TicketsHuggins, Martin Earn C-USA All-Decade Honors
Contact: Brian Teter
6/13/2005
Kenyon Martin was a three-time winner of the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Award. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Kenyon Martin, who was college basketball?s consensus choice as national Player of the Year in 2000, and Bob Huggins, the nation?s eighth-winningest active head coach, have been named Conference USA Male Athlete of the Decade and Male Coach of the Decade.
The honors cap a year-long 10th anniversary celebration by Conference USA, in which the league selected all-decade teams and players and coaches of the decade for each men?s and women?s sport.
Chandi Jones, a four-time All-C-USA women?s basketball selection at the University of Houston, and Eugene Lenti, who directed DePaul?s women?s softball team to three appearances in the College World Series, were named Female Athlete of the Decade and Female Sport Coach of the Decade, respectively. The voting was done by the league?s athletic directors.
Martin, now with the Denver Nuggets, was easily the most-decorated men?s basketball player in C-USA?s first decade. He made a clean sweep of the Naismith, Oscar Robertson (USBWA), John Wooden, Adolph Rupp (Associated Press), NABC, Basketball News and Basketball Times player of the year awards. UC?s all-time leading shot blocker and one of three Bearcats to have their numbers retired, he was a three-time winner of the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Award and was NABC?s co-National Defensive Player of the Year in 2000.
Under Huggins coaching, the Bearcats were the dominant team in C-USA, winning outright or tying for eight regular season titles and capturing four tournament crowns. UC was 123-33 for a .789 percentage through its 10 seasons in C-USA and ranked in the Top 25 for 124 of 165 weekly polls, earning the No. 1 spot 15 times.
Cincinnati concluded participation in Conference USA this year and will begin play in the BIG EAST this fall.