CHARLOTTE, NC– Winthrop senior James Shuler and junior Torrell Martin were voted to the 2005-06 All-Big South Conference First Team by a panel of the League's head coaches, sports information directors and media representatives. For Shuler and Martin, it marked the second straight year they were picked on the first team honor squad.
Coastal Carolina sophomore guard Jack Leasure and Birmingham-Southern head coach Duane Reboul have been voted as the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively. The voting panel voted UNC Asheville forward Michael Ellis Freshman of the Year and High Point senior forward Issa Konare as the League’s first-ever Defensive Player of the Year. Leasure was also voted Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the SIDs, becoming the first men’s basketball player to garner Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the same season.
Joining Shuler, Martin and Leasure on the All-Conference First-team are High Point’s Arizona Reid and Liberty’s Larry Blair, The entire list of award winners is as follows:
2005-06 Big South Conference Men’s Basketball Award Winners
First-team All-Conference
Jack Leasure, G, Soph., Coastal Carolina
Larry Blair, G, Jr., Liberty
Arizona Reid, F, Soph., High Point
Torrell Martin, G, Jr., Winthrop
James Shuler, F, Sr., Winthrop
Second-team All-Conference
Whit Holcomb-Faye, G, Sr., Radford
Chris Oliver, F, Jr., Radford
James Collins, G, Sr., Birmingham-Southern
Pele Paelay, G, Sr., Coastal Carolina
Reggie Williams, F, Soph., VMI
All-Freshman Team
Michael Ellis, G, UNC Asheville
Joseph Harris, F, Coastal Carolina
Travis Holmes, G, VMI
Anthony Smith, G, Liberty
Justin Dunn, F, High Point
Academic All-Conference
Bucky McMillan, Jr., Birmingham-Southern
Trent Drafts, R-Sr., Charleston Southern
Jack Leasure, Soph., Coastal Carolina
Russell Monroe, Soph., Liberty
Chad Mohn, Sr., UNC Asheville
Tadas Mankevicius, Sr., VMI
Player of the Year
Jack Leasure, G, Soph., Coastal Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year
Issa Konare, F, Sr., High Point
Freshman of the Year
Michael Ellis, F, UNC Asheville
Coach of the Year
Duane Reboul, Birmingham-Southern
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Jack Leasure, Soph., Coastal Carolina
