Men's Basketball News
Men's basketball honored for record setting season
Follwing the first undefeated conference season in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) history, the Colonels were recognized for the record setting season by the coaches in the conference. For the third consecutive year, Centre walked away with the league's Player-of-the-Year award, and for the second consecutive season, the Colonels picked up the Coach-of-the-Year award.
Senior guard Thomas Britt (Louisville, Ky.) was selected SCAC Player-of-the-Year, following Reggie Magnusson in 2005-2006 and Matt Nestheide a year ago. Greg Mason, the Colonels head coach, was named Coach-of-the-Year.
Britt picked up the award after an outstanding season for the Colonels where he finished first in the SCAC in three-point field goal percentage (48.7%) and free-throw percentage (90.0%). Britt was second in field goal percentage (54.1%), finishing just .002 percentage points from being the first player in conference history to lead the conference in all three categories. Britt also averaged 15.6 points per game (seventh in the SCAC) and hit 2.38 three-pointers per game (sixth in Sthe SCAC). Time and again, Britt hit clutch shots for the Colonels this season, including quite possibly the biggest shot of the SCAC season. Trailing by three points against then #18 Millsaps College, Britt sank a long range three-pointer with under one second to play to force overtime in a game Centre would go on to win 90-80.
Mason, serving in his ninth year with the Colonels, has a career record 166-69 (through the end of the 2008-2009 regular season) which represents the highest winning percentage (70.6%) in school history. It is also the highest winning percentage among all active SCAC men's basketball coaches. Centre not only produced the first undefeated conference season in SCAC history, but the Colonels achieved their second consecutive 20-win season and just the program's third in the SCAC era. Through nine seasons, Mason is already in second place in school history for all-time wins.
Britt was not the only Colonel to be recognized for his achievement. Joining Britt on the all-conference first team was fellow senior guard Matt Nestheide (Edgewood, Ky.). Following his Player-of-the-Year season from a year ago, Nestheide's scoring production declined as he focused more on distributing the ball and defense. Nestheide finished second in the conference in assists (4.2 per game) and assist to turnover ratio (2.33) while averaging 11.6 points per game. Nestheide finished third in the conference in minutes played (33.42 per game), ninth in field goal percentage (49.5%) and 15th in free throw percentage (77.0%) as well as finishing tied for second in voting for SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year.
Along with Britt and Nestheide, junior guard T.C. Thomason (Russellville, Ky.) and sophomore forward Danny Noll (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.). Thomason ranked 15th in the SCAC in points per game (13.0), 14th in rebounds per game (5.4), and sixth in field-goal percentage (51.4%). Noll averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Colonels and was 12th in the SCAC in three pointers made and 15th in defensive rebounds per game.
|