Drake & Thompson highlight USA South postseason awards

Fayetteville, NC - The USA South has announced its All-Conference awards for men's basketball with a total of 24 student-athletes garnering recognition. North Carolina Wesleyan's Trey Drake was chosen as the league's Player of the Year while his coach, John Thompson, earned Coach of the Year honors. In addition to Drake and Thompson's recognition, the Battling Bishops also had three other players receive accolades. Seniors Jarmel Arrington and Lamont Stokes were named to the league's First Team and Honorable Mention squads, respectively, while fellow senior Tyler Murray was Wesleyan's representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Drake, a senior guard from Emporia, VA led the league in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game, and three-point field goals made with 60. He also ranked second in assists (4.4/game) and fifth in steals (1.6/game) in the Conference. Drake is now a three-time All-Conference performer as he adds a First-Team selection to his Second-Team honor last year and his Honorable Mention accolades in 2007. Additionally in 2007, he was named the Conference's Rookie of the Year. Finally, Drake (pictured left) earned League Player of the Week honors three times this season.

In his 15th year at the helm of the Battling Bishops, Thompson (pictured right) collects his second Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Bishops to the program's fifth Regular Season USA South Championship and first since the 1999-2000 season. Wesleyan concluded the regular season with an overall record of 15-9 and a conference mark of 11-1. The Bishops now look to capture their first USA South Tournament title since 2002.

A native of Whitakers, NC, Arrington becomes a four-time All-Conference selection as a First Team honoree this season. Arrington is currently averaging 14.5 points per game, which ranks fifth in the league. In conference play, Arrington was even better, averaging over 15 points per contest.

Stokes, who hails from Greensboro, NC, picks up his first All-Conference recognition as an Honorable Mention. Stokes ranks third on the team in scoring after averaging a career-best 12.2 points per game during the regular season.  He also lead the Bishops and the entire USA South in free throw percentage at over 80 percent accuracy.

Finally, Murray was honored as Wesleyan's representative on the league's All-Sportsmanship Team. A four-year letterwinner for Thompson and a Jamestown, NC native, he has seen action in 12 games thusfar this season and been productive in his role as a team leader.

Winners of ten straight contests, the Battling Bishops are now preparing for this week's USA South Conference Tournament. As the #1 seed, Wesleyan received a first-round bye on Tuesday and will take on 4th-seeded Averett at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.  Saturday's championship is then slated for 4:30 p.m. with both games taking place in the Freeman Center on the campus of Christopher Newport.
 

Return to Men's Basketball Main