Three from NESCAC Named NABC All-America

Courtesy NABC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced Friday the 2011 State Farm Coaches’ Division III All-America teams. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, these student-athletes represent the finest basketball players across America.

Three players from the conference were honored by the NABC, with 2011 NESCAC Player of the Year Troy Whittington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) of Williams garnering First Team honors. Middlebury junior Ryan Sharry (Braintree, Mass.) earned Second Team recognition, and Amherst senior Conor Meehan (Meriden, Conn.) was named to the Third Team. All three were chosen to the All-NESCAC First Team this winter.

Whittington has enjoyed a career year during his senior campaign with the Ephs as he ranks among the top five in the NESCAC in both points and rebounds, averaging 16.7 points and 9.0 rebounds while also chipping in 2.2 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. Whittington's ability to score can be directly attributed to his consistent shooting, making an astonishing .709 percent of the shots he takes - a figure which is tops in the nation.

On three separate occasions this season Whittington shattered his own record for points in a game, most recently pouring in 31 during a 79-69 win over Trinity in the semifinals of the NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship. He also recorded 11 double-doubles, including a personal-best 21 rebounds and 21 points in a 79-56 victory over Hamilton on Dec. 7. In addition to being named Player of the Year, Whittington received All-NESCAC First Team recognition a year after earning a spot on the Second Team.

Junior forward Sharry from the NESCAC champion Middlebury Panthers was promoted from last year's All-Conference Second Team to this year's First Team. Sharry is just one of three players in the conference, all of whom earned All-NESCAC in some form this season, to average a double-double. Sharry paces the Panthers in both points and rebounds for the second-straight year, averaging a career-high 13.8 (9th NESCAC) and 10.5 (3rd), respectively, on .523 percent shooting.

Senior guard Meehan earned All-Conference honors for the first time with his selection to the First Team. Meehan headed up the offense for the 25-4 Lord Jeffs, scoring 13.9 points per game and owning a 2.22 assist-to-turnover ratio, the second-best figure in the league.

Whittington and Sharry both hope to lead their respective squads to the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship this weekend at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va. The Ephs face Wooster in the first semifinal on Friday evening while the Panthers take on St. Thomas (Minn.) in the second game. If both Williams and Middlebury win Friday night, they will meet Saturday afternoon for the national championship, a rematch of the 2011 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship from Feb. 27.

Meehan will particpate in the NABC Senior All-Star game on Saturday in Salem prior to the NCAA tournament final. Whittington will also participate only if Williams does not advance past Friday.

2011 STATE FARM® COACHES' DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM

Chad Burridge, Oswego State, 6-7, Junior, Center, Hannibal, N.Y.
Steve Djurickovic, Carthage, 6-3, Senior, Guard, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Jonathan Jones, Kean, 6-5, Senior, Forward, Linden, N.J.
Michael McClary, Olivet, 6-5, Senior, Center, Bellaire, Mich.
Georgio Milligan, Franklin & Marshall, 6-2 Junior, Guard, Spring Valley, N.Y.
Derek Mitchell, Ferrum, 6-5, Senior, Forward, Newport News, Va.
Michael Taylor, Whitworth, 6-4, Senior, Guard, Brewster, Wash.
Troy Whittington, Williams, 6-6, Senior, Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

2011 STATE FARM® COACHES' DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM

Zach Ashworth, Scranton, 6-2, Senior, Guard, Doylestown, Pa.
Phil Barera, Ithaca, 6-6, Senior, Center, Belmont, Mass.
Chris Barnes, UT–Dallas, 6-6, Junior, Forward, San Antonio, Texas
Marvin Billups, Purchase, 6-5, Senior, Forward, Chester, N.Y.
Scott Gillespie, Ripon, 6-0, Senior, Guard, Ripon, Wis.
Trevor Halter, Marietta, 6-6, Junior, Forward, Malvern, Ohio
Carl Hipp, Hamline, 6-8, Senior, Center, Little Canada, Minn.
Ryan Sharry, Middlebury, 6-8, Junior, Forward, Braintree, Mass.

2011 STATE FARM® COACHES' DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM

John DiBartolomeo, Rochester, 5-11, Sophomore, Guard, Westport, Conn.
Marcel Esonwune, York, 6-6, Senior, Forward/Center, Lagos, Nigeria
Ian Franks, Wooster, 6-4, Senior, Guard, Greenwich, Ohio
Tony Mane, UW-LaCrosse, 6-0, Senior, Guard, Milwaukee, Wis.
Conor Meehan, Amherst, 6-4, Senior, Guard, Meriden, Conn.
Jordan Moss, Manchester, 6-4, Junior, Guard, Columbia City, Ind.
Todd Phillips, Eastern Mennonite, 6-3, Senior, Wing, Waynesboro, Va.
Anthony Trautman, Lebanon Valley, 6-1, Senior, Guard, Lebanon, Pa.