Blake Ahearn has earned a number of starts and tons of playing time in his freshman season at SMS. His efforts are duly noted and appreciated by the Missouri Valley Conference, which has named him the league’s Freshman of the Year. He leads the Bears in scoring with 10.4 points per game but plays just 21.9 minutes per contest. He’s also deadly from three-point range hitting 40.6 percent of his shots from behind the arc. Perhaps Ahearn’s most impressive stat is his ability to hit free throws—he has hit 107-of-110 attempts for an average of 97 percent and leads the nation in that category. Ahearn was also the only freshman named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team. Senior Merrill Andrews was the only other SMS honoree–he was named to the MVC’s All-Defensive Team.