Golden Eagles picked third in OVC preseason poll, Stribling honored

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Murray State is the favorite to win the 2005-06 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball crown according to the annual preseason poll of OVC head basketball coaches.

Defending OVC regular-season champion Tennessee Tech was third in the poll with 78 points, and senior Derek Stribling earned a spot on the preseason all-OVC team.

The Racers received nine first-place votes and 99 points to finish ahead of defending OVC tournament champion Eastern Kentucky, who earned one first-place vote and 80 points to place second. After Tech in third, Samford was selected fourth, claiming the final first-place vote and 72 points.

Tennessee State earned a fifth-place preseason ranking and 70 points, followed by Austin Peay in sixth with 60 points. Rounding out the picks were Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri and UT Martin (tie), Jacksonville State and Morehead State.

Nine letterwinners are back from a 2004-05 Murray State squad that posted a 17-11 overall record (11-5 OVC) en route to finishing tied for the runner-up spot in the league standings. The Racers' starting rotation returns intact for third-year head coach Mick Cronin, led by junior All-OVC guard Trey Pearson (14.5 ppg/3.5 rpg). Also returning to their spots in the lineup are senior point guard Keith Jenifer (7.5 ppg/4.0 apg), senior center Pearson Griffith (4.4 ppg/3.9 rpg), junior forward Shawn Witherspoon (9.6 ppg/5.0 rpg) and sophomore forward Justin Orr (4.5 ppg/2.2 rpg).

Eastern Kentucky enjoyed a banner year in '04-05, winning a school-record 22 games (22-9) while tying for second in the Conference standings (11-5) and capturing its fourth OVC tournament title to advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1979. First-year head coach and former West Virginia assistant Jeff Neubauer takes over the reins of a Colonel program that returns nine letterwinners and three senior starters in point guard Matt Witt (14.4 ppg/6.3 apg), forward Alonzo Hird (9.4 ppg/8.4 rpg) and guard Jason McLeish (8.8 ppg/2.5 rpg).

Tennessee Tech fourth-year mentor and 2004-05 OVC Coach of the Year Mike Sutton returns four starters among eight letterwinners from a squad that went 18-11 overall and 12-4 in Conference play to capture its third OVC regular-season title in five years and seventh overall. Topping the list of veterans is a trio of senior starters in forward Derek Stribling (11.8 ppg/4.2 rpg), point guard Keyon Boyd (8.2 ppg/3.7 apg) and guard Milone Clark (9.2 ppg/4.3 rpg).

2005-06 OVC Men's Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
(Selected by Head Basketball Coaches)
1 - Murray State (9 first-place votes) - 99 points
2 - Eastern Kentucky (1 first-place vote) - 80 points
3 - Tennessee Tech - 78 points
4 - Samford (1 first-place vote) - 72 points
5 - Tennessee State - 70 points
6 - Austin Peay - 60 points
7 - Eastern Illinois - 38 points
t8. - Southeast Missouri - 35 points
t8. - UT Martin - 35 points
10. - Jacksonville State - 21 points
11. - Morehead State - 17 points

(*Schools were not allowed to rank their own team. Ten points awarded for a 1st-place vote, nine for 2nd, etc.)


Murray State's Pearson Headlines Preseason ALL-OVC Squad
According to preseason voting by the league's coaches, Murray State junior Trey Pearson is the player to watch in 2005-06, selecting the 6-foot-2 junior as the OVC Preseason Player of the Year. Pearson made a big impact in his league debut a year ago, earning first team All-OVC accolades after ranking among league leaders in seven statistical categories. Pearson is joined on the preseason All-OVC first team by Samford senior forward and unanimous selection J. Robert Merritt, Eastern Illinois senior guard Josh Gomes, UT Martin senior guard/forward Jared Newson and Eastern Kentucky senior guard Matt Witt.

Merritt earned first team All-OVC honors in 2004-05 after scoring a team-high 16.5 points a game (6th in OVC) while leading the league and ranking 10th nationally in 3-point field goal shooting (44.0%). Gomes has been the Panthers' top scorer for each of the past two years, ranking fifth in the Conference in scoring (16.8 ppg), fourth in free throw shooting (82.5%) and seventh in field goal percentage (45.1%) last season en route to second team All-Conference accolades. Newson led the Skyhawks in both scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) in 2004-05, ranking seventh and sixth in the league, respectively. Witt, the Colonels' top scorer for two straight years, sported a 1.55 assist/turnover ratio during the 2004-05 campaign and enters the upcoming season as the league's active career leader in assists (498).

Selected to the 2005-06 preseason All-OVC second team were Jacksonville State senior guard Walker D. Russell, Austin Peay senior guard Maurice Hampton and senior center Zac Schlader, Tennessee State junior guard Bruce Price and Tennessee Tech senior forward Derek Stribling.

2005-06 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Team
(Selected by OVC Head Basketball Coaches)
FIRST TEAM
J. Robert Merritt, Sr., F - Samford
Trey Pearson, Jr., G - Murray State
Josh Gomes, Sr., G - Eastern Illinois
Jared Newson, Sr., G/F - Tennessee-Martin
Matt Witt, Sr., G - Eastern Kentucky

SECOND TEAM
Walker D. Russell, Sr., G - Jacksonville State
Maurice Hampton, Sr., G - Austin Peay G
Bruce Price, Jr., G - Tennessee State
Derek Stribling, Sr., F - Tennessee Tech
Zac Schlader, Sr., C - Austin Peay

OVC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Trey Pearson, Murray State