in conference play.
Brown was the only Beaver to start all 27 games and he topped the Beavers with 40 percent shooting from outside the arc (44-of-110). He bucketed 9.2 PPG and picked up 33 steals during his sophomore campaign. Brown was Bluffton's best free throw shooter, knocking down 36-of-42 for 85.7 percent.
Andrew Renner
A season after earning Honorable Mention All-Heartland Conference acclaim, junior Andrew Renner was named Second Team All-HCAC. He finished third in the conference with 15.7 PPG and 6.6 RPG.
Renner went for a career-high 32 points twice in the span of a week, the only 30+ point games by a Beaver this season. He is 48th all-time with 781 career points, just over 200 from eclipsing 1,000 markers as a Beaver. The long-range marksman is tied for 13th all-time with 98 career makes from distance. His 79.9 free throw percentage is 16th all-time (135-of-169).
Isaiah Taylor
Picking up his first All-Heartland Conference award was junior Isaiah Taylor who secured Honorable Mention All-HCAC. Taylor's 60.0 FG percentage in conference play was 6th in the conference and he was also outstanding at the line, going 47-of-57 for 82.5 percent on his free throws. He pulled down 5.4 rebounds per game, doled out 43 assists and tied for team-high honors with 19 blocks.
Jared Wentling
Bluffton senior Jared Wentling (Carey) was also recognized by the HCAC with his placement on the All-Conference Sportsmanship team for the 2018-19 season. The award has been developed as part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-HCAC Sportsmanship team are selected by the coaches and their teammates as individuals who demonstrate the ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the court.
