Well Deserved: Culpepper, Stone Named to All Conference USA Team
by Adrian Mac on Mar 7, 2011 12:51 PM MST
in UTEP Miners Basketball
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PrintUTEP's backcourt duo of Randy Culpepper and Julyan Stone were both honored for their tremendous seasons today. Culpepper was named to the 1st Team All Conference USA team. Stone was named to the second team. Culpepper and Stone were the only Miners named to the team.
Overall, league champion UAB led the conference with three players named to the first or second team. Unsurprisingly, C-USA assist leader Aaron Johnson of UAB made the first team at point guard.Johnson was joined by running mate Jamarr Sanders on the first team and forward Cameron Moore on the second team.
Here are the complete first, second, and third teams:
First Team:
1. Randy Culpepper (G) UTEP Miners
2. Aaron Johnson (G) UAB Blazers
3. Jamarr Sanders (G) UAB
4. Papa Dia (F) SMU Mustangs
5. Gary Flowers (F) Southern Miss. Golden Eagles
6. Justin Hurtt (G) Tulsa
Second Team
1. Julyan Stone (G) UTEP Miners
2. Kendall Timmons (G) Tulane Green Wave
3. Marcus Jordan (G) Central Florida Knights
4. Arsalan Kazemi (F) Rice Owls
5. Cameron Moore (F) UAB
Third Team
1. Will Barton (G) Memphis Tigers
2. Jontae Sherrod (G) East Carolina Pirates
3. DeAndre Kane (G) Marshall Thundering Herd
4. Keith Clanton (F) UCF
5. Robert Nyakundi (F) SMU
Looking at this list, it's hard to argue that anybody was left off. I'm not overly shocked that DeAndre Kane made the third team over teammate Damier Pitts. I think the Freshman of the Year race is now down to two players, Kane and Will Barton.
As for MVP, it's anybody's guess. Usually, the league MVP comes from the league champion. But how will the league choose between Sanders and Johnson at UAB? WIll they split votes? Could that open the door for Randy Culpepper, Justin Hurtt, Papa Dia, or Gary Flowers to win it? SMU was perhaps the most surprising team in the league this year and Dia single handedly carried that team during key stretches of games. Flowers was the best player on USM's team but the Eagles finished a disappointing 5th in the league. Culpepper only trailed Hurtt in the C-USA scoring race. Hurtt was simply incredible this season. I would have no problem with him winning it.
Just like the muddied C-USA championship race we had this season, the race for MVP is just as tight. Who do you think should be MVP?
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Congrats to both!...
As stated this is very well deserved. I do think that Julyan should’ve been a first teamer and in the running for POY given the fact that he became the C-USA All Time Assist Leader. This is a little disappointing that his unselfishness and stelllar defensive prowess didn’t garner better attention and respect.
True, very true
No doubt Miner fans see him as the teams MVP this season. But people around the league only see him play once or twice a year- hard to see his effort and tenacity and value to this team in 1-2 games. His career, as a body of work, is second to none- including Johnson IMO. Johnson did have one heck of a year though…
Axes Up. Miner Rush - For UTEP Miners Fans
Randy should get POY IMO. He is averaging the most points through C-USA play.
On Aaron Johnson, he is a good player, but Julyan is better.
Johnson averages 11 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. He shoots 41% from the floor, and 24% from 3-point range. He averages 3.3 turnovers a game, and boasts a 2.38 Assist/turnover ratio. He is really not a great defender.
Stone averages 9 points, 5.4 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. He shoots 51% from the floor, and 28% from 3-point range. He averages 1.8 turnovers per game, and boasts a 3.04 Assist/turnover ratio. He can defend multiple positions on the floor.
Not only does Julyan play well in almost all facets of the game, he actually has a higher FG% and 3P% than Johnson. Johnson does average an impressive 8 assists a game, but if you watch a UAB game you will notice that most of his assists come off of transition 3-point shots or easy dump-off passes in the lane. Julyan Stone is more of a precision passer. Stone also positions himself on the defensive end and lets things come to him, while Johnson can be found overplaying his opponent on the defensive end, much like Randy would do last year.
"BCS does not apply to basketball. It's football. You can't tell me Memphis is a mid-major. You can't tell me UTEP, with its history of players, crowd attendance and NCAA Tournament berths, is a mid-major. Same for Gonzaga and St. Mary's - it doesn't apply. These are high-major programs that can play. All we can do is win games and hope others recognize. … We should pass the eye test - if anybody ever watches us." - Tim Floyd
I agree that Julyan is a better all around player
But I think the decision was probably made mostly on ppg, and apg which johnson leads both, and the fact that johnson can really take over a game, as he did against us at the end of regulation, and in overtime. Julyan produces all over the court, can pretty much guard 4 positions, and I surely wouldn’t trade him for johnson, but I don’t really blame them for picking johnson. In a way, its kind of a coin flip. Shoulda just been 1(a), 1(b)
Randy was also named to the Non-Big 6 "All-America team"
That right there should tell you there is a bias present.
"BCS does not apply to basketball. It's football. You can't tell me Memphis is a mid-major. You can't tell me UTEP, with its history of players, crowd attendance and NCAA Tournament berths, is a mid-major. Same for Gonzaga and St. Mary's - it doesn't apply. These are high-major programs that can play. All we can do is win games and hope others recognize. … We should pass the eye test - if anybody ever watches us." - Tim Floyd
2nd team*
"BCS does not apply to basketball. It's football. You can't tell me Memphis is a mid-major. You can't tell me UTEP, with its history of players, crowd attendance and NCAA Tournament berths, is a mid-major. Same for Gonzaga and St. Mary's - it doesn't apply. These are high-major programs that can play. All we can do is win games and hope others recognize. … We should pass the eye test - if anybody ever watches us." - Tim Floyd
Should be Randy--
the way he has played late this season reminds of dare I say Tim Hardaway. He started to attack the basket and other than the SMU game had been on a tear.
Just to clear things up, I meant a Big 6 bias, not a bias towards Randy.
"BCS does not apply to basketball. It's football. You can't tell me Memphis is a mid-major. You can't tell me UTEP, with its history of players, crowd attendance and NCAA Tournament berths, is a mid-major. Same for Gonzaga and St. Mary's - it doesn't apply. These are high-major programs that can play. All we can do is win games and hope others recognize. … We should pass the eye test - if anybody ever watches us." - Tim Floyd
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