ST. LOUIS – Illinois State junior Josiah Strong has been named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Newcomer of the Week for the opening weekend of NCAA play.
Strong, a transfer from Iowa Western College, averaged 18.0 points per game over the two games for the Redbirds, which is tied for the second-highest scoring average in the MVC through the opening weekend. He made 11-of-25 shots over the two games, a percentage of 44.0, and converted on 6-of-13 (46.2%) from long range. He ended the week a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line, ranking 15th in the country in free throw percentage in terms of percentage and number of makes.