Tobin and Chance Headline Men’s Basketball All-PSAC
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Lock Haven, Pa. – PSAC West Athlete of the Year IUP’s
Devante Chance and PSAC East Athlete of the Year East Stroudsburg’s
Matt Tobin headline the 2015 PSAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference teams, as selected by the leagues’ head coaches. Kutztown’s
Tyler Brooks earned the East’s Defensive Athlete of the Year accolade, while
A’Darius Porter of Gannon won the West’s Defensive Athlete of the Year distinction.
Cheyney’s
Kevin Larkin was named the East Freshman of the Year, and Edinboro’s
Jaymon Mason was awarded the West Freshman of the Year. Mercyhurst head coach Gary Manchel is the West Coach of the Year, and Kutztown’s head coach Bernie Driscoll is the East Coach of the Year.
Tobin leads the league and ranks 11th in Division II with 6.3 assists per game and is atop the PSAC with a 2.4 assist to turnover ratio and 2.3 steals per game. The two-time All-PSAC First Team honoree has led the Warriors to three straight outright PSAC Eastern Division titles and has amassed over 1,000 career points and 500 assists, making him the first PSAC player to reach those milestones since Edinboro's Adam Kaufman in 2001. Tobin has headed an East Stroudsburg offense that leads the conference in scoring offense (84.0ppg), turnover margin (5.74), and assist to turnover ratio (1.34). The Hopatcong, N.J. native is the fifth PSAC East Athlete of the Year hailing from East Stroudsburg and is the first since senior
Whis Grant earned the laurel in 2013.
Chance ranks 7th in the PSAC in scoring with 16.2 points per outing and is sinking 2.3 3-pointers per contest. He is second in the conference with 6.0 assists per game and is sixth in the league with a 1.9 assist to turnover ratio. Chance is just the fourth player in school history to score 1,000 career points and hand out 400 assists. The two-time All-PSAC First Team selection has posted six 20-point performances this season, including 31 points in the regular season finale against Clarion. Chance is the seventh PSAC West Athlete of the Year from IUP and the first since Ashton Smith in 2012.
Porter leads a Gannon squad that ranks first in the league in scoring defense (56ppg) and rebounding defense (26.1). The senior forward is averaging 7.5 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, and has 27 steals on the year. He is scoring 6.6 points per contest and averaging 31.7 minutes a game. Porter is the second straight PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year from Gannon, as CJ Oldham earned the accolade a season ago.
Brooks has amassed 55 blocks (1.8 per game) and 49 steals (1.6 per game) this season to rank him fifth in the league in denials and ninth in steals. The senior guard averages 9.0 points in 34.3 minutes per game along with 3.1 assists per game and owns a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio. The All-PSAC Second Team selection is the first PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year from Kutztown since the award began in 2012.
Larkin, an All-PSAC Second Team honoree, averaged 17.8 points per game in his rookie season ranking his third amongst PSAC leaders and first amongst freshmen. His points per game average also slots him 80th in Division II and first amongst D-II rookies. The guard from Lincoln, Del. pulled down 5.1 rebounds per game and handed out 1.2 assists per outing. Larkin posted nine 20-point performances this season, including three season-best 25-point showings. Larkin is the third PSAC East Freshman of the Year from Cheyney and first since
Brandon Norfleet won the honor in 2013.
Mason put-up 14.5 points per outing in his freshman season, ranking him 13th amongst conference scoring leaders. The 6-3 guard pulled-down 4.4 rebounds per game and went 118-of-136 from the free throw line for the league’s third-best free throw percentage (.868). The Edinboro, Pa. native posted a 1.9 assist to turnover ratio in 2014-15 and averaged 3.1 assists per outing. Mason is the fifth PSAC West Freshman of the Year hailing from Edinboro and the first since Dan Grabill earned the laurel in 2002.
Driscoll, who has been at the helm of the Kutztown program for 15 seasons, is the winningest coach in school history with 236 wins. The Golden Bears are making their first trip to the PSAC Semifinals since its championship title game run in 2010. Driscoll, the 2003 and 2009 PSAC East Coach of the Year honor, has guided Kutztown to 12 PSAC Tournament berths in the last 13 seasons.
In his 12th season with the Lakers, Manchel guided Mercyhurst to its first 20-win season since the 2010-11 season and its sixth straight PSAC postseason tournament berth. Manchel, the 2011 PSAC West Coach of the Year, has helped Mercyhurst out-perform the league preseason rankings for seven consecutive seasons.
Mansfield’s
Joe Bell is the lone four-time All-PSAC honoree, while Grant, West Chester’s
Cory Blake, Lock Haven’s
Wali Hepburn, and Gannon’s
Adam Blazek have earned All-Conference honors three times in their careers.
EASTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
|
F |
Joe Bell^** |
Mansfield |
Sr. |
Pottstown, Pa. / Pottsgrove |
|
G |
Cory Blake^^ |
West Chester |
Sr. |
West Chester, Pa. / Rustin |
|
F/C |
Dylan Edgar^ |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Shiremanstown, Pa. / Mechanicsburg |
|
G |
Whis Grant** |
East Stroudsburg |
Sr. |
Plymouth Meeting, Pa. / Plymouth Whitemarsh |
|
G |
Wali Hepburn^* |
Lock Haven |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Neumann-Goretti |
|
G |
Matt Tobin* |
East Stroudsburg |
Sr. |
Hopatcong, N.J. / Hopatcong |
EASTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
|
G |
Tyler Brooks |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Douglassville, Pa. / Daniel Boone |
|
G |
Tynell Fortune |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Blakeslee, Pa. / California (Pa.) |
|
F |
Josh Johnson |
Kutztown |
So. |
Norristown, Pa. / Norristown |
|
G |
Kevin Larkin |
Cheyney |
Fr. |
Lincoln, Del. / Sussex Tech |
|
F |
Rasheed Moore^ |
East Stroudsburg |
So. |
Wilkes-Barre, Pa. / Meyers |
|
F |
Charles Pemberton |
Mansfield |
Sr. |
St. Thomas, V.I. / Clinton C.C. |
WESTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
|
G |
Adam Blazek^* |
Gannon |
Sr. |
Erie, Pa. / Cathedral Prep |
|
G |
Antonio Butler |
Slippery Rock |
R-Sr. |
Lorton, Va. / Garrett College |
|
G |
Devante Chance* |
IUP |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Electrical & Technology Charter |
|
F |
A.J. Leahey |
Pitt-Johnstown |
So. |
Lilly, Pa. / Penn Cambria |
|
G/F |
Girbran Smith |
Gannon |
Sr. |
Nassau, Bahamas / Seton (Ill.) Academy |
|
G |
Henri Wade-Chatman |
Edinboro |
Jr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / CC of Allegheny County |
WESTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
|
G |
Shawn Dyer |
IUP |
Sr. |
Marion, Ohio / Marion Harding |
|
F |
Richard Smith |
California |
Jr. |
Cleveland, Ohio / Lutheran East |
|
G/F |
Raphell Thomas-Edwards^ |
Gannon |
Sr. |
Leicester, England / The Gateway School |
|
F/C |
Ian Vescovi^ |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Sr. |
Patton, Pa. / Cambria Heights |
|
G |
Gerrae Williams |
Mercyhurst |
R-Jr. |
Aberdeen, Md. / Aberdeen |
|
G |
David Windsor |
Seton Hill |
Sr. |
Severn, Md. / Mount St. Joseph |
* Indicates previous All-PSAC first team selection
^ Indicates previous All-PSAC second team selection
|
WESTERN DIVISION |
EASTERN DIVISION |
|
Athlete of the Year – Devante Chance, IUP |
Athlete of the Year – Matt Tobin, East Stroudsburg |
|
Defensive Athlete of the Year – A’Darius Porter, Gannon |
Defensive Athlete of the Year – Tyler Brooks, Kutztown |
|
Freshman of the Year – Jaymon Mason, Edinboro |
Freshman of the Year – Kevin Larkin, Cheyney |
|
Coach of the Year – Gary Manchel, Mercyhurst |
Coach of the Year – Bernie Driscoll, Kutztown |