Photo by: Tab Brockman
Prohm, Senior Trio & Canaan Earn OVC Basketball Honors
2/28/2012 3:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State Racers collected five awards Tuesday when the 2011-12 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Teams were announced, including Steve Prohm as OVC Coach of the Year. Isaiah Canaan earned OVC Player of the Year honors and Jewuan Long was named OVC Defensive Player of the Year. Donte Poole was an All-OVC First Team member and Ivan Aska was named to the OVC Second Team.
Voting was conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Steve Prohm – OVC Coach of the Year
Prohm's honor as coach of the year comes after the Racers put together one of the greatest regular seasons in the 87-year history of Racer Basketball.
“This is a tremendous honor, but it's a credit to the special program that I'm fortunate to be part of and the great players and tremendous staff that I work with every day,” Prohm said. “When you have special seasons, there are so many people that aid in the success and they're a huge part of this award.”
MSU began with an OVC record 23-0 start, which is the top win streak and best start to a season in the history of the OVC. The 23-0 start was the third-best in NCAA Division I history for a first-year head coach, trailing only a 33-0 start by Indiana State's Bill Hodges (1978-79) and a 26-0 start by North Carolina's Norman Shephard (1923-24).
The Racers also had the distinction of being the last undefeated team in NCAA Division I this season. MSU (28-1) is currently one of only three teams (along with Kentucky and Syracuse) that have only one loss.
MSU recently wrapped up the school's first undefeated road season, going 13-0, and as of Feb. 27, were the only team in NCAA DI to yet to lose a road game. The Racers won their 23rd OVC title this season at 15-1 and experienced their highest national rankings in team history of No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll and No. 9 in the Associated Press Poll (Feb. 9). MSU is currently No. 9 and No. 12 in the polls.
Prohm's award means the Racers have won the last three OVC Coach of the Year awards. Former MSU coach Billy Kennedy won it in 2010 and 2011 and is now the head coach at Texas A&M. Prohm is the third MSU rookie coach to win the award following Scott Edgar (1992) and Tevester Anderson (1999).
Isaiah Canaan – OVC Player of the Year/All-OVC First Team
Canaan is the top player in the OVC and is having one of the best seasons in MSU history.
This season the junior from Biloxi, Miss., is scoring 19.4 points per game, which ranks second in the OVC and 22nd nationally. He is also on record pace for three-point baskets. His 92 3-pointers is closing in on the MSU single season record of 103 set by De'Teri Mayes (1997-98) and Canaan's average of 3.2 made 3-pointers per game ranks him seventh nationally. He is third nationally in percentage at 48.4 percent.
Canaan has been a reliable scorer for the Racers this season with 13 games of 20 points or more and four games of 30 or more. Canaan scored a career-high 36 points against Southern Mississippi (Nov. 26) and was named the Great Alaska Shootout MVP as the Racers won the title game in double overtime. Canaan made a splash (Jan. 7) at Austin Peay when he made his first seven 3-point attempts and finished the game with 35 points. Games like these pushed Canaan to winning the OVC Player of the Week award six times. He also became the 38th member of the MSU 1000-Point Club this season.
The OVC Player of the Year Award is just the beginning for Canaan, who will have other awards coming his way by season's end. Currently, he's being considered for the Lou Henson Award, Bob Cousy Award and Oscar Robertson Award. He has also been named mid-season All-America by the Sporting News. Canaan was All-OVC First Team a year ago and was the OVC Freshman of the Year in 2010. He is the ninth MSU player to be a three-time All-OVC pick following Isacc Miles in 2011. Lamont Sleets (1984) and Isaac Spencer (2001) are MSU's only four-time OVC selections. Canaan is the 12th different Murray State player to be named OVC Player of the Year (those 12 players have won 16 total awards) and first since Cuthbert Victor in 2004.
“I'm really proud of Isaiah,” Prohm said. “He took the next step and that's what you do in great programs. As players grow from being freshmen, to sophomores and then to upperclassmen, you want them to take the next step and Isaiah has done that. He has been a leader on this team from day one. His best attribute is his unselfishness. He has shared the basketball and I'm proud of the way he has handled himself with great humility through all his success.”
Jewuan Long – OVC Defensive Player of the Year
Long is MSU's first winner of the defensive award after the OVC started recognizing the best defender in 2009.
A senior from Jackson, Tenn., Long has been the Racers lockdown defender all season and was routinely given the responsibility of guarding the opponent's best player. His 33 steals in 29 games helped Murray State win its third-straight OVC regular-season championship. His defense helped MSU lead the OVC in both field-goal percentage defense (42.1%) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (29.7%) and rank second in scoring defense (61.7 points/game allowed). He is also second on the team in blocked shots with 20.
Long has teamed with fellow seniors Ivan Aska and Donte Poole to be the most successful class in MSU history with 101 wins.
“Jewuan embodies what the Murray State program is about,” Prohm said. “If you defined him in one word, he's a winner. It's a credit to the people that have seen what he brings to our team. For him to be recognized as OVC Defensive Player of the Year, people noticed how important he is to us. It's not about points all the time and the highlight plays. There is more to having a successful team; you have to have guys who buy into their roles. He has done a great job of selling out to stopping the opponent's best player and I couldn't be more proud of Jewuan.”
Donte Poole – All-OVC First Team
This season, Poole has successfully made the transition from a role player to full-time starter and has shown an excellent combination of scoring and defense.
He entered this season averaging 5.0 points per game over 84 career games, but this season has started all 29 games and is scoring 13.9 points per game. His 402 points this season has nearly eclipsed the 421 points he scored in his first three seasons at Murray State.
The senior from Las Vegas, Nev., was consistent from 3-point range, knocking down 61 (2.1 made per game ranks sixth in the OVC) and connecting at a rate of 39.9 percent, which was sixth-best in the OVC. Poole scored in double figures in all but six games this season and had a season-best 28 points in a victory over Tennessee Tech (Jan. 14). He also hit a career-high six 3-pointers in MSU's win at Memphis (Dec. 11) and finished with 20 points.
Poole also played great defense, netting 58 total steals in 29 games (second-best in the OVC), which ranked him 37th nationally.
“Great moments are made from great opportunities,” Prohm said. “Donte had the opportunity this season to step into a new role and he took advantage of that from the first day and never looked back. Just like Jewuan, Donte embodies what this program is all about and that is character, toughness, accountability and leadership. He has been terrific and he's done what you want your seniors to do. You want them to lead and produce and he's done that at a high level from game one to game 29.”
Ivan Aska – All-OVC Second Team
Aska finished his senior regular season by scoring 11.3 points per game and grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the OVC.
From Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Aska became one of only seven players at Murray State to score 1,000 points and grab 600 rebounds. Aska became the 37th member of the MSU 1000-Point Club this season. As a former OVC Freshman of the Year and NABC All-District 19 selection in 2009, Aska burst on the scene with a 20-point performance against WKU. He has since recorded 57 double-digit games and 10 games of double-digit rebounds and recorded six career double-doubles. Aska has also become an excellent free throw shooter and this season is ranked first in the OVC (24th nationally), with an 86.8 percentage making 59-of-68 shots.
“I'm very proud of Ivan, he's another first class senior that we have in this program” Prohm said. “He missed six games with a broken hand and came back very strong to finish the regular season. I told someone the other day that I don't think Ivan's had a bad practice since he's been here and there's something to be said for bringing your best every day when you walk onto that practice floor. I'm happy of the honor he's getting and he's going to be a big part of our success in the post season.”
2011-12 Season
There is no doubt that that 2011-12 season will go down in the history books as one of the best in the 87 years of Murray State Basketball and this group of award winners will also.
The accolades are a product of teamwork.
“All of these awards and the recognition have come because of the great people we have in our program and they all share in the success,” Prohm added. “The unselfishness our team has shown is the reason why we've been successful. We have more walls to build though!”
Voting was conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Steve Prohm – OVC Coach of the Year
Prohm's honor as coach of the year comes after the Racers put together one of the greatest regular seasons in the 87-year history of Racer Basketball.
“This is a tremendous honor, but it's a credit to the special program that I'm fortunate to be part of and the great players and tremendous staff that I work with every day,” Prohm said. “When you have special seasons, there are so many people that aid in the success and they're a huge part of this award.”
MSU began with an OVC record 23-0 start, which is the top win streak and best start to a season in the history of the OVC. The 23-0 start was the third-best in NCAA Division I history for a first-year head coach, trailing only a 33-0 start by Indiana State's Bill Hodges (1978-79) and a 26-0 start by North Carolina's Norman Shephard (1923-24).
The Racers also had the distinction of being the last undefeated team in NCAA Division I this season. MSU (28-1) is currently one of only three teams (along with Kentucky and Syracuse) that have only one loss.
MSU recently wrapped up the school's first undefeated road season, going 13-0, and as of Feb. 27, were the only team in NCAA DI to yet to lose a road game. The Racers won their 23rd OVC title this season at 15-1 and experienced their highest national rankings in team history of No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll and No. 9 in the Associated Press Poll (Feb. 9). MSU is currently No. 9 and No. 12 in the polls.
Prohm's award means the Racers have won the last three OVC Coach of the Year awards. Former MSU coach Billy Kennedy won it in 2010 and 2011 and is now the head coach at Texas A&M. Prohm is the third MSU rookie coach to win the award following Scott Edgar (1992) and Tevester Anderson (1999).
Isaiah Canaan – OVC Player of the Year/All-OVC First Team
Canaan is the top player in the OVC and is having one of the best seasons in MSU history.
This season the junior from Biloxi, Miss., is scoring 19.4 points per game, which ranks second in the OVC and 22nd nationally. He is also on record pace for three-point baskets. His 92 3-pointers is closing in on the MSU single season record of 103 set by De'Teri Mayes (1997-98) and Canaan's average of 3.2 made 3-pointers per game ranks him seventh nationally. He is third nationally in percentage at 48.4 percent.
Canaan has been a reliable scorer for the Racers this season with 13 games of 20 points or more and four games of 30 or more. Canaan scored a career-high 36 points against Southern Mississippi (Nov. 26) and was named the Great Alaska Shootout MVP as the Racers won the title game in double overtime. Canaan made a splash (Jan. 7) at Austin Peay when he made his first seven 3-point attempts and finished the game with 35 points. Games like these pushed Canaan to winning the OVC Player of the Week award six times. He also became the 38th member of the MSU 1000-Point Club this season.
The OVC Player of the Year Award is just the beginning for Canaan, who will have other awards coming his way by season's end. Currently, he's being considered for the Lou Henson Award, Bob Cousy Award and Oscar Robertson Award. He has also been named mid-season All-America by the Sporting News. Canaan was All-OVC First Team a year ago and was the OVC Freshman of the Year in 2010. He is the ninth MSU player to be a three-time All-OVC pick following Isacc Miles in 2011. Lamont Sleets (1984) and Isaac Spencer (2001) are MSU's only four-time OVC selections. Canaan is the 12th different Murray State player to be named OVC Player of the Year (those 12 players have won 16 total awards) and first since Cuthbert Victor in 2004.
“I'm really proud of Isaiah,” Prohm said. “He took the next step and that's what you do in great programs. As players grow from being freshmen, to sophomores and then to upperclassmen, you want them to take the next step and Isaiah has done that. He has been a leader on this team from day one. His best attribute is his unselfishness. He has shared the basketball and I'm proud of the way he has handled himself with great humility through all his success.”
Jewuan Long – OVC Defensive Player of the Year
Long is MSU's first winner of the defensive award after the OVC started recognizing the best defender in 2009.
A senior from Jackson, Tenn., Long has been the Racers lockdown defender all season and was routinely given the responsibility of guarding the opponent's best player. His 33 steals in 29 games helped Murray State win its third-straight OVC regular-season championship. His defense helped MSU lead the OVC in both field-goal percentage defense (42.1%) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (29.7%) and rank second in scoring defense (61.7 points/game allowed). He is also second on the team in blocked shots with 20.
Long has teamed with fellow seniors Ivan Aska and Donte Poole to be the most successful class in MSU history with 101 wins.
“Jewuan embodies what the Murray State program is about,” Prohm said. “If you defined him in one word, he's a winner. It's a credit to the people that have seen what he brings to our team. For him to be recognized as OVC Defensive Player of the Year, people noticed how important he is to us. It's not about points all the time and the highlight plays. There is more to having a successful team; you have to have guys who buy into their roles. He has done a great job of selling out to stopping the opponent's best player and I couldn't be more proud of Jewuan.”
Donte Poole – All-OVC First Team
This season, Poole has successfully made the transition from a role player to full-time starter and has shown an excellent combination of scoring and defense.
He entered this season averaging 5.0 points per game over 84 career games, but this season has started all 29 games and is scoring 13.9 points per game. His 402 points this season has nearly eclipsed the 421 points he scored in his first three seasons at Murray State.
The senior from Las Vegas, Nev., was consistent from 3-point range, knocking down 61 (2.1 made per game ranks sixth in the OVC) and connecting at a rate of 39.9 percent, which was sixth-best in the OVC. Poole scored in double figures in all but six games this season and had a season-best 28 points in a victory over Tennessee Tech (Jan. 14). He also hit a career-high six 3-pointers in MSU's win at Memphis (Dec. 11) and finished with 20 points.
Poole also played great defense, netting 58 total steals in 29 games (second-best in the OVC), which ranked him 37th nationally.
“Great moments are made from great opportunities,” Prohm said. “Donte had the opportunity this season to step into a new role and he took advantage of that from the first day and never looked back. Just like Jewuan, Donte embodies what this program is all about and that is character, toughness, accountability and leadership. He has been terrific and he's done what you want your seniors to do. You want them to lead and produce and he's done that at a high level from game one to game 29.”
Ivan Aska – All-OVC Second Team
Aska finished his senior regular season by scoring 11.3 points per game and grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the OVC.
From Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Aska became one of only seven players at Murray State to score 1,000 points and grab 600 rebounds. Aska became the 37th member of the MSU 1000-Point Club this season. As a former OVC Freshman of the Year and NABC All-District 19 selection in 2009, Aska burst on the scene with a 20-point performance against WKU. He has since recorded 57 double-digit games and 10 games of double-digit rebounds and recorded six career double-doubles. Aska has also become an excellent free throw shooter and this season is ranked first in the OVC (24th nationally), with an 86.8 percentage making 59-of-68 shots.
“I'm very proud of Ivan, he's another first class senior that we have in this program” Prohm said. “He missed six games with a broken hand and came back very strong to finish the regular season. I told someone the other day that I don't think Ivan's had a bad practice since he's been here and there's something to be said for bringing your best every day when you walk onto that practice floor. I'm happy of the honor he's getting and he's going to be a big part of our success in the post season.”
2011-12 Season
There is no doubt that that 2011-12 season will go down in the history books as one of the best in the 87 years of Murray State Basketball and this group of award winners will also.
The accolades are a product of teamwork.
“All of these awards and the recognition have come because of the great people we have in our program and they all share in the success,” Prohm added. “The unselfishness our team has shown is the reason why we've been successful. We have more walls to build though!”
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