Empire 8 Announces 2009 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team
February 26, 2009
ROCHESTER, NY – Senior guard Sean Burton of Ithaca College was chosen as the Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year for the second year in a row as the conference named its all-conference team. It marked the third consecutive time he was named to the all-conference first team.
Burton enters conference tournament play leading the conference in scoring (22.0 points per game) by more than two points per game, in assists (7.9 assists per game), and free throw percentage (.916), while ranking second in three-pointers made (2.8 per game), and assist-to-turnover ratio. Burton is ranked fourth in NCAA Division III in assists, sixth in free throw percentage, 16th in scoring, and 19th in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Senior Doug Herring of Utica College garnered first-team honors for the third consecutive year. He is averaging 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He is third in the conference in steals (2.08 steals per game) and fourth in assists.
Junior guard Corey McAdam of Nazareth College repeated as all-conference first team choice. He leads the conference in steals (2.5 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio, and is second in assists (7.7 assists per game), and third in scoring (18.7 points per game). McAdam ranks fifth in NCAA Division III in assists and 18th in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Senior center Mark Carson of Rochester Institute of Technology, a second-team selection in 2007-08, was named to the all-conference first team. He currently leads all of NCAA basketball in rebounding, averaging 14.4 boards per game. Carson is second in the Empire 8 in scoring (19.7 points per game) and field goal percentage (.601), where he is 21st in the NCAA Division III rankings.
Senior Jan Cocozziello, a two-time second-team selection, was named to the all-conference first team this season. He is averaging 18.5 points per game and is second all-time at the school in scoring. Teammate Mark Blazek was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and is averaging 10.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
Jim Mullins, the unanimous choice as Coach of the Year, has led Ithaca to a school-record 24 wins and the top seed in the conference tournament.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2009 Men’s Basketball Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Player of the Year: Sean Burton, Ithaca College
Rookie of the Year: Mark Blazek, Hartwick College
Coach of the Year: Jim Mullins, Ithaca College