Murphy and Swansey receive post-season honors
March 1, 2011

Murphy and Swansey receive post-season honors

TTU juniors Kevin Murphy and Zac Swansey make appearances on the All-OVC Men’s Basketball lists as voted upon by head coaches and Sports Information Directors throughout the league, and announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- TTU juniors Kevin Murphy and Zac Swansey both made appearances on the All-OVC Men’s Basketball lists as voted upon by head coaches and Sports Information Directors throughout the league, and announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

Murphy, a second team selection following his sophomore campaign, was named first team All-OVC for his efforts during the 2010-11 regular season. Murphy led Tennessee Tech in scoring for the second year in a row, averaging 15.8 points to go along with 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals/game.

The 15.8 points/game ranked the junior third in the league in scoring, while his 46.9 percent field goal percentage was 12th-best in the league. Murphy scored in double figures in 25 of his 29 games during the campaign, helping the Golden Eagles to a 12-6 League record and No. 4 seed in the OVC Tournament. The forward had a season-high 31 points in a home game with Murray State and scored 25 on three other occasions.

Swansey, a junior transfer out of the University of Georgia, was named to the All-OVC Newcomer team. He leads the Golden Eagles in floor time, having logged 954 minutes this season for an average of 32.9 minutes per game. A primary playmaker for Tech, Swansey has notched 185 assists on the year, 6.3/game - a statistic that ranks leads the OVC and ranks eighth in the NCAA.

Equally as dangerous as his ability to pass is his knack for draining contested shots in high-pressure situations. He’s netted five game-winners for Tech this season in the final minute of play, one of which earned the Golden Eagles the top spot on ESPN Sportcenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day. Swansey currently leads the OVC in assists, steals and assists-to-turnover ration. He is also 15th in the OVC in 3-point percentage and seventh in minutes played per game.

For the second year in a row Morehead State University senior center Kenneth Faried was tabbed both the 2010-11 Ohio Valley Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Joining Faried among the award winners is Murray State's Billy Kennedy, who was named OVC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row, and Tennessee State guard Patrick Miller, who was tabbed OVC Freshman of the Year.

2010-11 All-OVC Men’s Basketball Teams and Award Winners

OVC Player of the Year: Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
OVC Freshmen of the Year: Patrick Miller, Tennessee State
OVC Coach of the Year: Billy Kennedy, Murray State
All-OVC First-Team
 Kenneth Faried, Morehead State              
TyShwan Edmondson, Austin Peay         
Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech                           
Demonte Harper, Morehead State            
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State                    
 
All-OVC Second-Team
 Leon Powell, Southeast Missouri             
Isacc Miles, Murray State                        
B.J. Jenkins, Murray State                       
Robert Covington, Tennessee State         
Kenny Moore, Tennessee State

OVC All-Newcomer Team
 TyShwan Edmondson, Austin Peay         
Kenny Moore, Tennessee State               
Leon Powell, Southeast Missouri             
Zac Swansey, Tennessee Tech                
Patrick Miller, Tennessee State