SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Citadel’s Ed Conroy was named 2009 Southern Conference Coach of the Year in postseason balloting by the league’s head coaches. Conroy guided the Bulldogs to a 15-5 mark in league play and the No. 2 seed in the South Division for this weekend’s Southern Conference Tournament. As part of the voting, Davidson junior Stephen Curry was named Player of the Year, while teammate Max Paulhus Gosselin earned the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year Award. Western Carolina’s Harouna Mutombo was named the Freshman of the Year. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
In winning the Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season, Curry becomes the first player to win the award in back-to-back years since Keith Jennings of East Tennessee State in 1990 and 1991. Curry leads the nation in scoring (28.4 ppg) and also leads the Southern Conference in assists (5.8 apg) and steals (2.6 spg). Paulhus Gosselin captured the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year Award. Gosselin helped anchor a Wildcat defense which ranked first in the league in field goal percentage defense (.400) and third in scoring defense (65.7 ppg).
Mutombo, the first Catamount to win the Freshman of the Year Award since Jarvis Hayes in 2000, averaged 14.6 points per game which is the ninth-best average in the conference. He also ranks third in steals (1.9 spg) and tenth in minutes (30.6 mpg).
In addition to the specialty awards, the head coaches made their selections for the all-conference team. Curry was joined on the all-conference team by teammate Andrew Lovedale. Chattanooga and The Citadel also placed two players on the all-conference team. The Mocs are represented by Nicchaeus Doaks and Stephen McDowell, while Demetrius Nelson and Cameron Wells garnered all-conference plaudits for the Bulldogs. Kellen Brand of Appalachian State, Andrew Goudelock of College of Charleston, Wofford’s Noah Dahlman and Mutombo were also selected to the all-conference team.
Mutombo was also named to the league’s all-freshman team, along with The Citadel’s John Brown, Georgia Southern’s Ben Drayton III, UNC Greensboro’s Damian Eargle and Wofford’s Brad Loesing.
The 2009 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament begins Friday, March 6 at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga. Appalachian State faces Georgia Southern in the first game of the opening round. Tip off is set for 2:00 p.m.
2008-09 All-Conference
Kellen Brand, Appalachian State
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Nicchaeus Doaks, Chattanooga
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
Andrew Lovedale, Davidson
Stephen McDowell, Chattanooga
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Demetrius Nelson, The Citadel
Cameron Wells, The Citadel
All-Freshman Team
John Brown, The Citadel
Ben Drayton III, Georgia Southern
Damian Eargle, UNC Greensboro
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Brad Loesing, Wofford
Freshman of the Year
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year
Max Paulhus Gosselin, Davidson
Player of the Year
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Coach of the Year
Ed Conroy, The Citadel
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