The Daily Chronicle's Sports section made history this week at the Associated Press Sports Editors' contest judging in Kissimmee, Fla.
The section was named one of the 10 best Sports sections in the country for papers with a circulation under 20,000. Our prep football preview section also was named one of the 10 best special sections in the country for papers under 20,000 in circulation.
The two section awards are believed to be the first in Daily Chronicle history. You might recall that APSE in December named Daily-Chronicle.com / HuskieWire.com one of the 10 best sports Web sites in the country for sites with under 1 million unique visitors.
On top of that, Daily Chronicle Sports Editor Jon Styf and Sportswriter John Sahly were named top 10 columnists nationally for newspapers with circulation under 40,000. A winner in that contest will be named at a later date.
Three of Sahly's columns in his entry include this column about Justin Anderson's game-saving fake punt run at Purdue, this column on P.J. Fleck preparing the Northern Illinois football team for its game against Western Illinois and a column about some of the nonsensical aspects of NIU's 2009 football schedule.
On a personal note, a big thank you goes out to our readers. None of this is possible without you and I appreciate all of the feedback you've given me in my two years here in DeKalb.
Is Xavier Silas really the sixth best player in the MAC West? The league's coaches seem to think so.
After a conference season where Silas ranked second in the league in scoring (20.4 ppg), 19th in rebounding (5.6 rpg), eighth in free throw percentage (.832) and fourth in three-point field goals per game (2.25), MAC coaches named Silas All-MAC Honorable Mention, behind five players from the West who appeared on the first and second teams.
I just don't get that. Now Silas didn't get my vote for Player of the Year (mine went to Western Michigan's David Kool, who won the award), but I think he's a better player than Central Michigan's Robbie Harman and Eastern Michigan's Brandon Bowdry.
"Xavier (Silas) certainly deserves to be recognized for the impact he had on our league this season," NIU coach Ricardo Patton said in a news release. "Particularly early on in our MAC schedule, it was evident that coaches were designing their defensive game plan around him, and he did a nice job of adjusting to that
"Along with all of his teammates, Xavier has a big offseason ahead of him. I'd like to see his field goal percentage numbers improve, and he also has the potential to be a great defender next season. He was a huge part of our team this year, and I expect him to be one of the top players in our league again next season."
That said, here are the All-MAC teams:
All-MAC First Team
Jimmy Conyers, Akron
Rodney Pierce, Buffalo
Kenny Hayes, Miami
David Kool, Western Michigan
Chris Singletary, Kent State
All-MAC Second Team
Jordan Bitzer, Central Michigan
Robbie Harman, Central Michigan
Carlos Medlock, Eastern Michigan
Brandon Bowdry, Eastern Michigan
Justin Greene, Kent State
All-MAC Honorable Mention
Chris McKnight, Akron
Brett McKnight, Akron
Jarrod Jones, Ball State
Scott Thomas, Bowling Green
Calvin Betts, Buffalo
Justin Dobbins, Eastern Michigan
Julian Mavunga, Miami
Xavier Silas, Northern Illinois
D.J. Cooper, Ohio
Armon Bassett, Ohio
All-Freshman Team
Zeke Marshall, Akron
Jauwan Scaife, Ball State
D.J. Cooper, Ohio
Jake Barnett, Toledo
Nate Hutcheson, Western Michigan
With Me'co Brown withdrawing from Northern Illinois, where does that leave NIU's running back situation?
Chad Spann is the obvious No. 1 coming into spring practices. After a breakout year of 1,038 rushing yards (5.8 yards a carry) and 19 rushing touchdowns, Spann should be the starter entering the 2010 season.
After Spann, spots that probably were in flux already are now definitely up for grabs. In my view, Brown served as a safety net just in case unproven players like Cameron Bell, Jasmin Hopkins or Antione Kirkland were unable to step up their games. You knew what you were getting out of a healthy Me'co Brown, someone who could carry you for a game (remember his 150-yard game against Purdue) or a couple of drives.
Now it's all on those backs to fill in behind Spann, or step in as a starter if Spann is unable to play.
The contenders (in no particular order):
Cameron Bell: The Iowa State transfer had to re-learn the position this past season while he sat out because of transfer rules. Bell had been a contributor at linebacker for two seasons with the Cyclones, but switched back to the position he played in high school once he got to NIU.
Bell is dramatically different from the other running backs on NIU's roster in that his is listed at 6-foot-2 and 243 pounds (Spann is listed at 5-foot-9 and 197 pounds by comparison).
Bell was a very successful high school running back. He rushed for more than 3,000 career yards at Stony Point High School, including 1,200 as a junior.
Now the real question for Bell entering spring ball is how two years away from running back, in addition to not seeing a whole lot of reps while re-learning the position, affects him when he starts getting those reps in spring practices. To me, that's a bigger question than how he fits in with the offense. This spring is big for Bell because the coaches will get a real hard look at what they've got before they have to decide where he fits.
Jasmin Hopkins: The 5-foot-9, 185-pound back is probably the biggest beneficiary of Brown's withdrawal. Hopkins is similar in stature to Brown but now won't have to compete with him.
The NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year led the NJCAA in rushing with an astounding 1,931 rushing yards at Fort Scott Community College. That's the second time he's topped 1,900 yards in a season, as he did it in high school at East Gaston (N.C.).
Now, how well does he pick up the system? Can he block (or at least block better than Brown, which was one of his biggest deficiencies)? Is he a threat to catch and score like Spann? These are all questions Hopkins will have the opportunity to answer in the spring.
Antione Kirkland: The Boca Raton, Fla., product is the biggest wildcard of the group. In rookie ball last fall camp, Kirkland may have been the most impressive player of the group. That includes the freshmen defensive linemen who were chasing him Nabal Jefferson, Anthony Wells and Stephen O'Neal, three players the coaching staff thinks very highly of. He regularly ripped off long runs and made a really good impression on the staff.
After a year in the weight room and the film room, it will be interesting to see what Kirkland can do.
Ricky Crider: The senior always finds himself in the mix and this season shouldn't be any different. Crider rushed for 37 yards in 2009.
Don't forget about: Barrington Scott, Alan Smith.
Northern Illinois point guard Marke Freeman was named second team All-MAC today by the Mid-American Conference.
Freeman, who was last year's MAC Sixth Player of the Year, averaged 16.8 points a game this season and had 116 assists and 78 steals. She also averaged 4.6 rebounds a game.
Here are the rest of the All-MAC teams and postseason awards for women's basketball:
Player of the Year - Lauren Prochaska, Bowling Green
Freshman of the Year - Courtney Osborn, Miami
Sixth Player of the Year - Rachel Tecca, Akron
Defensive Player of the Year - Kourtney Brown, Buffalo
Coach of the Year - Jodi Kest, Akron
First Team
Lauren Prochaska, Bowling Green
Kourtney Brown, Buffalo
Tavelyn James, Eastern Michigan
Jamilah Humes, Kent State
Tanika Mays, Toledo
Second Team
Kara Murphy, Akron
Emily Maggert, Ball State
Tracy Pontius, Bowling Green
Marke Freeman, Northern Illinois
Naama Shafir, Toledo
Third Team
Britni Houghton, Central Michigan
Shonda Long, Central Michigan
Kaihla Szunko, Central Michigan
Taisja Jones, Kent State
Courtney Osborn, Miami
Honorable Mention
Kyle Baumgartner, Akron
Audrey McDonald, Ball State
Jennifer Bushby, Ohio
Melissa Goodall, Toledo
Miame Giden, Western Michigan
All-Freshman
Rachel Tecca, Akron
Abby Dowd , Buffalo, Guard
Rachel Mauk, Central Michigan
Kirsten Olowinski, Miami
Courtney Osborn, Miami
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Today the Mid-American Conference announced that Ohio’s D.J. Cooper, Akron’s Jimmy Conyers and Kent State’s Anthony Simpson have earned top honors for the 2009-10 basketball season. Cooper was named Freshman of the Year, Conyers was tabbed as Defensive Player of the Year and Simpson was selected as this year’s Sixth Man of the Year. The Freshman of the Year award was voted on by a 24-member MAC News Media Association Panel, while the Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year were voted on by the league's head coaches.
Cooper received 22 of 24 votes for Freshman of the Year as Toledo’s Jake Barnett and Akron’s Zeke Marshall each received one vote apiece.
Cooper is currently second on the Ohio Bobcat team in scoring (13.5 ppg.), second in rebounds (5.6 rpg.) and leads the team in assists (6.0 apg.) and steals (2.7 spg). As of March 4th, Cooper ranks sixth in the nation in steals per game and 11th in assists, which makes him one of just two players (Junard Hartley of Campbell) in the nation to rank in the top 15 of both categories. He is ranked ninth in the conference during league play with 15.1 ppg. and first in assists (6.3 per game) and steals (2.7 per game).
Cooper becomes the fifth Bobcat to win Freshman of the Year honors. Paul Graham received the honor in 1986, Rush Floyd in 1991, Gary Trent in 1993 and Leon Williams in 2005.
"DJ has had a terrific season and is well deserving of the honor," Ohio head coach John Groce said. "I am very excited about his development this year and look forward to coaching him as he continues to grow on and off the court."
Conyers leads Akron in scoring (12.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) in MAC games, and ranks second on the team in scoring (9.9 ppg) and first in rebounding (6.8 ppg, ranks sixth in the MAC) in all games. He has a team-high37 steals (19 in MAC play) and had a career-high-tying four steals three times this season. In addition, Conyers brought down 134 of his 212 rebounds off the defensive glass. His most notable game this season came when he grabbed a career-best 19 rebounds in 77-65 win over UIC on Dec. 22, which set a new Rhodes Arena record in that category by an Akron player.
“This is a tribute to Jimmy’s work ethic. He has been our top rebounder all season and has great ability to guard both inside and outside play,” said Akron head coach Keith Dambrot. “ couldn’t be any more proud of him. He is without a doubt our most valuable player and without his efforts this season we would not have enjoyed the successes we have thus far.”
It marks the second time in as many years that an Akron player has won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Last season the Zips’ Nate Linhart took home the honor.
Averaging 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, Simpson gave Kent State a spark off the bench throughout the season. He was even better in MAC play averaging 9.9 ppg and 6.0 rpg while ranking second in the league with a 58.5 field goal percentage. In addition he shot 56.5 percent (13-23) from three against MAC opponents. Saving his best performance of the year for the regular season finale, Simpson poured in a career high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Golden Flashes defeated Akron to win the MAC Championship. Kent State is 13-0 this season when Simpson scores in double figures.
“Anthony is an easy choice for the award, we were undefeated when he scored in double figures so his impact with our team is clear,” said Kent State head Coach Geno Ford. “Unselfishly he volunteered to come off the bench this season and consistently provide us a lift every time he stepped on the court. This is a well deserved honor for him.”
Simpson is the second Kent State player to earn Sixth Man of the Year honors joining Kevin Warzynski who won in 2006.
