Mayo, VanderMeer honored by Horizon League

BUTLER’S HOWARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR

March 2, 2009

Whoosh! photo Butler’s Matt Howard led a talented group of five First-Team All-Horizon players and was named the conference’s Player of the Year.

UIC’s Josh Mayo and Scott VanderMeer were honored by the Horizon League in a poll released Monday conducted by the conference, which included votes from coaches, sports information directors and selected media.

Mayo, a 5-foot-11-inch senior guard, was named to the All-League First-Team after averaging 16.9 points and 3.4 assists per contest. His numbers slipped a bit in Horizon League play due to the nagging injuries and coaches scheming against him.

Mayo was the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, but could not take home the hardware in the postseason vote.

VanderMeer, a 7-foot, 255-pound senior center, was named to the All-Defensive Team for the third straight season—a first for a Flames player. VanderMeer averaged 2.6 blocked shots per game and is the league’s all-time leader in rejections.

A Butler took home Player of the Year honors for the third consecutive campaign. This time, sophomore forward Matt Howard, who was the league’s Newcomer of the Year last season, was voted the conference’s top player. Howard averaged 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and shot 55 percent from the field for the Horizon League champion Bulldogs.

Butler freshman forward Gordon Hayward was selected as the league’s Newcomer of the Year and also landed on the league’s First Team. Hayward averaged 13.8 points and 6.3 rebounds and hit 45 percent of his three-point attempts.

Butler’s Brad Stevens was named Coach of the Year. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the Horizon’s preseason poll. Despite having just one starter returning (Howard), Butler still won the regular-season title with a 25-4 overall record and 15-3 mark in conference.

In the other awards, Green Bay senior guard Ryan Tillema, who averaged 16.9 points per game, was the Sixth Man of the Year, while Cleveland State senior guard Cedric Jackson was the Defensive Player of the Year.

Following is a complete list with Horizon League honorees, along with Whoosh!’s official vote: