Davidson guard Stephen Curry won the Southern Conference player of the year award as determined by the Southern Conference Sports Media Association.
The sophomore leads the SoCon in scoring with 25.3 points per game for the Wildcats, who enter the league tournament in North Charleston, S.C., as the No. 1 seed.
Bob McKillop was voted coach of the year for guiding Davidson to a 20-0 conference record.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga placed junior forward Nicchaeus Doaks and junior guard Stephen McDowell on the All-SoCon second team.
“It’s been a great year for all of us,” Doaks said. “It’s been fun because we’ve been winning. Last year had its moments, but it wasn’t the same because we didn’t win as much.”
The Citadel guard Cameron Wells was voted freshman of the year.
“It’s very difficult to lead a team as a freshman,” Bulldogs coach Ed Conroy said. “He’s the key to our offense, and he creates so many shots for other guys.”
The coaches’ all-conference team will be announced Thursday.
Cats keep eye on ball
McKillop would prefer to keep the NCAA selection committee’s job a little easier by winning the SoCon tournament.
The No. 25 Wildcats would be a bubble team if they trip this weekend.
“If you start looking at prognostications, who has work to do, the way things could play out, you start getting distracted,” McKillop said. “We can’t get distracted from our focus, which is Saturday’s game.”
Davidson (23-6, 20-0) will face either Wofford or Western Carolina in the quarterfinals.
“It’s like stepping to the plate,” McKillop said. “If you don’t see the ball, you’re not going to hit. The ball is our first game.”
Electric evening
The Market is a popular area in Charleston on Friday nights with its assortment of restaurants, hangouts and attractions. The North Charleston Coliseum may be the most popular choice this Friday.
Hometown teams College of Charleston and The Citadel will meet at 7:30 in a first-round matchup to cap that day’s session.
“To have both local teams playing Friday night is good for the tournament,” Charleston coach Bobby Cremins said. “It’s a nice little kickoff.
“Hopefully, we’ll get some people we wouldn’t normally get if we were playing in the afternoon.”
The Cougars and Bulldogs have not met in the arena for a tournament game.
“I think it brings focus to the last game of the evening,” Conroy said. “We have not played well in the two games with them. I think our fans are hungry to see a better performance.”
David Uchiyama is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who began his tenure here in May 2001. His primary beats are UTC athletics — specifically men’s basketball and athletic department administration — and golf, which includes coverage from the PGA Tour to youth events. He also covers other high school sports, outdoor adventures, and contributes to other sections of the newspaper when necessary. David grew up in Salinas, Calif., and began working ...
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