The NUIC all-conference boys, girls basketball teams for 2024

It was another strong year for NUIC basketball this winter. Four conference teams ended the season ranked in the final Associated Press polls. That included three teams in the top 3, with Galena and Orangeville Nos. 1 and 2 in the girls and Pecatonica No. 3 in the boys. Pecatonica was also ranked 10th in the final girls poll.

Here are the best players who powered many of those strong teams. These are the 2024 NUIC all-conference girls and boys basketball teams, as selected by league coaches, in each of the league’s three divisions. Any player denoted with an * was selected unanimously.

Here are this year’s selections:

NUIC North boys first team

Cooper Hoffman, jr., Pecatonica * Austin Stuckey, jr., Dakota * Jaylen Rakowska, jr., Le-Win * Jaxon Diedrich, jr., Pecatonica * Ethan Petta, sr., Pearl City * Mason Peterson, sr., Pecatonica Nathan Folk, sr., Durand

NUIC North boys second team

Braxton Niedermeier, jr., Dakota; Cobryn Lynch, jr., Le-Win; Mason Spidahl, sr., Le-Win; Cody Wirth, sr., Orangeville; Brant Carlson, jr., Orangeville; Drew Williams, sr., Pecatonica; Brody Black, jr., Pecatonica; Will Birchen, soph., Pearl City.

NUIC North boys honorable mention

Micah Schrader , jr., Dakota; Solomon Clemen, jr., Dakota; Connor Hughes, sr., Durand; Ethan Rager, jr., Durand; Ben Briggs, sr., Orangeville; Jordan Gassman, jr., Pecatonica.

MVP: Cooper Hoffman, Pecatonica Sportsmanship: Pearl City

NUIC South boys first team

Parker Krogman, soph, Eastland* Baylen Damhoff, sr., Fulton* Connor Nye, sr., Milledgeville* Brock Soltow, sr., Polo* Adam Awender, jr. Eastland Landen Leu, soph. Fulton

NUIC South boys second team

Troy Anderson, sr. Amboy; Peyton Spears, jr., Eastland; Brendan Greenfield, jr. Forreston; Kendall Erdmann, soph., Forreston; Dom Kramer, jr., Fulton; Carter Merdian, sr., Polo

NUIC South boys honorable mention

Noah Danielson, sr., AFC; Trevor Janssen, sr., Eastland; Mickey Probst, fresh. Forreston; Trevor Tiesman, sr., Fulton; Jimmy Crimmins, sr., Fulton; Gus Mumford, jr., Polo.

Player of the Year: Baylen Damhoff, Fulton

Sportsmanship: Forreston

NUIC West boys first team

Aidan Colin, jr., East Dubuque * Carter Widmeier, sr., East Dubuque * Connor Glasgow , sr., Galena * Kaden Hauber, jr., Galena Thomas Hereau, sr., Scales Mound * Treyton Pafford, jr., Warren *

NUIC West boys second team

Brody Culbertson, jr., East Dubuque; Damon Dittmar, jr., River Ridge; Joe Winter, jr., River Ridge; Evan Cogan, sr., Scales Mound; Bennett Graves, sr., Stockton; Colby Tucker, sr., Stockton; Bryce VanRaalte, soph., Warren

NUIC West boys honorable mention

Bradin Lee, jr., East Dubuque; Myles Schumacher, jr., Galena; Seth Birkett, sr., Scales Mound; Jonah Driscoll, sr., Scales Mound; Caleb Good, sr., West Carroll

Most Valuable Player: Thomas Hereau, sr., Scales Mound

Sportsmanship: River Ridge

NUIC North girls first team

Whitney Sullivan, sr., Orangeville * Paityn London, sr., Freeport Aquin * Grace Groezinger, sr., Lena-Winslow * Laney Cahoon, jr., Orangeville * Elaina Rager, jr., Pecatonica * Nadalee Doyle, soph., Orangeville * Kianna Degner, jr., Pecatonica

NUIC North girls second team

Hanna Broge, sr., Freeport Aquin; Megan Holder, sr., Freeport Aquin; Rachael Setterstrom, jr., Lena-Winslow; Allyssa Daughenbaugh, jr., Lena-Winslow Fallyn Endress, jr., Pearl City; Lauren Mellentine, sr., Pecatonica

NUIC North girls honorable mention

Meghan Carlisle, sr., Freeport Aquin; Jasmyn London sr., Freeport Aquin; Finley Banks, soph., Dakota; Cora Ingram, jr., Dakota; Reagan McCallips, sr., Durand; Molly Amendt, sr., Lena-Winslow; Ava Vlasin, jr., Lena-Winslow; Payton Thomas, jr., Pecatonica

MVP: Whitney Sullivan. Orangeville Sportsmanship: Durand

NUIC South girls first team

Taylor Jahn, sr., AFC * Brianna Gonnerman, sr., AFC Maeve Larson, sr., Amboy Lily Mullen, sr., Eastland Olivia Klinefelter, jr., Eastland Trixie Carroll, soph., Eastland Camrynn Jones, soph., Polo *

NUIC South girls second team

Alexis Schwarz, sr., AFC; Elly Jones, sr., Amboy; Addison Pertell, jr., Amboy; Jenica Stoner, jr., Eastland; Jenna Greenfield, sr., Forreston; Courtney Grobe, sr., Polo

NUIC South girls honorable mention

Cameryn Winterland, jr., AFC; Tyrah Vaessen, jr., Amboy; Kennedy Burkholder, sr., Eastland; Ericka Alexander, jr., Forreston; Belle Curley, soph., Fulton; Haley Smither, soph., Fulton.

MVP: Taylor Jahn, AFC Sportsmanship: Polo

NUIC West girls first team

Gracie Furlong, jr., Galena * Addie Hefel, sr., Galena * Madalyn Mammoser, jr., Stockton * Addison Albrecht, sr., RR/SM *

Taylor Burcham, sr., Galena Erika Dolan, sr., East Dubuque Laiken Haas, jr., RR/SM Addie Bohnsack, sr., Warren

NUIC West girls second team

Gwen Miller, sr., RR/SM; Leah Heller, fresh., Galena; Sydney Schoenhard, soph., East Dubuque; Mia Wilwert, sr., East Dubuque; Emily Wiederholt, sr., RR/SM; Katleyn Winters, jr., Stockton; Eve Moore, sr., Stockton

NUIC West girls honorable mention

Nevaeh Hauber, fresh., Galena; Karissa Andrews, sr., West Carroll; Emma Randecker, jr., West Carroll; Caitlyn Stingley, jr., West Carroll; Dylan Broshous, jr., Stockton; Sydney Mulgrew, sr., East Dubuque; Lauren Williams, sr., Warren. Co-Players of the Year: Gracie Furlong and Addie Hefel of Galena Sportsmanship: River Ridge/Scales Mound.

Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.

has become both devalued and as important as ever in today’s NFL.

It’s devalued because backs get hurt, miss games and have short careers. The franchise tag for running backs ($11.9 million) is the lowest of any position in the league except for kicker/punter ($5.9 million).

Why pay them when teams seem to find decent backs almost anywhere in the draft? Kansas City, for instance, has won the past two Super Bowls with a 2022 seventh-rounder (Isiah Pacheco) as its primary back.

But running backs are as important as ever because good ones are a quarterback’s best friend. And complete backs who excel in the run and pass games are a matchup nightmare. There’s a reason Christian McCaffrey finished third in the NFL’s MVP voting last season.

“I think it’s an incredibly important position,” Gutekunst said at the combine. “It’s been in the headlines a lot because people talking about it’s being devalued. I don’t think the position is devalued. I think obviously contractually things are different because of the injury rate there, but I don’t believe you can have just one. I think you have to have two.”

That’s why Gutekunst has to think about drafting three running backs. He has a lot of needs, he can’t fill them all, and he can’t count on hitting on any given pick. But he must find at least one young back who can play.