CHARLESTON, S.C. The Southern Conference Sports Media Association (SCSMA) announced its selections for the 2009 All-Conference men's basketball teams on Wednesday. Third year head coach Ed Conroy was selected as the Anton Foy Coach of the Year. Redshirt senior Demetrius Nelson was named to the First Team, while sophomore Cameron Wells was named to the second team.
Conroy is one of 10 finalists for the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year award. He led his team to the school's second 20-win season. With 20 wins, the Bulldogs have become one of the most successful teams in school history. No Bulldog team has ever won more than 20 games in a season. Robinson's 1979 team won 20 games, including a win in the Southern Conference Tournament. Conroy is the first coach to take the Bulldogs to a 20-win regular season.
Nelson, a 6-8 center from John's Island, S.C., finished the regular season as the Bulldogs' leading scorer and leading rebounder. He averages 16.1 points per game and 6.6 rebounds. He is second in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 59.3 percent from the field. He is the Bulldogs' 11th all-time leading scorer and has scored 1,224 points in his career. Nelson is third on the Bulldogs' all-time list for free throws in a season and fourth on the Bulldogs' all-time list for free throws in a career.
Wells, a 6-1 guard from Houston, Texas, was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year last year. He is the team's second leading scorer, averaging 15.5 points per game. He has scored 911 points in his career and is 89 points shy of scoring 1,000 points and becoming the 26th member of The Citadel's 1,000 Point Club. He is sixth in the conference in scoring and fifth in the conference in free throw percentage. Wells recorded 93 assists and has 44 steals.
Davidson's Stephen Curry was named the Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year, while Western Carolina guard Harouna Mutombo was named Freshman of the Year. Curry is the nation's leading scorer with 28.4 points per game. Curry was also a member of the First team. Mutombo is the league's top scoring freshman, averaging 14.6 points per game.
Nelson joins Curry, Wofford's Noah Dahlman, College of Charleston's Andrew Goudelock and Chattanooga's Stephen McDowell on the First Team. On the Second Team, Wells is joined by Kellen Brand of Appalachian State, Nicchaeus Doaks of Chattanooga, Andrew Lovedale of Davidson and Western Carolina's Mutombo.
Members of the Third Team are Elon's Ola Atoyebi, Western Carolina's Brandon Giles, College of Charleston's Jermaine Johnson, Furman's Jordan Miller and Wofford's Junior Salters.
For more information on Bulldog Basketball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
2009 SCSMA All-Southern Conference Teams
First Team
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
Stephen McDowell, Chattanooga
Demetrius Nelson, The Citadel
Second Team
Kellen Brand, Appalachian State
Nicchaeus Doaks, Chattanooga
Andrew Lovedale, Davidson
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Cameron Wells, The Citadel
Third Team
Ola Atoyebi, Elon
Brandon Giles, Western Carolina
Jermaine Johnson, College of Charleston
Jordan Miller, Furman
Junior Salters, Wofford
Freshman of the Year
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Anton Foy Coach of the Year
Ed Conroy, The Citadel
