The Horizon League announced its 2009-10 Men's Basketball All-League Teams and specialty award winners on Monday, and four Titans were honored, including senior Woody Payne (Inkster, MI/Ypsilanti) as the conference's Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Payne shared the accolade with Butler's Ronald Nored. The Titan point guard sits second in the league with 2.4 steals per game. His 74 steals on the year rank second in school history, just six behind the all-time lead for a single season, while his 188 career takeaways are the most by any active player in the HL and third in Titan annals, just two away from second and seven shy of the all-time school mark. He is the first Titan ever to earn the defensive award.
Sophomore Chase Simon (Detroit, MI/Community) was named All-HL Second Team as well as to the All-Newcomer Team. Simon leads the Titans in scoring at 14.3 points per game, 10th in the league, and is second on the squad in rebounding with 5.3 caroms per night. He has two double-doubles on the year, has scored in double figures 25 times and has seven 20+ point games, including a pair of 30-point outings with his career-high 33 at Milwaukee and 30 against Loyola. He was also named HL Player of the Week on two occasions.
Junior Xavier Keeling (Huntsville, AL/J.O. Johnson) and sophomore Eli Holman (Richmond, CA/Richmond) were also named to the All-Newcomer Team. Keeling is second on the Titans in scoring (12.5), rebounding (4.9) and assists (2.4) and ranks in the top 15 in the HL in those respective categories as well as field goal percentage (.464) and steals (1.7). He has four 20-point games on the season, including a career-high 24 points vs. Cleveland State, and recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds against Green Bay.
Holman is currently leading the Horizon League in blocks (2.6) and field goal percentage (.597) and is second in rebounding (8.6). He is also averaging 11.3 ppg., and has posted nine double-doubles on the year. His 18 rebounds against Milwaukee and six blocks versus Shawnee State and Loyola also top the conference to this point.
Butler's Gordon Hayward was the HL Player of the Year, while Bulldogs head coach Brad Stevens was the Coach of the Year. Valparaiso's Brandon Wood was tabbed the Newcomer of the Year and Loyola's Walt Gibler earned the Sixth Man of the Year honor.
First-Team All-League
Gordon Hayward, Butler
Rahmon Fletcher, Green Bay
Norris Cole, Cleveland State
Shelvin Mack, Butler
Matt Howard, Butler
Second-Team All-League
Vaughn Duggins, Wright State
Brandon Wood, Valparaiso
Ricky Franklin, Milwaukee
Cory Johnson, Valparaiso
All-Newcomer Team
Brandon Wood, Valparaiso
Cory Johnson, Valparaiso
All-Defensive Team
Ronald Nored, Butler
Willie Veasley, Butler
D'Aundray Brown, Cleveland State
Vaughn Duggins, Wright State
