Derrick Barden and Davion Berry Share Big Sky POW

Coming into the year, we knew that Davion Berry and Derrick Barden would be two of the best newcomers in the Big Sky. This week, they shared the honor of the best player in the Big Sky.

Berry, a 6-foot-4 junior guard/forward from Oakland, Calif., averaged 17.0 points, four assists, 3.3 rebounds and two steals per game in the three wins. Berry shot .643 percent from the field, .500 percent from 3-point range, and .769 percent from the free-throw line in three wins.

Barden, a 6-5 junior forward from Detroit, Mich., led the Bears to two important home wins to get his team into a tie for fifth place in the league standings. He averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game, shooting .720 percent from the field.

After the game Saturday night, I called Derrick Barden a star, as he has really become one of the most dangerous weapons in the conference. Before the season, I said that he would lead the conference in rebounding... if I had put that on any sports betting sites, I could be doing good right now. For the season, Barden is second in the conference in rebounding (9.0 per game), but when looking at conference games only, he leads the Big Sky with ten boards per game.

Congrats to both guys, who should be among the top contenders for player of the year next season.

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