Hepburn and Blazek Headline Men’s Basketball All-PSAC
Can't view the gallery? Click here.
Lock Haven, Pa. – PSAC West Athlete of the Year Gannon’s
Adam Blazek and PSAC East Athlete of the Year Lock Haven’s
Wali Hepburn headline the 2014 PSAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference teams, as selected by leagues’ head coaches. Mansfield’s
Charles Pemberton earned the East’s Defensive Athlete of the Year accolade, while
C.J. Oldham of Gannon won the West’s Defensive Athlete of the Year distinction.
East Stroudsburg’s
Rasheed Moore was named the East Freshman of the Year, and Clarion’s
BJ Andrews was awarded the West Freshman of the Year. Gannon head coach John Reilly is the West Coach of the Year, and Lock Haven head coach Mike Nestor is the East Coach of the Year.
Hepburn leads the PSAC with 21.9 points per game, while ranking third in the conference in assists with 4.3 per game. He scored in double digits in all but one game in 2013-14, and has reached 20+ points in 15 games and 30+ points three times. Hepburn led The Haven to its first winning season in 21 years, and it’s first PSAC playoff game since 2003. Hepburn clinched All-PSAC Second Team honors as part of the Western Division a season ago, and is an East First Team selection this season. Hepburn is the first PSAC Athlete of the Year for The Haven since Billy Arre in 2007.
Blazek, averaging a PSAC-high 38.4 minutes per game, averages 16.1 points per outing. The Erie native most recently posted 25 points versus Slippery Rock in PSAC Quarterfinal action, marking his ninth 20+-point performance this season. Blazek ranks third in the league in 3-point shooting with 41.5% with 66 3-pointers made. His 87.3% free throw shooting average ranks atop the league. Blazek was named the 2011 West Freshman of the Year and is a repeat All-PSAC honoree.
Oldham has led a squad that holds the second-best scoring defense average in the PSAC with 59.8 opponent points per game. The senior from Solon, Ohio averages 6.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Since joining the league in 2008-09, Oldham and Blazek are the first Gannon men’s basketball players to earn Athlete and Defensive Athlete of the Year honors. The program was awarded three Freshman of the Year selections in a row from 2010-2012.
Pemberton is first in the conference with 2.4 blocks per game and a total 62 denials this season. The junior also leads the league in field goal percentage with 66.5% going 145-of-218 from the field in 2013-14. Pemberton averaged 7.8 rebounds per outing this season, as well as 13.2 points per game. Pemberton is the first PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year for Mansfield.
Moore’s 13.7 points per game is the most of any freshman in the PSAC, while he also averages 6.3 rebounds per contest. Moore ranks sixth in the league in field goal percentage with 53.3% and 10
th in offensive rebounds with 67. He has notched three double-doubles in 2013-14 and has scored 20 or more points on three occasions. He is the only freshman to appear on any PSAC men’s basketball All-Conference team this season. The last PSAC East Freshman of the Year from East Stroudsburg was Terrance King in 2010.
Andrews averaged eight points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagles in 2013-14. The freshman also averaged a pair of assists per contest, including a season-high six assists against East Stroudsburg in early January. Andrews is the first men’s basketball PSAC major award winner from Clarion since head coach Ron Righter won Coach of the Year in 2005. The last West Freshman of the Year from Clarion was Rollie Smith in 2000.
Reilly, in his ninth season at the helm of the Golden Knight program, has led his squad to winning seasons in six of the last seven years. Reilly earned the West Coach of the Year honor last year after guiding Gannon to its 25
th 20-win season in school history. This season marks the Knights’ fifth postseason appearance in the last seven seasons.
In just three seasons at the helm of the Lock Haven men’s basketball program, Nestor led the Bald Eagles to a 17-win season in 2013-14, marking the most wins of Lock Haven in 24 years. This season The Haven, who was winless in 2011-12, played in its first postseason game since 2003 and hosted its first playoff game since 1990. The last time a Lock Haven men’s basketball coach was named a PSAC Coach of the Year was John Wilson in 2003.
Mansfield’s
Joe Bell and Bloomsburg’s
Dontahe Jordan are both three-time All-PSAC honorees, with Jordan earning his third First Team distinction. East Stroudsburg’s
Whis Grant, IUP’s
Mathis Keita, Edinboro’s
Bryan Theriot are all repeat All-PSAC First Team selections.
|
EASTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM |
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown/ Previous School |
|
F |
Joe Bell^* |
Mansfield |
Jr. |
Pottstown, Pa./ Pottsgrove |
|
G |
Whis Grant* |
East Stroudsburg |
Jr. |
Plymouth Meeting, Pa./ Plymouth Whitemarsh |
|
G |
Wali Hepburn^ |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Philadelphia, Pa./ Newmann-Goretti |
|
G |
Troy Hockaday |
West Chester |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa./ LaSalle |
|
G/F |
Dontahe Jordan** |
Bloomsburg |
R.Sr. |
Williamsport, Pa./ Williamsport |
|
G |
Matt Tobin |
East Stroudsburg |
Jr. |
Hopatcong, N.J./ Hopatcong |
|
EASTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM |
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown/ Previous School |
|
G |
Corey Blake^ |
West Chester |
Jr. |
West Chester, Pa./ Rustin |
|
G |
Lorenzo Christmas |
Bloomsburg |
So. |
Norristown, Pa./ Norristown |
|
F |
Kasheef Festus |
Lock Haven |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa./ Archbishop |
|
G |
Joe Lococo |
Shippensburg |
So. |
Easton, Pa. Freedom |
|
F |
Rasheed Moore |
East Stroudsburg |
Fr. |
Wilkes-Barre, Pa./ Meyers |
|
F |
Tracy Peal |
Kutztown |
So. |
Drexel Hill, Pa./ Archbishop Carroll |
|
WESTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM |
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown/ Previous School |
|
G |
Adam Blazek^ |
Gannon |
Jr. |
Erie, Pa./ Cathedral Prep |
|
F/C |
Malachi Leonard |
Seton Hill |
Sr. |
York, Pa./ William Penn |
|
C |
Maurice Lewis-Briggs |
Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
Norristown, Pa./ Morehead State |
|
G |
Mathis Keita* |
IUP |
Sr. |
Thrionville, France/ Insep |
|
F |
Marcel Souberbielle |
IUP |
Sr. |
Victoria, Australia/ St. Patrick's College |
|
C |
Bryan Theriot* |
Edinboro |
Jr. |
Middleburg Heights, Ohio/ Midpark |
|
WESTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM |
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown/ Previous School |
|
G |
Devante Chance |
IUP |
Jr. |
Philadelphia, Pa./ Electrical & Technology Charter |
|
G/F |
Raphell Thomas-Edwards |
Gannon |
Jr. |
Leicester, England/ The Gateway School |
|
F |
Mike Kromka |
Clarion |
Sr. |
Monroeville, Pa./ Gateway |
|
G |
Jonathon Ouegnin |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
Lechesnay, France/ West WInd Prep |
|
G |
Tabari Perry^ |
Slippery Rock |
R.Sr. |
Cambridge, Md./ Cecil College |
|
F/C |
Ian Vescovi |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Jr. |
Patton, Pa./ Cambria Heights |
* Indicates previous All-PSAC first team selection
^ Indicates previous All-PSAC second team selection
|
WESTERN DIVISION |
EASTERN DIVISION |
|
Athlete of the Year - Adam Blazek, Gannon |
Athlete of the Year - Wali Hepburn, Lock Haven |
|
Freshman of the Year - BJ Andrews, Clarion |
Freshman of the Year - Rasheed Moore, East Stroudsburg |
|
Defensive Athlete of the Year - CJ Oldham, Gannon |
Defensive Athlete of the Year - Charles Pemberton, Mansfield |
|
Coach of the Year - John Reilly, Gannon |
Coach of the Year - Mike Nestor, Lock Haven |