Feb. 28, 2012

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Samford University basketball players Tyler Hood and Raijon Kelly were both honored by the Southern Conference on Tuesday as the Bulldog standouts were named to the league's prestigious five-member All-Freshman Team. The SoCon officially released its postseason accolades following a balloting of the league's head coaches.

Tyler Hood, Samford's 6-foot-6 forward from Kingston, Tenn., has started in 23 games for the Bulldogs this season and is averaging 11 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest.

Since moving into the starting lineup against UTSA on Dec. 5, Hood has scored 12.5 points per game. He made an immediate positive impact for Samford and is also averaging 4.2 rebounds per contest during the span. Since moving into the starting lineup, Hood is playing 29.3 minutes per game and is shooting 47 percent from the field.

Against Elon on Jan. 19, Hood turned in the best game of his collegiate career as he scored a career-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He also knocked down a career-high four 3-point field goals and pulled down seven rebounds.

Raijon Kelly, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-4 guard from St. Paul, Minn., has started in 20 of the team's 29 games this season and is averaging 9.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest. Since moving into the starting lineup against The Citadel on Jan. 7, he is tallying 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.5 minutes per outing.

Kelly has been listed in the starting lineup in 16-consecutive games for Samford and turned in a career-high 21-point performance at Chattanooga on Saturday. In the Bulldogs' road loss, he went 10-of-17 from the field and also grabbed five rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes of playing time.

Davidson head coach Bob McKillop was named the league's Coach of the Year on Tuesday, while the Wildcats' sophomore forward De'Mon Brooks was named the 2012 Player of the Year.

Two Wofford Terriers were also honored as senior Brad Loesing was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while guard Karl Cochran was named the league's Freshman of the Year.

Brooks becomes the third Wildcat to be named the Player of the Year by the league's coaches, joining Brendan Winters (2005) and Stephen Curry (2008-09). The Charlotte, N.C., native ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 15.8 points per game and is ninth in rebounding with 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Brooks also ranks sixth in the league in field goal percentage (.533). He is one of just three players in the league to rank in the top ten of all three categories. Davidson's leading scorer this season, he has scored at least 20 points in nine games this year, including a season high of 26 at The Citadel on February 9.

McKillop earned the league's Coach of the Year Award for the seventh time after guiding the Wildcats to a 22-7 (16-2 SoCon) record. Davidson won the South Division title and is one of two No. 1 seeds for this week's SoCon Tournament. In his 23rd season as head coach at Davidson, McKillop recorded his 10th 10-win season with the Wildcats.

Loesing won the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award after a solid all-around senior campaign for the Terriers. One of the top on-ball defenders in the league, the senior also distinguished himself as one of the more durable players in the conference, averaging a league-high 38.3 minutes per game.

Loesing started all 31 games for the Terriers and helped Wofford post a 12-6 mark in league play, good for a second-place tie in the South Division.

Cochran was the league's top-scoring freshman this season, averaging 11.2 points per game. He was the third-leading scorer for the Terriers and scored in double figures in 18 games. Cochran started 25 of 31 games for the Terriers and finished second on the team in assists and third in rebounding.

College of Charleston's Antwaine Wiggins and Trent Wiedeman garnered all-conference honors. They were joined by Davidson's Jake Cohen and Brooks, along with Wofford's Kevin Giltner and Loesing.

Also earning All-SoCon honors were Mike Groselle of The Citadel, Elon's Jack Isenbarger, and sophomores Eric Ferguson of Georgia Southern and Trevis Simpson of UNCG.

Cochran garnered a spot on the all-freshman team where he was joined by Samford's Hood and Kelly, Adjehi Baru (College of Charleston) and Austin Hamilton (Elon).

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Friday at 5 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs square off against the Furman Paladins in the opening round of the 2012 SoCon Tournament to be held at the newly-renovated U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville, N.C.

2012 SoCon Men's Basketball Awards

All-Conference Team
Trent Wiedeman, College of Charleston
Antwaine Wiggins, College of Charleston
Mike Groselle, The Citadel
De'Mon Brooks, Davidson
Jake Cohen, Davidson
Jack Isenbarger, Elon
Eric Ferguson, Georgia Southern
Trevis Simpson, UNCG
Kevin Giltner, Wofford
Brad Loesing, Wofford

All-Freshman Team
Adjehi Baru, College of Charleston
Austin Hamilton, Elon
Tyler Hood, Samford
Raijon Kelly, Samford
Karl Cochran, Wofford

Player of the Year
De'Mon Brooks, So., F, Davidson

Defensive Player of the Year
Brad Loesing, Sr., G, Wofford

Freshman of the Year
Karl Cochran, G, Wofford

Coach of the Year
Bob McKillop, Davidson