Berry, Berry Good: Dynamic Davion Earned All-Big Sky First-Team Status

New Niagara coach Chris Casey hopes guard Emile Blackman, by the time he becomes eligible in 2014-15, continues to make the progress he displayed at the end of last season before tagging along with his coach from LIU Post. In his last six games, Blackman averaged 16.8 ppg and 4.8 rpg while shooting 52% from the floor and nearly 58% on three-pointers. Niagara struck small-school lightning at the turn of the 21st Century when Mercyhurst (Pa.) transfer Demond Stewart became Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference MVP in 2000-01.

A striking number of standout major-college players started their careers playing for a four-year small college before transferring. Of course, the most prominent player in this category is all-time great Elgin Baylor. After leaving College of Idaho, Baylor became an NCAA unanimous first-team All-American with Seattle in 1957-58.

More than 30 different players became NCAA Division I conference all-league selections in the 1980s and 1990s after beginning their careers with a small four-year college. In 2013-14, Weber State swingman Davion Berry (transfer from Cal State Monterey Bay) became the 10th player in the last 30 years to earn MVP honors in a DI league after transferring from a small college. Who will be next player to join the following chronological list of first-team all-conference selections since the NCAA playoffs expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985 after starting their college careers playing for non-Division I four-year schools?

*Ten of these players were named conference MVP.
NOTE: Tennessee-Martin subsequently moved up to the DI level.