Mar. 5, 2009

ALL-NCAC BASKETBALL SQUAD ANNOUNCED;
YELVINGTON NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Click for Full Team (.pdf)

CLEVELAND -- Kenyon senior forward Bryan Yelvington (Arlington Hts., IL/John Hersey) has been named Player of the Year to highlight the 2009 All-North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball squad, announced today after voting by the conference's head coaches.

Yelvington is a repeat first-team selection after he led Kenyon to a fourth-place tie and 16-11 overall mark. The 6-6 senior led the league with a 19.9 scoring average and was third in rebounding (7.4 rpg). He earns his third all-conference honor, as he was a second-team choice in 2007.

Ohio Wesleyan senior Kyle Holliday (Van Wert, OH/Van Wert) and Allegheny junior George Raftis (Pittsburgh, PA/Sewickley Academy) move up to the first team after earning second-team honors in 2008. Wooster senior Marty Bidwell (Middletown, OH/Bishop Fenwick) makes his first appearance on the first team after earning honorable mention last season. The remainder of the first team make their All-NCAC debuts. Oberlin senior Jordan Beard (Oberlin, OH/Oberlin), Wooster sophomore Ian Franks (Greenwich, OH/South Central), Hiram junior Chris Roberts (Cleveland, OH/Kennedy) and Wabash sophomore Wes Smith (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence North) all make their first appearances on the all-conference team as first-team selections.

Wooster freshman Justin Hallowell (Worthington, OH/Worthington) was voted Newcomer of the Year after averaging 14.4 points per game for the NCAC Champion Fighting Scots. Hallowell led the league in three-point field goals made (92) and three-point shooting percentage (51.7).

Hiram head coach Steve Fleming was voted Coach of the Year for the first time. He completed his third year with the Terriers by leading the team to a third-place finish with an 11-5 mark, and a 16-10 overall record. It was the team's best outcome since Hiram joined the North Coast for the 1999-2000 campaign. Fleming is 31-47 (.397) in three seasons leading the Terriers.