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GSU's Ferguson selected to All-SoCon team
EricFerguson
Eric Ferguson, Georgia Southern basketball player. - photo by Georgia Southern AMR

2012 SoCon Men’s Basketball Awards

All-Conference Team
Trent Wiedeman, Charleston
Antwaine Wiggins, Charleston
Mike Groselle, The Citadel
De'Mon Brooks, Davidson
Jake Cohen, Davidson
Jack Isenbarger, Elon
Eric Ferguson, GSU
Trevis Simpson, UNCG
Kevin Giltner, Wofford
Brad Loesing, Wofford

All-Freshman Team
Adjehi Baru, Charleston
Austin Hamilton, Elon
Tyler Hood, Samford
Raijon Kelly, Samford
Karl Cochran, Wofford

Player of the Year
De'Mon Brooks, So., F, Davidson

Defensive Player of the Year
Brad Loesing, Sr., G, Wofford

Freshman of the Year
Karl Cochran, G, Wofford

Coach of the Year
Bob McKillop, Davidson


    SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Georgia Southern’s Eric Ferguson was named to the All-Southern Conference team by the league’s head coaches Tuesday.
    A native of Statesboro, Ferguson is the 18th Eagle to pick up All-SoCon honors and the 11th selection by the coaches. An All-SoCon Freshman selection last year, Ferguson built upon a strong first year to lead the Eagles to the second-biggest turnaround in league history. Scoring 14.8 points per game this season, Ferguson led the Eagles offensively.
    On the defensive side, Ferguson had 43 steals to go with 30 blocks during the regular season. He has 199 rebounds this year at 7.1 rebounds per game and ranks third in the league.
    Ferguson and the Eagles will play in the 2012 SoCon Basketball Tournament at 8:30 p.m. Friday against Chattanooga in Asheville, N.C.
    Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS.   
    Davidson head coach Bob McKillop was named the league’s Coach of the Year, while Wildcats sophomore forward De’Mon Brooks was named the 2012 Player of the Year.
    A pair of Wofford Terriers were also honored as senior Brad Loesing was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while guard Karl Cochran was named the league’s Freshman of the Year.
    Brooks becomes the third Wildcat to be named the Player of the Year by the league’s coaches, joining Brendan Winters (2005) and Stephen Curry (2008-09). The Charlotte, N.C., native ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 15.8 points per game and is ninth in rebounding with 6.3 rebounds per contest. Brooks also ranks sixth in the league in field goal percentage (.533). He is one of just three players in the league to rank in the top ten of all three categories. Davidson’s leading scorer this season, he has scored at least 20 points in nine games this year, including a season high of 26 at The Citadel on Feb. 9.
    McKillop earned the league’s Coach of the Year Award for the seventh time after guiding the Wildcats to a 22-7 (16-2 SoCon) record. Davidson won the South Division title and is one of two No. 1 seeds for this week’s SoCon Tournament. In his 23rd season as head coach at Davidson, McKillop recorded his 10th 10-win season with the Wildcats. 
    Loesing won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award after a solid all-around senior campaign for the Terriers. One of the top on-ball defenders in the league, the senior also distinguished himself as one of the more durable players in the conference, averaging a league-high 38.3 minutes per game. Loesing started all 31 games for the Terriers and helped Wofford post a 12-6 mark in league play, good for a second-place tie in the South Division.
    Cochran was the league’s top-scoring freshman this season, averaging 11.2 points per game. He was the third-leading scorer for the Terriers and scored in double figures in 18 games. Cochran started 25 of 31 games for the Terriers and finished second on the team in assists and third in rebounding.
    College of Charleston’s Antwaine Wiggins and Trent Wiedeman garnered all-conference honors. They were joined by Davidson’s Jake Cohen and Brooks, along with Wofford’s Kevin Giltner and Loesing. Also earning All-SoCon honors were Mike Groselle of The Citadel, Elon’s Jack Isenbarger, and sophomores Ferguson of GSU and Trevis Simpson of UNCG. A total of seven schools had at least one player on the all-conference team.
    Cochran garnered a spot on the all-freshman team where he was joined by Adjehi Baru (College of Charleston), Austin Hamilton (Elon), Tyler Hood (Samford) and Raijon Kelly (Samford).
    The 2012 SoCon Tournament begins Friday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.  The championship game is scheduled for 9 p.m. Monday.