• Complete 2015-16 All-OVC Men's Basketball Teams and Award Winners (PDF)
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - After leading all of Division I in field goal percentage and his team to the OVC regular season championship, Belmont junior
Evan Bradds was named the 2015-16 OVC Men's Basketball Player of the Year in voting by league head coaches and sports information directors. After going from five wins a year ago to 20 victories this season, Tennessee State head coach
Dana Ford was tabbed the OVC Coach of the Year his junior guard
Tahjere McCall claimed OVC Defensive Player of the Year honors. In additional voting Eastern Kentucky forward
Nick Mayo was named OVC Freshman of the Year.
Bradds enters the postseason ranked first nationally in field goal percentage (70.7%) after leading all of Division I in that category a season ago. If the season ended today the junior's mark would establish a new OVC single-season record in that category, breaking the mark of 70 percent established in 1990-91. Bradds also ranks 22nd nationally in double-doubles (14) and 32nd in rebounding (9.6/game). In addition to those categories Bradds was fourth among all OVC players in scoring (17.3 points/game) as he helped the Bruins to its third OVC regular season championship in four years in the league. He has scored 30-plus points three times including a season-best 36 points in a home court victory over Tennessee State; in that game he connected on 12-of-14 field goals and 12-of-16 free throw attempts and also pulled down 11 rebounds. Eight other times this season the junior scored 20-plus points and 16 times he pulled down 10 or more rebounds, including a season-best 14 caroms four different times. During a three-game stretch in November Bradds made 22-straight field goals which established a new OVC record and was just four off the NCAA mark. Bradds is the third Belmont player to be named OVC Player of the Year, joining current Golden State Warrior Ian Clark (2012-13) and J.J. Mann (2013-14).
In just two years at the helm of the Tennessee State program Ford, the youngest coach in Division I at 31 years of age, has made an immediate impact in transforming the Tigers. After inheriting just one player from a five-win season after being named head coach, Ford led the Tigers to five wins a season ago. This year that numbered ballooned to 20, a 15-win improvement over the previous year and a mark that ranks first nationally. It is the biggest improvement for the team since 1991-92 (4 wins) to 1992-93 (19 wins). The 20 overall victories tied the program's Division I era record for wins in a season, equaling the mark held by the 1978-79 and 2011-12 teams. TSU finished the Conference season with an 11-5 mark, one game behind champion Belmont, a team they topped by 15 points on the final day of the regular season. Ford is the second different Tennessee State head coach to be named OVC Coach of the Year, joining Frankie Allen who took home top honors in 1992-93 and 1994-95 after leading the Tigers to OVC Championships.
After sitting out last season after transferring from Niagara, McCall was an instant spark to a Tennessee State team that won just five games a season ago. This year the guard helped the Tigers to a 15-win improvement (the best turnaround in Division I) as the program won 20 total games during the regular season, tying the school record for wins during the program's Division I era. McCall ranks eighth nationally in steals/game (2.3) while his 67 total steals were 17 more than any other player in the OVC. Four different times during the season the junior netted five steals in a game including doing so against Reinhardt, Stetson, Southeast Missouri and Morehead State (all of which were TSU victories). His defense allowed the TSU team to lead the OVC and rank 66th nationally in field goal defense (41.1%). McCall is the first Tennessee State player to be named OVC Defensive Player of the Year since the award was first handed out in 2008-09.
Mayo made an immediate impact with the Eastern Kentucky team in his first year in the league. The forward started all 31 games for the Colonels in averaging 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 blocks/game while hitting 60.7 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from 3-point range and 80.2 percent from the free throw line. That field goal percentage ranked him fourth in the OVC and 18th nationally. Mayo scored 20-plus points on eight occasions, including a season-best 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting at SIUE on Jan. 16. The Maine native added three double-doubles including having 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks against Morehead State on Jan. 30. During the season Mayo had 11 games where he shot 70 percent or better from the field (with a minimum of five shot attempts). In OVC-only games he upped his scoring average to 16.6 points/game which ranked ninth in the league. In those 16 contests he also ranked fourth in field goal percentage (61.7%) and fifth in blocks (1.4/game). Mayo was named OVC Freshman of the Week nine times during the year, the second-most single-season awards in the history of the award. He is the fourth different Colonel player to be named OVC Freshman of the Year and first since Adam Leonard shared the award in 2006-07.
ALL-OVC TEAMS
In a change from previous years the All-OVC first-team was increased from five to 10 players this year in order to honor more deserving student-athletes. Including five second-team members there are 15 total players honored across the two teams (in addition to five All-Newcomer team selections).
This year's first and second-team All-OVC squads included 15 players from nine different OVC schools. Eastern Kentucky led the way with three selections (one first-team, two second-team) while Austin Peay, Belmont, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech had two players apiece. The first and second-teams included nine seniors, four juniors, one sophomore and one freshman.
Bradds, the OVC Player of the Year, was the top vote getter and earned his second-straight All-OVC honor; he was a second-team selection a season ago. He was joined by teammate
Craig Bradshaw who appeared on his second-straight All-OVC first-team. Bradshaw knocked down an OVC-best 83 3-pointers during the regular season.
The only other All-OVC repeat selection was Eastern Illinois senior
Trae Anderson who moved up from the second-team to the first-team this year. Anderson averaged a team-best 15.0 points/game (11th in the OVC) in leading the Panthers to its fourth-straight OVC Tournament appearance.
Also on the first-team was TSU's McCall, the Defensive Player of the Year. He was joined by senior teammate
Keron DeShields who averaged 16.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists/game in his first season at Tennessee State after transferring from Montana.
Two other players had previously been OVC All-Newcomer selections but appear on the All-OVC team for the first time in their careers this year. Austin Peay senior
Chris Horton, who led the OVC in scoring at 18.5 points/game, was an All-Newcomer selection in 2012-13 and first-team pick this year. This season he became one of just 13 players in NCAA Division I history to tally 1,500 points, 1,100 rebounds and 300 blocks in a career. The only player to move up from All-Newcomer to All-OVC was UT Martin senior forward
Twymond Howard who averaged 15.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists/game in his second year with the Skyhawks. He helped the UTM team to its first OVC West crown and the No. 2 seed in this week's OVC Tournament field.
Tennessee Tech senior
Torrance Rowe made his first All-Conference team after averaging 18.1 points, 4.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds and connecting on 78 3-pointers; Rowe helped the Golden Eagles to 19 regular season victories, the second-highest total in school history. Also on the team was Murray State senior
Jeffery Moss who currently ranks 43rd nationally in 3-point percentage (42.1%). Moss has started 98 consecutive games for the Racers and this year averaged 14.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists/game.
The All-OVC first-team was rounded out by EKU's Mayo, the OVC Freshman of the Year.
The All-OVC second-team included a pair of Eastern Kentucky teammates in senior
Jarelle Reischel (17.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.7 spg) and junior
JaVontae Hawkins (17.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 50.1 FG%). The squad also included Austin Peay sophomore guard
Josh Robinson (16.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, 63 made 3-pointers), Morehead State junior guard
Corban Collins (11.8 ppg, 3.1 apg, 2.7 rpg, 45 made 3-pointers) and Tennessee Tech senior
Ryan Martin (14.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 53.2 FG%).
The OVC All-Newcomer Team is comprised of first-year players (freshman and transfers) in the league. Included in the selections was Mayo, the OVC Freshman of the Year, as well as All-OVC first-team picks McCall and DeShields from Tennessee State and All-OVC second-team selections Reischel from EKU and Martin from Tennessee Tech.
2015-16 Men's Basketball All-OVC Teams and Awards
OVC Player of the Year: Evan Bradds, Belmont
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Tahjere McCall, Tennessee State
OVC Freshman of the Year: Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky
OVC Coach of the Year: Dana Ford, Tennessee State
ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM
Evan Bradds, Belmont
Torrance Rowe, Tennessee Tech
Chris Horton, Austin Peay
Craig Bradshaw, Belmont
Twymond Howard, UT Martin
Tahjere McCall, Tennessee State
Keron DeShields, Tennessee State
Jeffery Moss, Murray State
Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky
Trae Anderson, Eastern Illinois
ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM
Jarelle Reischel, Eastern Kentucky
Ryan Martin, Tennessee Tech
Josh Robinson, Austin Peay
JaVontae Hawkins, Eastern Kentucky
Corban Collins, Morehead State
ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Keron DeShields, Tennessee State
Tahjere McCall, Tennessee State
Jarelle Reischel, Eastern Kentucky
Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky
Ryan Martin, Tennessee Tech