Central Basketball Association

In his first season in the Central Basketball Association, as well as his team's first year in the league, Illinois' Tyron Criswell, has been named 2017 CBA Most Valuable Player from his regular season performance this past season. 

The 6-foot-4, Criswell, who completed his college basketball career at the University of Nevada last year, and led his college squad to the CBI Tournament championship, where he was named the tournament's best athlete, adds another accomplishment to his growing resume. 

In eight games this season, Criswell averaged 21.6 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game, and 1.8 steals per game for the Illinois Coal Miners. For players that played in at least five regular season games this year, Criswell led the league in points per game, and was in the top-10 in rebounds per game and assists per game. He also led the league in free throw shooting percentage, for players attempting at least forty free throws this season, shooting 83.6% from the free throw line. 

Furthermore, Criswell scored over thirty points twice this year, and over twenty points in a game five times. He was second in the league in most points scored in a game with 36, which he achieved via a 15-for-23 performance against Indianapolis in early April.

The Omaha-native also grabbed 12 rebounds per game in three of the first four regular season games he played in, against Mississippi, Baltimore, and Indianapolis. He also posted a team-record seven steals, one shy of the all-time league record, against the eventual league champions, Fort Wayne, in a late-season regular season contest. 

Criswell, who was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NBA D-League Draft by the Reno Bighorns, becomes the third consecutive player in league history to be named league MVP, and be affiliated with the NBA D-League. Last year, Columbus forward, Brett McKnight, was named league MVP after playing with the Canton Charge earlier in his career, while in 2015, Mississippi's Mardracus Wade, earned multiple NBA D-League contracts with the Iowa Energy and Greensboro Swarm, after being named the CBA's Most Valuable Player. 

Two out of the last three years have seen critical success for the CBA Most Valuable Players, as 2014 league MVP, Antonio Cannon, played in Canada and Brazil under the CBA Global Opportunities Program, while 2015 league MVP, Mardracus Wade, played in Taiwan under the CBA Global Opportunities Program, before receiving his NBA D-League contracts. After a successful stint in college, the NBA D-League, and the CBA, Criswell will look to take his talents to the international scene to Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia, or South America, this offseason.