KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced a new Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week award winner in week three of the 2025-26 season. Central Oklahoma’s Matthew Willenborg was named the MIAA Athlete of the Week for the Bronchos’ first honor of the season.
MIAA MEN’S BASKETBALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Matthew Willenborg, Central Oklahoma
Matthew Willenborg averaged a double-double to lead Central Oklahoma to a pair of wins over the Thanksgiving Break. The junior forward posted 24.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 58.8 percent overall (20-of-34), 50.0 percent from behind the arc (3-of-6), and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line (6-of-7) in the contests. Willenborg had 23 points and nine rebounds in the Bronchos’ 81-67 win over North Texas-Dallas before adding 26 points and 11 rebounds against Champion Christian. He led all Athlete of the Week nominees with 20 boards and seven blocks on the week.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Jevon Hill, Central Missouri
Jason Hill helped the Mules to a 3-0 week with victories over Division II schools McKendree and on the road against Drury, while defeating NAIA’s Tabor at home. Jevon totaled 57 points for 19.0 points per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field, which included 53.3 percent from beyond the arc. In the Mules’ 75-67 win against the Bearcats, Hill had eight points and eight rebounds. In the 89-67 win over the Drury Panthers (Receiving Votes) at home in the final game of the DoubleTree by Hilton Thanksgiving Classic, Hill scored a career-high 30 points, connecting on 9-of-11 from beyond the arc, adding five rebounds for good measure. The junior followed up his performance against Drury with 19 points and five boards against the Bluejays.
Connor Rogers, Pittsburg State
Connor Rogers averaged 29.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals in a pair of games for the Gorillas during Thanksgiving week. Rogers scored a game-high 35 points in Pitt State's 80-74 home loss to Quincy on Nov. 24., landing 12-of-23 shots in the contest. The Starkville, Miss., native followed that up with a 24-point performance in the Gorillas’ 101-58 win over Bethany Sunday (Nov. 30). For the week, Rogers shot .500 from the field (18-of-36) and a perfect 1.000 from the free throw line (20-of-20).
Dillon Claussen, Washburn
Dillon Claussen averaged 19.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as the No. 2-ranked Ichabods were 2-0 for the week. In Washburn’s 105-51 win against Friends, the sophomore scored 19 points in 24 minutes, going 9-of-11 from the field while adding a block and two steals. In the 115-30 win over Ottawa, Claussen scored 20 points in 18 minutes, hitting 7-of-11 field goal attempts, adding six boards with a block and three steals. For the week, he was 16-of-22 from the field (73 percent) and 7-of-11 from the free throw line as the Ichabods improved to 8-0.
Jaden Taylor, Missouri Southern
Jaden Taylor paced Missouri Southern men’s basketball, averaging 27.5 points and 3.0 rebounds as the Lions went 1-1 over Thanksgiving week. Taylor shot just a hair under 50 percent and was 11-for-11 at the free throw line. He opened the week with a career-high 37 points against Rockhurst, connecting at a rate of 64 percent from the field while also grabbing a pair of rebounds. The senior guard wrapped the week with 18 points in the Lions’ win over Tabor. He shot .300 with four rebounds in the victory.
ALSO NOMINATED:
Christian Moore [Arkansas-Fort Smith], Aiden Gair [Northeastern State], Dan Mukuna [Fort Hays State], Noah King [Missouri Western], Anthony Swift [Nebraska Kearney], Aiden Gair [Northwest Missouri], Andrew Mason [Rogers State]
WEEK ONE: Jaden Taylor, Missouri Southern
WEEK TWO: Dan Mukuna, Fort Hays State
WEEK THREE: Matthew Willenborg, Central Oklahoma