Four GLIAC Players Earn Daktronics Men's Basketball All-Midwest Region Honors

Release courtesy of Al King, Ashland University Sports Information Director

ASHLAND, Ohio - Senior guard Jamar Smith of Southern Indiana is the 2009-2010 Daktronics Midwest Regional Men’s Basketball player of the year.  Smith is one of four Great Lakes Valley Conference players on this year’s Midwest Region First Team.

The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scorer, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition. The team is voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) from the Midwest Region.

The online nomination and voting procedures are powered by ATHLETICSITE.COM.  Headquartered in Charleston, SC, ATHLETICSITE.COM is the official provider for college athletic websites for over 38 sports organizations, including 34 colleges, universities and conferences primarily at the Division II level.  To receive more information on how your institution can partner with ATHLETICSITE.COM for a customized website solution, visit www.athleticsite.com.

Joining Smith on the first team are Indianapolis guard Darius Adams, guard Aaron Hill of Rockhurst, guard Desmond Stephens of Kentucky Wesleyan and Ferris State forward-center Justin Keenan.  All five players on the Midwest Region First Team advance to the Daktronics All-America ballot.

Smith averaged 21.6 ppg., and 4.1 rpg., this season. He was named the GLVC player of the year and is a first team all-conference selection.  The senior was the Division II Bulletin player of the month for December and was named the GLVC player of the week twice.  He owns the school’s career record for points per game (20.2) and set the USI single-season record for three-point field goals made (108).  Smith was second in the nation in three-point field goals per game.  He led the Screaming Eagles to a 24-3 record, 15-3 in conference action.

Adams, a junior, averaged 19.4 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 4.1 apg., and had 52 steals for Indianapolis (12-16).  He is the only player in Indianapolis history to lead the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals in a season.  He had eight games of 25 points or more, including a 37-point, 10-rebound effort.  Adams posted five double-doubles.

Hill, a senior, was good for 19.9 ppg., and 5.2 rpg., for Rockhurst (17-11). He was first team All-GLVC and was second in the conference in scoring, three-point field goals per game and free throw percentage. Hill is fifth in career scoring (1,786 points) at Rockhurst.

Stephens is the ringleader for a Kentucky Wesleyan team that is 29-4 and ranked fifth in the country.  The senior leads the team in scoring (17.9 ppg.), assists (6.5 apg.), steals (2.3 spg.) and is the GLVC leader in assists and steals.  Stephens was named to the GLVC first team and the GLVC All-Tournament Team.

Keenan is the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) player of the year.  The junior led the GLIAC in scoring (20.1 ppg.) and was named the GLIAC North Division player of the week for four consecutive weeks.  Keenan led the conference in offensive rebounds (3.1 rpg.), was third in field goal percentage (56.6) and fifth in total rebounds (6.6 rpg.).  Ferris State finished 16-13, 13-9 in league play.

The region’s second team consisted of Findlay guards Nathan Hyde and Marcus Parker, Drury guard Alex Hall, Northwood forward Lionel Sullivan and Northern Kentucky center David Palmer.