WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State's Fred VanVleet was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year for the second time, and teammate Markis McDuffie was tabbed MVC Freshman of the Year, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.
VanVleet is just the ninth player in MVC history to win multiple Larry Bird Trophies, joining an elite group of players that also includes Bird, himself. Xavier McDaniel is the only other Shocker to do it (1984 & '85).
Now a three-time All-Valley first team selection, VanVleet previously won Bird Trophy as a sophomore when he led WSU to college basketball's first-ever 35-0 start on his way to third team All-America honors.