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David Dreas of St. Cloud State is the lone three-time honoree on the 2007-2008 All-North Central Conference men's basketball team announced today by the conference office. Minnesota State's Atila Santos was named the Most Valuable Player while his head coach, Matt Margenthaler, earned Coach of the Year honors for the third consecutive year.

Denny Johnston of Nebraska-Omaha was named Defensive Player of the Year while Preston Whitaker of Minnesota State was named the Freshman of the Year. Corey McIntosh of Augustana nabbed Newcomer of the Year laurels.

Four players are repeat selections to the team led by three-time honoree Dreas. Dylan Grimsley and Eric Hall of South Dakota and Emmanuel Little of North Dakota are all appearing for the second time.

Santos was selected as the Most Valuable Player after a season in which he led the league in scoring (18.5 ppg) and rebounding (12.0 rpg), finished second in blocked shots (1.50 bspg), seventh in field goal percentage (53.6%) and tied for 13th in steals (0.83 spg). Whitaker, selected as a Freshman of the Year, finished 14th in free throw percentage (73.7%) while averaging 8.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per league game. Johnston, the pick for Defensive Player of the Year, finished third in three-point field goal percentage (51.4%), fifth in field goal percentage (57.4%), seventh in free throw percentage (83.9%) and steals (1.25 spg), ninth in assists (2.83 apg), 12th in blocks (tied, 0.50 bpg), 13th in three-point field goals made (tied, 1.50 3fgpg), 14th in scoring (13.3 ppg) and 18th in rebounds (4.5 rpg). McIntosh, the league's newcomer of the year after transferring from Iowa State, finished second in scoring (17.9 ppg) and assists (5.83 apg), fifth in free throw percentage (84.7%) and eighth in steals (1.17 spg). All statistics are for conference games only.

Margenthaler led Minnesota State to the NCC regular-season championship with a three-game advantage over second-place Augustana. The largest margin for an NCC title since South Dakota State had a four-game advantage over St. Cloud State in 1998. Minnesota State is the #3-seed in the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball North Central Region in Winona, Minn. this weekend. It is the third consecutive and overall honor for Margenthaler. 2007-2008 All-North Central Conference Men's Basketball Team

					NCC	NCC
Name	School	Pos	Ht	Yr	PPG	RPG	Hometown
David Dreas%	St. Cloud State	G	6-0	Sr.	17.0	2.4	Winona, Minn.
David Foster	Augustana	G	6-5	So.	12.9	4.8	Big Timber, Mont.
Dylan Grimsley*	South Dakota	G/F	6-6	Jr.	15.1	5.9	Sioux City, Iowa
Eric Hall*	South Dakota	F	6-6	Sr.	15.8	7.2	Huron, S.D.
Michael Jenkins	Nebraska-Omaha	G	6-3	Jr.	16.3	2.4	Bellevue, Neb.
Emmanuel Little*	North Dakota	F	6-5	Sr.	14.7	9.1	Chicago, Ill.
Corey McIntosh	Augustana	G	6-0	Sr.	17.9	3.3	West Covina, Calif.
Jake Morrow	Minnesota State	G	6-4	Jr.	17.3	4.4	Wild Rose, Wis.
Jordan Nuness	Minnesota Duluth	G	6-3	Sr.	16.4	2.7	Eden Prairie, Minn.
Atila Santos	Minnesota State	C	6-10	Sr.	18.5	12.0	Salvador, Brazil
Brian Sykora	Minnesota Duluth	F	6-7	Jr.	16.2	8.7	Bloomington, Minn.

*Two-time Selection (2007, 2008), %-Three-time selection (2006, 2007, 2008)

Coach of the Year: Matt Margenthaler, Minnesota State
Most Valuable Player: Atila Santos, Minnesota State
Defensive Player of the Year: Denny Johnston, Nebraska-Omaha
Freshman of the Year: Preston Whitaker, Minnesota State
Newcomer of the Year: Corey McIntosh, Augustana

By Schools: Augustana (2), Minnesota Duluth (2), Minnesota State (2), Nebraska-Omaha (1), North Dakota (1), St. Cloud State (1), South Dakota (2).

By Class: Sophomore (1), Junior (4), Senior (6)

Honorable Mention: Minnesota State: Mitch Gosson, Jadee Jones; Nebraska-Omaha: Andrew Bridger, Denny Johnston; St. Cloud State: Dusty Wabiszewski; South Dakota: Tyler Cain.