Eagles Award Basketball Honors

Eagles Award Basketball Honors
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss men's basketball team and players reaped

the rewards of one of the more successful basketball seasons in school history at the

team's recognition dinner Wednesday night.

The Golden Eagles are fresh from a 22-9 season that saw Southern Miss win the

National Division of Conference USA, take a share of the overall league title and

advance to postseason tournament play for the second time in Head Coach James

Green's five-year tenure.

The team also won the John Thompson Classic, beating Arkansas in the finals of that

event, and also played Iowa State to the final buzzer before losing in the finals of the

Tribune Classic at Iowa State.

Brian Mackin, president of the Birmingham Tipoff Club, the sponsoring organization of

the Ray Meyer C-USA Coach of the Year Award, presented that award to Green, and

C-USA Assistant Commissioner Brian Teter presented the regular season co-

championship trophy to the team and coaches.

Hattiesburg Mayor Ed Morgan presented the key to the city to Green, and the president

of the Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning, Carl Nicholson, read and

presented an IHL resolution commending the team on its 2000-01 successes.

Green presented the inaugural Doug Vardaman Memorial Commitment Award to senior

Vandarel Jones, who also was received a number of other awards during the evening,

including the C-USA defensive player of the year honor, the team's leading rebounder

award, a second-team all-conference honor and a player of the week award.

The leading scorer award went to David Wall, the free throw award to Brad Richardson,

the assist award to Mel Cauthen, the coaches' hustle award to Mario Myles and the

team academic award for the best grade point average to Carl Henderson. Henderson

and Jones were honored, as well, for being on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, the

Dean's List and the C-USA Honor Roll during the current academic year.

Wall also was recognized for his third-team all-conference award as well as an all-

tournament award at the Iowa State Tournament and an all-tournament and MVP award

at the Arkansas Tournament.

University of Southern Mississippi Athletics