Tuesday, March 02, 1999
MAC player of the year: Szczerbiak, of course
Frierson on second team
The Associated Press
TOLEDO, Ohio — Miami's Wally Szczerbiak has been selected as Mid-American Conference player of the year in balloting by media representatives, the conference announced Monday.
Szczerbiak, a 6-foot-8 senior from Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., averages a league-leading 24.1 points a game and ranks second in the MAC in rebounds per game (8.8), third in free-throw percentage (.824) and fourth in field-goal percentage (.540).
Szczerbiak also is a finalist for three national player of the year awards. He led the RedHawks to regular-season records of 20-6 overall and a conference-best 15-3.
Joining him on the all-conference team selected by the league's 13 coaches were Bowl ing Green junior Anthony Stacey, Akron junior Jami Bosley, Toledo sophomore Greg Stempin and Ohio senior LaDrell Whitehead.
Chosen for the second team were Miami senior Damon Frierson and juniors John Whorton of Kent, Shaun Stonerook of Ohio, Duane Clemens of Ball State and Jimmal Ball of Akron.
Miami junior Rob Mestas was honorable mention.
The media picked Kent's Gary Waters as coach of the year and Central Michigan's Mike Manciel as freshman of the year.
The coaches honored Robert Kizer of Toledo as defensive player of the year and chose an all-freshman team consisting of Central Michigan's Mike Manciel, Marshall's J.R. VanHoose, Toledo's Justin Hall, Bowling Green's Keith McLeod and Kent's Trevor Huffman.
Big Ten
Ohio State's Scoonie Penn thought he had the credentials to be the Big Ten's player of the year. He just didn't think he would be.
But the Buckeyes' remarkable turnaround — from the Big Ten basement to second place in one short year — not only brought top honors for Penn but also for Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien.
“For the most part I felt like I wasn't going to win it,” Penn said after the awards were announced. “Now do I feel like I deserve it? Yeah, I felt like I've done enough that I should be in the running. But I didn't think I was going to get it.”
Penn, selected by reporters who cover the Big Ten, shared the honor with Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves, the choice of conference coaches. Cleaves also won the honor last season.
Other first-teamers included Northwestern's Evan Eschmeyer, Minnesota's Quincy Lewis and Michigan State's Morris Peterson.
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