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Jeffers, Bowen, Mayo honored by league

NEWCOMER OF YEAR GOES TO JEFFERS

(2/27/06)

UIC players Othyus Jeffers, Justin Bowen and Josh Mayo were honored by the Horizon League in a poll released Monday conducted by the conference, which included coaches, sports information directors and selected media.

Jeffers received the biggest of the three by earning the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year. He becomes the Flames’ first-ever Newcomer of the Year winner – not even Sherell Ford, Cedrick Banks or Jeffers’ cousin Mark Miller were honored in such fashion.

A 6-foot-5 guard/forward, Jeffers (pictured) averaged 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, while shooting 49 percent from the field. He led the Horizon League in offensive rebounds with 3.8 and also had seven double-doubles and 11 double-figure rebounding games. Jeffers also had two game-winning layups in overtime games – against Youngstown State (Dec. 31) and Wright State (Feb. 25).

Bowen (left) and Mayo
Bowen was named to the Second Team All-Horizon after a breakout senior season. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged a team-best 14.6 points per game and grabbed 7.0 rebounds per game. He also shot 52 percent from the field and 76 percent from the free-throw line. Bowen also had seven double-doubles. His season-high of 26 points came twice – against Cleveland State (Jan. 19) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (Jan. 28).

Mayo, a freshman guard from Merrillville, Ind., was named to the All-Newcomer Team along with Jeffers. Mayo finished the regular season strong, averaging 10.2 points per game. He has shot 50 percent from three-point range in the Flames’ last seven games.

Mayo scored 21 points at Georgia Tech in his first-career start on Nov. 25, leading UIC to a stunning 73-51 victory. He hit game-winning shots in victories over Mississippi (Dec. 10) and Detroit (Feb. 4) and scored eight points in overtime of the Flames’ 94-86 overtime win at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Feb. 15.

As for the other top league honorees, Butler senior forward Brandon Polk garnered Player of the Year honors after averaging 17.9 points on 57 percent shooting from the field. Bulldogs coach Todd Lickliter earned Coach of the Year accolades after guiding his team to a second-place finish with an 18-11 overall record and 11-5 mark in the conference.

Following is a complete list with Horizon League honorees, along with my official vote:

FIRST-TEAM ALL-HORIZON
League Poll Whoosh! vote
Brandon Polk, Butler* Brandon Polk, Butler*
Blake Schilb, Loyola Blake Schilb, Loyola
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee DaShaun Wood, Wright State
DaShaun Wood, Wright State Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown St. Quin Humphrey, Youngstown St.

*--- Player of the Year vote

Analysis: Polk (pictured) was just more consistent than any other player in the league, although people can argue any one of these five players were deserving of top honors. My preseason pick was Schilb, and again, he was unbelievable. He should be the favorite to win the honor next year. Once in awhile, Schilb will lose focus and rely too much on the outside shot, but in all, he just barely missed out on my ballot. Tucker was the same way. I actually nabbed all five players. I did not vote for Humphrey in the preseason poll, but his run of 30-point games early in the conference season and the fact he lead the league in rebounding at 6-foot-4 was impressive. Wood is a solid point guard for the Raiders and can sometimes carry his team.

SECOND-TEAM ALL-HORIZON
League Poll Whoosh! vote
Brandon Cotton, Detroit Brandon Cotton, Detroit
Justin Bowen, UIC Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay
Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee
Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee Justin Bowen, UIC

Analysis: Again, I nabbed all five players on the Second Team. Bowen had an explosive start and dropped a bit late in the season. My last vote hinged on Bowen and Loyola’s Majak Kou. I voted for Kou on my preseason second team and it was very difficult to leave him off this squad. I went with the senior, Bowen. Kou, a junior, will definitely be a force next season. Davis (pictured) is just a dynamite shooter and can go off crazy, hot stretches from three-point land. If anybody on this team is unheralded, I would say Tigert, who is the glue for the Panthers, along with guard Chris Hill. Tigert does all the dirty work and is a top post presence. If there was an all-underrated team, Tigert would be probably lead the way along Butler’s fine point guard Avery Sheets. Many believed Cotton would be a slam-dunk first-teamer, but he just wasn’t as good as the top five this year. His hand injury also slowed him a bit.

HORIZON ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
League Poll Whoosh! vote
Othyus Jeffers, UIC* Othyus Jeffers, UIC*
Josh Mayo, UIC Leon Young, Loyola
Leon Young, Loyola Mike Schachtner, UW-Green Bay
Mike Schachtner, UW-Green Bay J’Nathan Bullock, Cleveland St.
Keston Roberts, Youngstown St. Josh Mayo, UIC
*---Newcomer of the Year vote

Analysis: Jeffers was indeed the energetic demon that UIC coach Jimmy Collins said he would be. Whether it was scoring inside, battling for rebounds with bigger players, playing stout defense or making deft passes, Jeffers (pictured) was the glue that helped UIC down the stretch. Young was a very close second in my book. He was the top freshman in the conference and dominated early in the season on the boards. He fell off a bit at midseason, but came back strong at the end. Schachtner was the best of the new bunch in Green Bay. Mayo really impressed me with his poise at the point and improved his shot as the year went on and his penchant for clutch shots became well-known by the end of the season. A few days ago, I had Roberts on my ballot, but after reviewing the stats, it seemed that he was too much of a one-dimensional player. The kid can score, no doubt, but his shooting percentages lacked and he didn’t really have a presence in many other categories. I went with CSU’s bruiser J’Nathan Bullock in a close vote over his teammate Ije Nwankwo and Roberts. Loyola’s J.R. Blount, UIC’s Danijel Zoric, UWGB’s Terry Evans and CSU’s Carlos English also showed some promise.

COACH OF THE YEAR
League Poll Whoosh! vote
Todd Lickliter, Butler Todd Lickliter, Butler

Analysis: Lickliter (pictured) took a Bulldogs team was expected to finish in the middle of pack to the brink of the No. 1 seed in the league tournament. All this, despite losing a few role players in the offseason. He did very well with a senior-laden group without tons of depth. UWM’s Rob Jeter did a nice job with the Panthers, but the cupboard wasn’t exactly empty after Bruce Pearl’s departure. His real test will be next year.

HORIZON ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Only head coaches can vote for this team

League Poll
Torvoris Baker, Detroit
Majak Kou, Loyola
Terry Evans, UW-Green Bay
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee
DaShaun Wood, Wright State

Analysis: Kou was a layup. At 6-foot-5, led the league in blocked shots and was third in steals and, with his long arms, is difficult to shoot against. He’s also dangerous in the passing lanes. Evans was a redshirt freshman for the Phoenix. Tigert is also much deserved on this team as UWM definitely missed his healthy presence in home losses to UIC and Missouri State down the stretch. I was surprised that Jeffers didn’t land a spot here.

In other recent news:
Flames rebound with another OT win (2/26/06)
Jeffers, Flames grind out another win (at Cleveland St.) (2/23/06)
Racers by a nose (at Murray St.) (2/19/06)
Flames pull it together in Milwaukee (2/15/06)
Loss to Loyola crushing (plus UWM preview) (2/12/06)
Flames see door is open (Loyola preview) (2/9/06)
Stefanov, Jeffers showcase talents (vs. Detroit) (2/5/06)
Zoric zips Flames past Penguins (2/3/06)
Murray State revealed as mystery opponent (2/1/06)
Hot Horan, Bulldogs embarrass Flames (1/30/06)
Name's Bond ... Kevin Bond (win vs. UWGB) (1/29/06)
Comeback kids lift Flames (at Wright St.) (1/25/06)