NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Three La Salle men’s basketball players received recognition from the Atlantic 10 on Monday as the league announced its all-conference awards. Senior Earl Pettis (Philadelphia, Pa. / Neumann-Goretti /Rutgers) was named the Chris Daniels Most Improved Player and earned honorable mention all-Atlantic 10 accolades. Junior Ramon Galloway (Philadelphia, Pa. / Dwyer / South Carolina) was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and freshman Jerrell Wright (Philadelphia, Pa. / Dobbins Tech) was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches.
Pettis leads the team in scoring at 15.2 ppg. and has added 4.0 rpg. and 2.3 apg. for the Explorers. A local product that played at Neumann-Goretti High School, Pettis increased his scoring average by six points per game in leading the Explorers to a 20-11 record and fifth place finish in the Atlantic 10.
The senior ranks 11th in the A-10 in scoring and fifth in steals per game (1.9). Pettis, who played his first two seasons at Rutgers, recently reached the 1,000 point milestone in the second half of the regular season finale versus St. Bonaventure. He scored a career-high 33 points on February 22 versus Temple and has scored in double-figures in 26 of 31 games this season.
Pettis is the first Explorer to win the Chris Daniels Most Improved Player.
Galloway played his first season in the Blue and Gold after transferring from South Carolina. He is second on the team in scoring at 14.1 ppg. and is 13th in the Atlantic 10. Another Philadelphia native, Galloway ranks third in the A-10 in three-point percentage (.436) and has made 2.2 per game, ranking him fifth in the league. He is tops on the Explorers with 61 three-point field goals.
A tireless defender, Galloway has helped La Salle improve its defense nearly 13 ppg. from last season. He has helped shut down the opponents leading scorer in 21 of the past 26 outings. Galloway scored a career-high 28 points in January versus George Washington and has scored in double-digits in 24 of 31 contests.
Wright averages 9.7 ppg., fourth among A-10 rookies, and 5.9 rpg., which is second among league newcomers. He is shooting 56.1% from the field and has blocked 33 shots this season.
The third Philadelphia native honored, Wright earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors twice this season. He is the fifth Explorer in the past six seasons to receive A-10 All-Rookie recognition, making La Salle the only team in the conference to have as many representatives during that time span. He joins Rodney Green, Jerrell Williams, Aaric Murray and Tyreek Duren on that list.
Seventh-seeded La Salle (20-11, 9-7 A-10) will host #10 Richmond in the First Round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Tuesday at 7 PM. Tickets are available by calling 215-951-1999 or emailing tickets@lasalle.edu. The ticket office will be open from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM on Monday and from 9:30 AM to game time on Tuesday.
Chairback seats are $15 and every other seat is $10. Student tickets are free with a La Salle ID.
Temple’s Fran Dunphy has been named the 2011-12 Coach of the Year and St. Bonaventure senior forward Andrew Nicholson has been named the league’s Player of the Year. Saint Joseph’s sophomore forward C.J. Aiken was named the Defensive Player of the Year while Richmond Freshman Kendall Anthony was selected as the Rookie of the Year. Sophomore forward Ronald Roberts of Saint Joseph’s was voted the Sixth Man of the Year.
The individual awards, along with the All-Conference Teams, were selected by the Atlantic 10’s 14 head men’s basketball coaches. The All-Academic Team was chosen by a vote of the league’s 14 sports information directors.
Coach of the Year
Fran Dunphy, Temple
Player of the Year
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Defensive Player of the Year
C.J. Aiken, Saint Joseph’s
Rookie of the Year
Kendall Anthony, Richmond
Sixth Man of the Year
Ronald Roberts, Saint Joseph’s
Chris Daniels Most Improved Player
Earl Pettis, La Salle
All-Academic Team
Luke Fabrizius, Dayton
Nemanja Mikic, George Washington
Brian Conklin, Saint Louis
Kyle Cassity, Saint Louis
Juan Fernandez, Temple
First Team All-Conference
Chaz Williams, Massachusetts
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Brian Conklin, Saint Louis
Ramone Moore, Temple
Tu Holloway, Xavier
Second Team All-Conference
Kevin Dillard, Dayton
Chris Gaston, Fordham
Ramon Galloway, La Salle
Langston Galloway, Saint Joseph’s
Khalif Wyatt, Temple
Third Team All-Conference
Chris Braswell, Charlotte
T.J. McConnell, Duquesne
Kwamain Mitchell, Saint Louis
Juan Fernandez, Temple
Mark Lyons, Xavier
All-Conference Honorable Mention
Chris Johnson, Dayton
Earl Pettis, La Salle
Carl Jones, Saint Joseph’s
Halil Kanacevic, Saint Joseph’s
All-Defensive Team
T.J. McConnell, Duquesne
Darrius Garrett, Richmond
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
C.J. Aiken, Saint Joseph’s
Jordair Jett, Saint Louis
All-Rookie Team
Pierria Henry, Charlotte
Jerrell Wright, La Salle
Jonathan Holton, Rhode Island
Kendall Anthony, Richmond
Dezmine Wells, Xavier
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