Ballislife Mid-Major POY Ladder: January 16

If you’ve been following the Ballislife National Player of the Year Ladder, you’re pretty much in the know that it’s going to come down to a two-man race between Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa. However, the conversation for who could be the Ballislife Mid-Major Player of the Year, on the other hand, is a much more compelling one.

From a guy in Dior Johnson, who’s burst onto the scene to lead the nation in scoring out of literally nowhere, to someone in Logan Duncomb who is going through a career resurgence after leaving a blue blood program, there is so much to get into when it comes to this race.

1. Dior Johnson (Jr. Guard, Tarleton State)

Johnson, a Saugerties, NY native and the nation’s leading scorer, has emerged as arguably the fastest riser in all of college basketball this season. In his first season at Tarleton State, the junior is averaging 25 points per game while shooting 57 percent from the field overall. Johnson has been efficient scoring from all three levels, and his absurd 61.8 percent clip from 3-point range (21-of-34) also leads the nation alongside his per-game scoring average.

Before breaking through with Tarleton State as a junior, Johnson spent his freshman season in JuCo before transferring to UCF and averaging 2.9 points per game in his sophomore campaign last season. 

Leading scorer in the country Dior Johnson with another electric display of scoring for @TarletonMBB in a tight contest against Southern Utah

• 40 PTS• 5 REB• 13/22 FG• 4/4 3PT and 10/12 FT

The junior guard posted his 7th game with 30+ points and his 2nd of 40 or more.… pic.twitter.com/oHOjbSewZt

— Workin It Hoops (@workinithoops) January 16, 2026

Despite the fact that the Texans have lost three of their last four, Johnson is playing at the peak of his powers in an effort to get the relatively new D1 program over the hump against superior WAC competition. The junior is averaging 35.8 points per game in those four games, and he could be averaging even more throughout the entire season if he didn’t start as a mostly unheralded reserve.

2. Graham Ike (Sr. Center, Gonzaga)

Ike’s importance for Gonzaga is about to skyrocket with Braden Huff expected to miss at least the next 4-to-8 weeks with an untimely knee injury suffered in practice week. Fortunately for Mark Few and company, Ike is perfectly capable of putting the Zags on his back for another potentially unblemished run through the WCC. 

Graham Ike extended his dominant season against Washington State last night:

23 Points11 Rebounds6 O-Rebounds5 Assists2 Steals11/15 FGM (73.3%)

The Bulldogs now sit at 18-1 with Ike at the helm. He’s been one of the best all-around players in the nation this year, but does… pic.twitter.com/WfJbip8SUU

— Draftstack (@TheDraftstack) January 16, 2026

The senior center is averaging 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season, but his best quality has been his consistency in Gonzaga’s biggest games. Just last Thursday, against a Santa Clara team that many believe is poised to compete in the conference, Ike stepped up with a 34-point clinic (just one point off his career high) to lead the Zags to a 12-point win.

Ike also scored 28 points in the Zags’ Dec. 5 win over then-No. 18 Kentucky, 25 points in their Dec. 13 win over then-No. 25 UCLA, and 21 points in a win over then-No. 8 Alabama during Feast Week in late November.

3. Logan Duncomb (Sr. Center, Winthrop)

Logan Duncomb and Winthrop had their work cut out for them against High Point on Wednesday night, and boy did the Eagles’ star deliver. In what may very well be Winthrop’s biggest regular-season game, against a team many considered to be a potential at-large candidate at one point this season, Duncomb poured in 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out six assists. 

Logan Duncomb brings home yet another @comporium Player of the Game honor!#ROCKtheHILL | #BigSouthMBB pic.twitter.com/VcuohFmxh9

— Winthrop Basketball (@Winthrop_MBB) January 15, 2026

Despite a few off nights this season, Duncomb has mostly heated up in recent weeks by scoring at least 20 points in six of Winthrop’s last nine games. Duncomb ranks third in the nation in Offensive KenPom Rating, trailing only Cameron Boozer and Dior Johnson, and ranks fourth nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes. Duncomb, like Johnson, is in the midst of a sudden emergence after transferring from Indiana and averaging a then-career high 3.4 points per game with Winthrop as a junior last season.

4. Joel Foxwell (Fr. Guard, Portland)

The most intriguing mid-major freshman in the country is a Portland Pilot by way of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. And if there’s one safe bet regarding Joel Foxwell’s future, it’s that he won’t be playing mid-major basketball beyond this season. There’s already substantial buzz about what the future holds for the offensive guru, but for the moment, he ranks fifth in the country with an average of 7.4 assists per game.

In addition to his prowess as a floor general, Foxwell is also a proficient scorer with an average of 14.4 points per game, making him just one of five players in the country to average 14 points and 7 assists nightly this season (h/t Field of 68). 

Foxwell’s most impressive performance was a 20-point, 15-assist masterclass in an 82-75 loss to Santa Clara, which, in all fairness, is a far more complete team than Portland is. The Pilots may not win many games this season, but you still have plenty of reason to get to the Chiles Center if you live in the area and want to see a future NBA player in the flesh. 

🇦🇺 Joel Foxwell STARS vs Santa Clara today

– 20 PTS (7/15 FG, 5/10 3PT)- 2 REB – 15 AST- 3 STL

I hope scouts and draft experts are paying big attention to Joel’s game because it looks to me that he is NBA ready… 🎯 pic.twitter.com/QXY1YiFXQm

— Luke Travers fan club (@TraversHoops) December 31, 2025

There are several different directions we could have gone with the fifth and final spot on this week’s Ladder, but why not show love to a player who is as valuable to their team as any player in the country? Montana’s Money Williams leads the nation in percentage of possessions used, and he makes sure to get good use out of those consistent touches. 

Montana 6’4 PG Money Williams has looked like a legitimate NBA prospect early in the season so far this year.

Through his first eight games Williams is averaging 19/5/7 on 46/38/85 splits.

The 20 year old PG has been one of the most talented PG’s in all of college basketball… pic.twitter.com/RSL1XZyus3

— KJ (@KJScouting) November 29, 2025

Williams ranks in the top 50 nationally in both scoring and assists, averaging 19.5 points and 5.6 assists per game for a Montana team that’s quietly started Big Sky play 4-1 after a relatively nightmarish non-conference slate. Williams recently scored 31 points against Northern Colorado and 35 points against Idaho in consecutive wins earlier this month, proving the Grizzlies go as he goes.