Ohio Valley Conference

TTU's Willie Jenkins

EIU's George Tandy

TTU's Mike Sutton

Tennessee Tech senior forward Willie Jenkins lived up to his preseason billing, earning the 2004-05 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball Player of the Year award in voting by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Coming off an impressive OVC debut in 2003-04 for which he received OVC Newcomer of the Year accolades, Jenkins entered the 2004-05 campaign as the overwhelming favorite for preseason OVC Player of the Year.

The Conference's other top honors went to Eastern Illinois center George Tandy as the OVC Freshman of the Year and Tennessee Tech's Mike Sutton as OVC Coach of the Year. The awards were announced Thursday evening in Nashville on the eve of the semifinals and finals of the 2005 O'Reilly OVC Basketball Tournament.

Jenkins' success from a year ago carried over to the 2004-05 campaign as he helped the Golden Eagles post a 14-2 Conference record en route to capturing their third OVC regular-season title in five years and seventh overall. The 6-foot-6 forward is among league leaders in seven statistical categories and has collected five double-doubles over the course of the year, ranking second in the OVC in scoring (19.6 ppg) and sixth in rebounding (6.8 rpg). He is among the Conference's top perimeter threats, ranking eighth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (39.0%) and trey average (1.9 pg) while sporting the OVC's sixth-best overall field goal shooting percentage (46.2%). A two-time first team All-OVC pick, Jenkins is also tied for seventh in the Conference in steals (49) and ranks eighth in free throw shooting percentage (76.2%). A native of Memphis, Tenn., Jenkins has topped the 30-point mark on three occasions in 2004-05 while scoring in double figures in 21 of 27 outings overall, including a current stretch of nine straight. Jenkins is just the second Golden Eagle ever to receive OVC Player of the Year honors, following former Tech standout Stephen Kite, who earned the award in 1984-85.

Tandy had a solid rookie campaign, moving into the Panthers' starting lineup midway through the year while helping Eastern Illinois overcome an 11th-place preseason nod to finish eighth with a 7-9 mark and a 12-15 overall record. The 6-foot-8 center has quickly become a force to be reckoned with inside, ranking third in the league in blocked shots (42) and 14th in rebounding (5.1 rpg). A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Tandy is also converting over half of his field attempts (51.9%) while contributing 6.4 points a game. He is the first EIU player ever to receive OVC Freshman of the Year accolades.

Sutton picks up his first OVC Coach of the Year award after guiding his squad to a 12-4 Conference record (18-10 overall) en route to its seventh OVC regular-season title. Tech's defensive and rebounding efforts have helped propel the Golden Eagles to success as the squad leads the league in defending the shot (42.3%) while also boasting the OVC's best rebounding margin (+5.1). After going 5-6 in non-conference play to start the 2004-05 campaign, Tech reeled off six straight victories in league action before losing a two-point overtime decision at Austin Peay.


ALL-OVC TEAMS
Joining Jenkins on the All-OVC first team is a quartet of players who are making their first-ever appearance on the all-Conference squad: senior forward Dainmon Gonner of Southeast Missouri, senior forward Michael Haney of Eastern Kentucky, sophomore guard Trey Pearson of Murray State and junior forward J. Robert Merritt of Samford.

Gonner has netted double figures in all 26 contests he's played this season, registering thirteen 20-point and two 30-point efforts to lead the Conference and rank 19th nationally with a 20.4 scoring average. The 6-foot-6 forward also tops the OVC with 69 steals and ranks seventh in rebounding (6.7 rpg), having collected five double-doubles over the course of the year. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Gonner sports the league's seventh-best field goal shooting percentage (45.7%) and is second on the team in assists (60) and blocks (14).

Haney has collected a league-high nine double-doubles in 2004-05 to rank third in the Conference in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and 15th in scoring (13.7 ppg). The 6-foot-6 forward has scored in twin digits on 21 occasions this season, including a current run of seven straight. A native of Madisonville, Ky., Haney ranks second in the OVC and sixth nationally with a 62.7 field goal shooting percentage, also boasting a 72.9 percent conversion rate at the charity stripe.

Pearson is the only underclassman selected to the All-OVC squad after ranking among Conference leaders in seven statistical categories this season. The 6-foot-2 guard boasts the league's second-best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1), also placing fifth in total handouts (101) and steals (52). A native of South Fulton, Tenn., Pearson has netted double-figures on 19 occasions to rank 12th in the OVC in scoring (14.5 ppg) while converting 44.7 percent of his field attempts (9th in the OVC). He is also fourth among league leaders in both 3-point field goal shooting (41.8%) and trey average (2.4 pg).

Merritt has emerged as one of the nation's top perimeter threats, boasting a 3-point field goal conversion rate that ranks 15th nationally (44.0%) while topping the OVC with a 3.0 trey average. The 6-foot-6 forward also ranks sixth in the league in scoring (16.4 ppg), fourth in field goal shooting percentage (48.3%) and fifth in free throw (82.5%) shooting percentage. A native of Oklahoma City, Okla., Merritt tallied double-figures in 26 of 28 outings this season, topping the 20-point mark nine times.

Chosen to the All-OVC second team were senior guard Anthony Davis of Austin Peay, senior forward Reggie Golson of Southeast Missouri, junior guard Josh Gomes of Eastern Illinois, junior guard Walker D. Russell of Jacksonville State and senior forward Chad McKnight of Morehead State.

2004-05 ALL-OVC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Willie Jenkins, Forward - Tennessee Tech
Dainmon Gonner, Forward - Southeast Missouri
Michael Haney, Forward - Eastern Kentucky
Trey Pearson, Guard - Murray State
J. Robert Merritt, Forward - Samford

SECOND TEAM
Anthony Davis, Guard - Austin Peay
Reggie Golson, Forward - Southeast Missouri
Josh Gomes, Guard - Eastern Illinois
Walker D. Russell, Guard - Jacksonville State
Chad McKnight, Forward - Morehead State

OVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Willie Jenkins, Tennessee Tech

OVC COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike Sutton, Tennessee Tech

OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
George Tandy, Eastern Illinois