Sangamon Sun

Illinois College's Jake Mazrimas has been recognized as the 2023-24 Midwest Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, with three Blueboys earning all-league honors, according to a recent announcement by the conference.

Mazrimas was not only named Player of the Year but also secured a spot on the first team all-conference. Joining him on the first team is Buzz Ritzel, while Nestor Daboin was selected for the second team.

Mazrimas is currently averaging 17 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season. He has contributed 60 assists and made 59 three-point field goals. He leads in rebounding within the league and ranks sixth in three-point field goals per game, seventh in scoring, eighth in field goal percentage, and 14th in assists.

The senior from Lockport, Illinois has set records at Illinois College (IC), becoming the school's all-time leader in three-point field goals made with 240. He ranks second all-time at IC in both scoring and rebounding with 1,690 points and 946 rebounds respectively. Mazrimas is noted as the only player in school history to score over 1,600 points and grab more than 900 rebounds. This season he was named Midwest Conference Performer of the Week three times and was selected for All-Tournament teams at both the Merris Invitational and Smokey Ballenger Classic.

Ritzel averages 17.3 points and six rebounds alongside his contributions of 57 assists and 19 steals. The junior from Nashville, Illinois ranks second in free throw percentage within the league, fifth in field goal percentage, sixth in scoring, eleventh in rebounding, thirteenth in three-point field goal percentage, and fifteenth in assists. In December, Ritzel was named to the All-Tournament team at the Smokey Ballenger Classic.

Daboin leads the league with 48 blocked shots (2.2 per game) and ranks third in rebounding with an average of 8.3 boards per contest. The senior from Katy, Texas holds fourth place all-time at IC with a total of 131 blocked shots and needs five more to move into third place. Daboin also holds IC's record for blocked shots per game (2.2).

Illinois College concluded its regular season with a record of 21-4 overall including a conference play record of 13-3. The Blueboys claimed victory as regular season conference champions and are set to host the league's postseason tournament on Friday and Saturday at Sherman Gymnasium. They will face Ripon on Friday at 5:00 p.m.