March 3, 2010

DeSalme named Jayhawk East Coach of the Year; McGee selected Freshman of the Year

Having guided the Cowley College men’s basketball team to the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division title in his first year at the school, head coach Tommy DeSalme was named the Jayhawk East Coach of the Year on Wednesday.

DeSalme was not the only Tiger recognized for their outstanding season as Cowley’s Tyrus McGee was also named the Jayhawk East Freshman of the Year.

DeSalme, who has enjoyed tremendous success at each of his coaching stops prior to Cowley, helped the Tigers go 14-4 in the conference and has his team headed to the second-round of the Region VI Tournament, which will be played Saturday at Wichita’s Charles Koch Arena.

“It is an honor that the other coaches in the conference recognize what we have done,” DeSalme said. “You have got to have a good team and good assistant coaches to get an award like this.”

After starting the season with a record of 6-5, Cowley (21-10) has won 15 of its past 20 games. The Tigers have accomplished all of this despite having only two sophomores on the team. Cowley has also lost players to injury and has had to play this season with no player on the roster taller than 6-foot-7.

In the Tigers’ 70-69 win over Pratt in the first-round of the Region VI Tournament, Cowley managed to out-rebound the Beavers 47-29, with its leading rebounder being 6-foot sophomore Caprest Rhone. The Tigers dominance on the glass showed the toughness that has been instilled in them from DeSalme and assistant coaches Donnie Jackson and (graduate assistant) Dane Kelly.

As for McGee, the freshman from Stringtown, OK, has lived up to the hype. After averaging 36 points per game as a senior at Stringtown High School, McGee has averaged a team-best 16.6 points and 5.2 rebounds at Cowley.

The 6-foot-2 freshman is second on the team in field goal percentage (50 percent), and first in free-throw percentage (82.4 percent). He leads the team in three pointers made (77), while shooting a team-best 44 percent behind the arc.

He has played his best basketball down the stretch. Over the last eight games, McGee is averaging 22.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and is shooting 56 percent (31-of-54) from three-point range.

“He has a chance to be one of the better players the Jayhawk Conference has seen in a while,” DeSalme said. “I am proud of him, he has gotten better and better as the season has gone along. But, he would be the first to tell you, that this is a team award.”

Fellow freshman Dominick Cornelius was also recognized as he was named an honorable mention selection. Cornelius, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward from Tulsa, OK, averages 10.6 points and 4.1 rebounds. He is also considered to be the Tigers best defender.

“I am glad that he was recognized for the great team player that he is, he does whatever is asked of him,” DeSalme said.

Cornelius is second to only McGee in three-point field goal percentage (37 percent) and free-throw percentage (76 percent) on the Tigers. He can play a multitude of positions and has been asked to guard post players to point guards in certain matchups.

Canon Fields, a freshman point guard from Topeka, who averages 11 points and a conference best 6.4 assists per game, was somehow left off the all-conference squad.

Still, his coach and teammates know the value of the person who makes the team’s offense run.

“I think Canon is at the top of the list of point guards in this conference,” DeSalme said. “What he does to distribute the basketball I think is second to none in the entire conference.”

The Tigers will look to continue their stellar season when they face Seward County Saturday at 5 p.m. in the second-round of the Region VI Tournament played at Wichita State University’s Charles Koch Arena.

Neosho County’s Antione Lundy, who averaged 18.4 points and 13.7 rebounds, was named the Jayhawk East Most Valuable Player. Butler County’s Mike Bargen was named the Jayhawk West Coach of the Year, and Butler’s Caleb Walker (16.4 points, 8.0 rebounds) was the West’s Most Valuable Player.

Hutchinson’s Joe Mitchell was named the Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year after averaging 15.8 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Jayhawk East All-Conference selections:

• First-Team
  
  • Antione Lundy, Neosho County; Tyrus McGee, Cowley; Andra Bailey, Allen County; Jarmar Gulley, Highland; David Luster, Johnson County.
• Second Team
  
  • Dennis Tinnon, Kansas City, Anthony Downing, Independence; Derrick Denney, Kansas City; Ramell Taylor, Fort Scott; Kevin Broussard, Coffeyville.
    
• Honorable Mention
  
  • Garland McArthur, Labette; Keith Biggers, Coffeyville; Stacy Wilson, Coffeyville; Rashano McRae, Highland; Kyle Speed, Johnson County; Dominick Cornelius, Cowley.