Mo Diarra named Jayhawk Player of the Year; Tone Hunter earns freshman of the year

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Garden City, KS-Tuesday was a big day for Bill Morosco's team.

In a season that saw Garden City come within a single win of reaching the national tournament for the first time in 13 years, it culminated with the Broncbusters having two players land on the All-Conference squad with sophomore, Mo Diarra earning the Jayhawk player and co-defensive player of the year, while guard Tone Hunter was named the best freshman in the league.

"These two guys won us a lot of ball games this year," Morosco said. "Mo missed a couple of games in November, and we really missed him."

Diarra, the nation's top recruit, started 30 of 32 games, leading the nation in rebounding at 12.6 per contest while pouring in nearly 18 points per night on 45 percent shooting. He was first in the conference in free throws made (147) and second in blocks (71). The second-year star also posted 20 double-doubles, which included a record-breaking 27-point, 24-rebound effort vs. Friends on Nov. 5.

"Mo has come a long way," Morosco said. "He does a lot of things that guys his size simply can't do."

After a rocky start to the conference slate, Diarra was a main cog during a stretch that saw Garden City win 13 out of 14 games and reach as high as No. 16 in the nation. 

"This league is full of talented players," Morosco explained. "And you're constantly tested night in and night out."

For a good portion of his freshman campaign, Hunter was breathtaking. The Long Beach State commit finished fourth in the league in scoring at 17.8 per contest. His best performance came in a dramatic victory over Pratt, posting a near-triple-double with 27 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. He also had a buzzer-beater that took down Cloud on Jan. 8.

"There were several games this season where we just jumped on Tone's back and he carried us home," Morosco said.

The combo helped the Broncbusters to a 22-10 mark, their most wins since 2013. They also tied the school record with 15 conference victories.

"This was a special team," Morosco stated. "It's unfortunate that we aren't still playing. But we accomplished a lot this season. We basically changed the way we played in the middle of the year."