Northwest Missouri State senior guard DeShaun Cooper was named to the Daktronics Men’s Basketball Central Region First Team on Thursday in a release from the organization. Cooper is now eligible to receive All-America honors in a voting process that begins next week.

Cooper was the 2013-14 MIAA Player of the Year and a first team all conference performer. He led the Bearcats to a share of the regular season title, leading the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game. He is one of just five players in program history to surpass 1,600 career points and is second all-time with 476 career assists.

Northwest will play Winona State at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 15 in Mankato, Minn. There will be a pregame event prior to Saturday’s game at Jake’s Stadium Pizza (330 Stadium Rd., Mankato, MN) starting at 4 p.m. for Bearcat fans making the trip.

Zach Monaghan – MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO (Central Region Player of the Year)
Josh Gibbs – UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Assem Marei – MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO
DeShaun Cooper – NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Craig Nicholson – FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY

— Northwest Sports Information —