News Nuggets, 03.10.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

ECU's Cook grabs spot on All-Freshman team

East Carolina, which failed to land a player on the All-Conference USA team, didn't get shut out of the league's postseason accolades after all.

The Pirates can contemplate the prospect of solid play at the point guard position for the next three seasons with the selection of Mike Cook to the C-USA All-Freshman team.

Cook, a Philadelphia native and product of New Hampton (NH) Prep, was named to the squad of all-star rookies along with Memphis forward Sean Banks, Charlotte center Martin Iti, Marquette guard/forward Dameon Mason and DePaul guard Sammy Mejia.

Banks, who led the league’s freshmen in scoring (18.0) and in rebounding (6.9), was picked as the C-USA Freshman of the Year.

Cincinnati guard Tony Bobbitt, fourth in the nation in scoring among reserves, was chosen as the C-USA Sixth Player of the Year, and Charlotte swingman Eddie Basden was tabbed as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The latest round of honors, based on a vote by coaches and media members, was announced Tuesday by the league office. The All-Conference first, second and third teams were release on Monday.

2003-04 ALL-CONFERENCE USA BASKETBALL HONORS

ALL-CONFERENCE USA FIRST TEAM
Sean Banks, Memphis, F, 6-8, 210, Fr., Oradell, NJ
Antonio Burks, Memphis, G, 6-0, 200, Sr., Memphis, TN
Travis Diener, Marquette, G, 6-0, 165, Jr., Fond du Lac, WI
Francisco Garcia, Louisville, F, 6-7, 185, So., Bronx, NY
Curtis Withers, Charlotte, F, 6-8, 230, So., Charlotte, NC

ALL-CONFERENCE USA SECOND TEAM
Andre Brown, DePaul, F/C, 6-9, 245, Sr., Chicago, IL
Reggie Bryant, Saint Louis, G, 6-2, 185, Jr., Baltimore, MD
Charles Gaines, Southern Miss, F, 6-7, 220, Sr., Houston, TX
Delonte Holland, DePaul, F, 6-7, 220, Sr., Greenbelt, MD
Jason Maxiell, Cincinnati, F, 6-7, 240, Jr., Carrollton, TX

ALL-CONFERENCE USA THIRD TEAM
Tony Bobbitt, Cincinnati, G, 6-4, 185, Sr., Daytona Beach, FL
Mo Finley, UAB, G, 5-11, 174, Sr., LaFayette, AL
Terrence Leather, USF, F, 6-9, 221, Jr., Tampa, FL
Corey Santee, TCU, G, 6-2, 193, Jr., Flint, MI
Luke Whitehead, Louisville, F, 6-6, 220, Sr., San Francisco, CA

CONFERENCE USA SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tony Bobbitt, Cincinnati, G, 6-4, 185, Sr., Daytona Beach, FL

CONFERENCE USA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Eddie Basden, Charlotte, G/F, 6-5, 205, Jr., Washington, DC

CONFERENCE USA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Sean Banks, Memphis, F, 6-8, 210, Oradell, NJ

CONFERENCE USA ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Sean Banks, Memphis, F, 6-8, 210, Oradell, NJ
Mike Cook, East Carolina, G, 6-2, 220, Philadelphia, PA
Martin Iti, Charlotte, C, 7-0, 240, Sydney, Australia
Dameon Mason, Marquette, G/F, 6-5, 180, Aurora, IL.
Sammy Mejia, DePaul, G, 6-6, 195, Bronx, NY

Badianne among strong contingent of C-USA shot swatters

Conference USA players hold down three of the top seven spots in the NCAA'S weekly ranking of shot-blocking leaders. Houston's Anwar Ferguson is second in the nation with an average of 4.1 blocks per game, followed by South Florida's Gerrick Morris in third place (4.0) and East Carolina's Moussa Badianne at No. 7 (3.3).

UConn's Emeka Okafor is at the top of the list (4.5), while another Conference USA player, Tulane's Quincy Davis, is 21st (2.5).

Following are the leading shot blockers through games of Mar. 8:

 Name/Class/Games/Blocks/Avg
 1. Okafor, Connecticut Jr 29 131 4.5
 2. Ferguson, Houston Sr 27 111 4.1
 3. Morris, South Florida Sr 27 108 4.0
 4. Fischer, West Virginia Jr 27 102 3.8
 5. Billings, Binghampton Jr 30 105 3.5
 6. Douthit, Providence Sr 27 91 3.4
 7. Badiane, East Carolina Jr 26 86 3.3
 8. Williams, Duke So 29 92 3.2
 9. Quaintanc, Jacksonville 28 84 3.0
10. Johnson, North Texas State Sr 23 69 3.0
11. Walker, UNC-Asheville Fr 29 85 2.9
12. Benton, College of Charleston Sr 29 82 2.8
13. Dill, Lafayette Sr 28 79 2.8
14. Harrison, Colorado Jr 27 76 2.8
15. Lamizana, Rutgers Sr 27 76 2.8
16. Edwards, Kent State Sr 27 74 2.7
17. Davis, Auburn Sr 27 72 2.7
18. Lewis, Austin Peay Sr 30 79 2.6
19. Homan, Iowa State Jr 26 67 2.6
20. Grant, Lamar So 28 71 2.5
21. Davis, Tulane So 27 67 2.5
22. Ford,Clemson Jr 27 62 2.3
23. Forth, Syracuse Jr 27 59 2.2
24. Jenkins, Iona Sr 29 63 2.2
25. Wadood, East Tennessee State Sr 32 68 2.1

Glantz-Culver Line for today's games

MAR. 10, 2004

FAVORITE/LINE/UNDERDOG
Charlotte 11.5 Tulane
Marquette 5.5 TCU
Louisville 13 East Carolina
Saint Louis 7 Southern Miss
Rutgers 3.5 Virginia Tech
Boston College 6.5 Georgetown
Notre Dame 6 West Virginia
Seton Hall 4.5 Villanova
Xavier 16.5 St. Bonaventure
Rhode Island 7 La Salle
Duquesne 2 Massachusetts
Richmond 15 Fordham
UC Riverside Pk Cal Poly-SLO
CS Northridge 1 Fullerton St.
Weber St. 6 Idaho St.
at E. Washington 12.5 Idaho St.
Weber St. 2.5 N. Arizona
at E. Washington 9 N. Arizona

C-USA Tournament TV schedule

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News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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