KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its first Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week in the 2025-26 season. All 14 MIAA teams were in action over the weekend for the first time this season, with Missouri Southern’s Jaden Taylor earning the league's first Athlete of the Week honor.
MIAA MEN’S BASKETBALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jaden Taylor, Missouri Southern
Jaden Taylor led Missouri Southern through a pair of wins to open the 2025-26 season, totaling 56 points (28.0 points per game) and 10 rebounds (5.0 rebounds per game). The senior guard landed 17-of-35 for 48.6 percent shooting from the field, 1-of-5 (20.0 percent) from three, and 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) from the free-throw line. He recorded a game-high 31 points with seven rebounds in the Lions’ 80-70 win over Arkansas Tech before adding 25 points in the 77-76 victory over Southwestern Oklahoma.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Jack Bachelor, Washburn
Jack Bachelor led the Ichabods in three of their first four games to start the season as the No. 2-ranked Ichabods opened the first two weekends 4-0. Bachelor leads the Ichabods in scoring at 19.3 points per game. He tied his career-high 25 points in the season opener against Augusta while adding six assists. In the 89-77 win against No. 3 DBU, Bachelor scored 15 points with seven assists before adding 23 against MSU Moorhead and 14 against Winona State, wrapping up the weekend at the Central Regional. The junior guard is now shooting 47 percent from the field (25-of-53) and 42 percent from deep (14-of-33). He is also 13-of-14 from the free-throw line and has 20 assists with five turnovers in the four games.
Xavier Glenn, Northeastern State
Xavier Glenn averaged 22.5 points per game while shooting 17-for-28 from the field (61 percent) in his first weekend at Northeastern State, leading the RiverHawks to wins over Arkansas Monticello and Minnesota-Crookston. The senior transfer paced all players with 23 points in the 80-73 win against Minn. Crookston with three threes. He also collected seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in the contests.
Ja’Bryant Hill, Nebraska Kearney
Ja’Bryant Hill averaged 26.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game as Nebraska Kearney went 1-1 in a crossover tourney in Hays, Kansas. The redshirt senior scored a UNK career-high of 32 points in the Lopers’ 98-92 win over Concordia-St. Paul, shooting 92 percent at the line and 41 percent from the field.
Andrew Pengel, Emporia State
Andrew Pengel averaged 20.5 points per game at the Hillyard Tipoff Classic while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from three. The junior guard totaled 22 points in 27 minutes, while shooting 6-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-7 from three, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line against Wayne State. In the 77-61 win over St. Cloud State, Pengel added 19 points in 26 minutes, which included 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
ALSO NOMINATED:
Tilley Kryan [Central Missouri], Noah King [Missouri Western], Royce Williams [Northwest Missouri], Connor Rogers [Pittsburg State], Christian Moore [Arkansas-Fort Smith], Tim Jordan Jr. [Rogers State], Jahvari Martino [Fort Hays State]
WEEK ONE: Jaden Taylor, Missouri Southern