Date Posted: 2/28/2006

Macon, Ga. – Senior Tim Smith made the most of his only trip through the Atlantic Sun Conference, earning A-Sun Player of the Year honors as selected by the league’s head coaches.

The ETSU guard lived up to the preseason hype during his final campaign in Johnson City. Smith led the conference in scoring and posted the league’s highest scoring average (22.1 ppg) since 1995-96. The 5-9 senior has currently scored 596 points and should become only the third player in the last 13 seasons to reach the 600-point plateau in the A-Sun. Additionally, his 3.37 steals per game average is the fifth best in conference history.

Tim Jennings of Gardner-Webb was an overwhelming choice as Defensive Player of the Year, making him the first two-time winner of the league’s newest postseason award. Lipscomb’s Scott Sanderson received Coach of the Year honors after helping lead the Bisons from a 4-16 league mark three seasons ago to 15-5 co-champions this year. Andre Morgan used huge scoring nights down the stretch for Kennesaw State to edge ahead in a closely contested race for Freshman of the Year.

Joining Smith on the first team from league co-champion Lipscomb are Brian Fisk and Eddie Ard. The Bisons dynamic duo both rank in the top-10 in the conference in scoring. A pair of double-double machines also received first team nods. Campbell’s Maurice Latham excelled in his senior season after being moved from the perimeter back to the post. The 6-6 forward led the A-Sun in double-doubles with 11 while standing second in rebounding and third in scoring. He is the first Camel to earn all-conference accolades since 1999-2000. Rodney Webb led Florida Atlantic to their most conference wins in school history while posting nine double-doubles of his own. Preseason All-Atlantic Sun selection Simon Conn rounded out the first team after following through on his expectations and leading the league in blocks and standing in the top-5 in five different statistical categories.

Brian Bender (Gardner-Webb), E.J. Gordon (Stetson), Justin Hare (Belmont), Boomer Herndon (Belmont) and Alain Laroche (UNF) comprised the second team. Marcus Allen (JU), Carlos Monroe (FAU), Courtney Pigram (ETSU) and Andy Wicke (Belmont) round out the All-Freshmen squad. Belmont had a conference-best three student-athletes garner postseason honors. Seven All-Atlantic Sun selections earn the honor for the first time while Bender, Conn, Fisk and Gordon each earn their second all-conference nod.

Fourteen of the 17 players honored by the conference office will participate in the 2006 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championship. The Madness begins in the mountains on Thursday when top-seeded Lipscomb faces eighth-seeded Mercer at 1:00 pm to tipoff the quarterfinal round at the Memorial Center on the campus of ETSU.

Related Links:
 • 2006 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championship
 •  Postseason Awards