Individual honors continue to pile up for Prescott senior Jordan Malmlov, who spent his four years as a varsity basketball player rewriting the program’s record books which made him one of the most decorated athletes in school history.

Malmlov’s selection as the Middle Border Conference Co-Player of the Year is the second time in as many seasons that he’s earned the league’s top distinction, joining his junior campaign in 2021-22.

While Malmlov was the lone recipient of last year’s top award, he shares the distinction this season with Osceola senior forward Brayden Bradway, who led the Chieftains to their first Middle Border Conference championship since 2009.

Going into the annual all-conference meeting, Prescott head coach Nick Johnson couldn’t imagine giving the award to one single player; both Malmlov and Bradway had outstanding senior seasons. He wasn’t alone in that feeling, as this year’s voting was a dead heat.

“I talked to Osceola’s coach before the meeting and it was one of those things where, how could you give it to one and not the other?” Johnson recalled. “When the coaches’ voting came out, they tied with 80 points each for first. It showed that this was a slam dunk co-player of the year. I think that’s exactly how it should have been because they’re both deserving.”

This year’s top award is another honor added to Malmlov’s already lengthy resume, which includes two Conference Player of the Year awards, three First-Team All-Conference selections, and four years as an impact player for the Cardinals.

Malmlov became an integral part of Prescott’s varsity team the moment he walked into the gym as a freshman. During that 2019-20 season, he played a sixth-man role and provided lights-out shooting off the bench for an elite Cardinals team.

That year, Prescott went 21-4 and was one win away from making it to the state tournament in Madison, until the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season prematurely. Johnson spoke about Malmlov’s immediate impact.

“He came off the bench as a freshman, and we were very strong that year,” Johnson said. “He was our first guy off the bench, but he could have started. He was just more comfortable coming off the bench and it brought instant offense. He was dynamite, even as a freshman.”

After a strong debut season in 2019, Malmlov returned as the leader of a young Prescott team that had lost several dynamic players to graduation from the year before. He averaged 21.9 points per game that season and earned a First-Team All-Conference selection.

During his junior and senior campaigns, Malmlov averaged 22.8 and 23.9 points per game respectively, both of which were top three in the conference. He also led the Cardinals to one Middle Border Conference championship and back-to-back 20-win seasons.

“As a player, there’s not much he didn’t do in his four years,” Johnson said. “I think he’s had one of the greatest careers in Wisconsin history. He won conference championships, two regional championships and was a special, special player for us. He’s going to go on and do great things.”

Although shooting will always be Malmloov’s greatest weapon, throughout his four years he developed both as a playmaker and leader. By the time Malmlov began his senior season, he was impacting the game in more ways than just shooting from limitless range.

“This year he got his teammates so much more involved and his leadership skills got better,” Johnson said. “He just made everyone around him better. He grew up as a person and player, and we’re going to miss him. With what he brings to practices and the way he carries himself, it’s going to be tough to say goodbye to him as a player. We wish him nothing but the best.”

Wallin, Stuart, and Block earn all-conference honors

While Malmlov headlined this year’s awards list, three other Prescott Cardinals earned all-conference honors.

Prescott junior forward Dallas Wallin was First-Team All-Conference, senior forward Brandon Stuart received Second-Team All-Conference honors and senior forward Brady Block made the All-Conference Honorable Mention list.

“When I went into it that night, my wish was to get those four (including Malmlov) on those three teams,” Johnson said. “I think they all landed on the teams they deserved. It all kind of played out how we wanted. They were all deserving based on the year they had.”

Although Malmlov served as the team’s leading scorer, Wallin wasn’t far behind. He finished the year averaging 19.7 points, 10 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He was the only Cardinal that averaged a double-double and his 10 rebounds per game were a team-high.

After primarily shooting three-pointers during his junior season last year, Stuart transformed himself into Prescott’s best scoring option on the low block. He averaged 11.5 points per game and shot an efficient 52% from the field during his senior year.

Block found his way into the starting lineup for the first time as a senior and became a versatile forward that stretched the floor. He averaged just eight points per game, but shot nearly 40% from beyond the arc, was defensively sound and rebounded at a high clip.

“Over my 12 years, usually you walk out of those meetings kind of upset that someone didn’t get on a higher team,” Johnson said. “This year it played out exactly how we wanted it to. It was great for our kids to get recognized.”