CHARLOTTE, NC – Winthrop senior guards Chris Gaynor and Michael Jenkins along with freshman center Charles Corbin received Big South Conference post-season honors that were announced Monday by the league office.
Gaynor, a 5-10 guard from Winston-Salem, NC, and Jenkins, a 6-3 guard from Kinston, NC were named to the All-Big South Conference second team while Corbin was named to the five-man All-Freshman squad. For Gaynor, it marked the first time he has been selected on either the first or second team. Jenkins was selected on last year's first team. Both players were picked on the preseason All-Big South first team.
High Point senior forward Arizona Reid and UNC Asheville head coach Eddie Biedenbach were voted the 2007-08 Big South Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, by the League’s head coaches, sports information directors and media panel, The panel voted Charleston Southern forward Omar Carter Freshman of the Year and UNC Asheville junior center Kenny George as the League’s Defensive Player of the Year. Coastal Carolina’s Jack Leasure was voted Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the SIDs for the third consecutive season.
Reid (Gaffney, SC) repeats as Big South Player of the Year after averaging 24.2 points and 11.1 rebounds for the Panthers this season. He is the first back-to-back winner since UNC Asheville’s Josh Pittman in 1997 and 1998 and the just the fourth multiple winner of the award. Reid received 20 first-place votes from the panel for 285 total points, ahead of VMI’s Reggie Williams (six first-place votes and 257 points).
Biedenbach guided the Bulldogs to their first regular-season championship since 2001-02 and the program’s first No. 1 seed in the Big South Tournament since 1997-98, leading Asheville to a 21-8 overall record and 10-4 Conference finish.
Joining Reid on the All-Conference First-team are VMI’s Reggie Williams, UNC Asheville’s Bryan Smithson, Coastal Carolina's Jack Leasure and Liberty’s Alex McLean.
First-team All-Conference
Arizona Reid, F, Sr., High Point
Reggie Williams, F, Sr.,VMI
Bryan Smithson, G, R-Sr., UNC Asheville
Jack Leasure, G, Sr., Coastal Carolina
Alex McLean, F, Sr., Liberty
Second-team All-Conference
Chris Gaynor, G, Sr., Winthrop
Michael Jenkins, G, Sr., Winthrop
Kenny George, C, R-Jr., UNC Asheville
K.J. Garland, G, R-Sr., UNC Asheville
Chavis Holmes, G, Jr., VMI
All-Freshman Team
Omar Carter, F, Charleston Southern
Jamarco Warren, G, Charleston Southern
Anthony Breeze, F, Coastal Carolina
Charles Corbin, C, Winthrop
Jeremy Anderson, G, Liberty
Academic All-Conference
Giedrius Knysas, Jr., Charleston Southern
Jack Leasure, Sr., Coastal Carolina
Matt Boswell, Jr., High Point
Kyle Ohman, Soph., Liberty
Phillip Martin, Soph., Radford
Walt Allen, Soph., Presbyterian
K.J. Garland, R-Sr., UNC Asheville
Adam Lonon, Soph., VMI
Player of the Year
Arizona Reid, F, Sr., High Point
Defensive Player of the Year
Kenny George, C, R-Jr, UNC Asheville
Freshman of the Year
Omar Carter, F, Charleston Southern
Coach of the Year
Eddie Biedenbach, UNC Asheville
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Jack Leasure, Sr., Coastal Carolina
