NASHVILLE – Jacksonville State senior
Nick Murphy has been named to the Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team and the Gamecocks have been picked to finish eighth in 2010-11, the league announced at its annual Media Day on Monday.
Murphy, a 6-foot-4 forward from Bronx, N.Y., is the JSU men's basketball team's first Preseason All-OVC selection since Courtney Bradley in 2006, and he enters his fourth season with a chance to make a huge impact on the school's record books. He leads a group of six returning letterwinners from a 2009-10 team that made the school's first OVC Tournament appearance since 2006. That group has been selected by the OVC's head coaches and sports information directors to earn the final spot in the eight-team tournament this season.
The preseason selections were announced in conjunction with Monday's Media Day, which was held at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium, the site of this year's tournament. For the first time in several years, all eight teams will advance to Nashville, where only the final four teams remaining have made it in the past.
Murphy enters his senior season with the Gamecocks on the heels of a few of the school's Division I career records. Already a member of Jax State's 1,000-points club, he needs just 118 points to pass Walker Russell as the school's leading scorer since moving up to Division I in 1995. Murphy is also the first player in JSU's Div. I history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds in a career and needs just 32 more boards to pass Rusty Brand's record of 543 for most career rebounds in the school's Div. I history.
Murphy and fellow fourth-year senior
Jeremy Bynum are the leading returnees on head coach
James Green's third team at JSU. Bynum is the school's career 3-pointers made leader in Div. I and is 152 points away from joining Murphy at the 1,000 points plateau. They will lead a group of 10 newcomers on this year's team.
The Gamecocks received 51 votes in the poll, which was topped by defending champion Murray State. The Racers earned all but two of the 20 first-place votes and 162 total votes, while reigning runner-up Morehead State was picked second with 146 votes and the other two first-place votes. Coaches and SIDs are not allowed to vote for their own team.
Eastern Illinois is in third in the poll, while Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky round out the top five, respectively. Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State are just ahead of JSU, while Southeast Missouri and UT Martin finish out the 10-team poll.
The Gamecocks will hit the floor for the first time on Nov. 4 in an exhibition game against West Georgia at 7 p.m. in Pete Mathews Coliseum. Admission is free for the exhibition, and fans can get into the Nov. 13 season opener against West Alabama for free with a ticket stup from that afternoon's football game vs. Southeast Missouri. Tipoff for the regular season opener is set for 7:45 p.m.
Season tickets are also on sale now in the JSU Ticket Office on the first floor of Kennamer Hall. They can also be purchased by calling (256) 782-8499 or 1-877-JSU-TIXX. Packages start at just $60 and include tickets to all men's and women's home games.
2010-11 Preseason All-OVC Team
F, Ivan Aska, Murray State, Jr.
F/G, Anthony Campbell, Austin Peay, Jr.
G, Isaiah Canaan, Murray State, So.
F/C, Kenneth Faried, Morehead State, Sr.
G, Demonte Harper, Morehead State, Sr.
G, B.J. Jenkins, Murray State, Sr.
G, Tyler Laser, Eastern Illinois, Sr.
G, Isacc Miles, Murray State, Sr.
F, Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech, Jr.
G/F, Nick Murphy, Jacksonville State, Sr.
G, Justin Stommes, Eastern Kentucky, Sr.
Preseason Player of the Year
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
