Brett Royster blocked 84 shots and grabbed 7.2 rebounds per game for FAU. (FAUOwlAccess.com file photo)
Royster Defensive POY
FAU forward Brett Royster is the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year. Greg Gantt and Ray Taylor earn third-team honors.
Originally published on
3/2/2010
by
Chuck King
FAU forward Brett Royster is the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, while freshmen Ray Taylor and Greg Gantt earned all-conference third team honors, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon.
Royster led the Sun Belt with 84 blocks this season and finished sixth in rebounds, averaging 7.2 per game.
Taylor led the conference with 6.1 assists per game and finished 11th in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Gantt’s 17.4 points per game was fifth best in the conference.
“My hard work is definitely paying off,” Taylor said. “It’s always good to see it, but it makes me hungry because now I gotta to make first team. …I’m going to take this and use it as motivation to know that if I made that this year then next year I definitely should be on first team. I’m not going to stop until I am on first team.”
Arkansas State’s Brandon Reed beat out Taylor for Freshman of the Year and earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors.
Louisiana-Lafayette’s Tyren Johnson, the Sun Belt’s leading scorer, is the Sun Belt Player of the Year. Johnson averaged 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, second in the Belt.
A.J. Slaughter (WKU), Desmond Yates (MTSU), Brandon Hazzard (Troy) and Nate Rohnert (Denver) joined Johnson as first-team selections.
Reed, George Odufuwa (NT), Tim Williams (USA), Michael Vogler (Troy) and Stephan Pettigrew make up the second team.
Tristan Thompson (NT), Eric Tramiel (NT) and Josh White (NT) round out the third team.
Arkansas State’s John Brady was named coach of the year after leading the Red Wolves to an 11-7 conference mark.
On the women’s side, FAU guard Brittany Bowe earned third-team honors.
Teams and awards were voted on by a media representative from each school and a representative of the school.