Junior Eddie Basden has been named C-USA's Defensive Player of the Year |
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Withers Named All-Conference USA; Basden Defensive Player of the Year
March 9, 2004
CHICAGO - Sophomore forward Curtis Withers has been named first team all-Conference USA and junior swingman Eddie Basden was the named league's Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Charlotte 49ers to a share of their first C-USA regular-season title and their first 20-win regular-season since 1991-92. Freshman center Martin Iti was named to the league's all-freshman team.
Withers led Conference USA with 15 double-doubles during the regular-season and ranks fourth in the league with 16.6 points and second with 9.5 rebounds. In league play, Withers averaged 17.1 points and 9.1 rebounds. He scored in double figures and pulled down at least seven rebounds in all but two games this season and has been named league Player of the Week, twice. He has scored 20 or more points nine times, including seven times in league play. This is the seventh time that a 49er has been named first team all-Conference USA: DeMarco Johnson (1996-97; 1997-98), Sean Colson (1997-98), Galen Young (1998-99), Rodney White (2000-01) and Jobey Thomas (2001-02).
Basden, who has become the first 49er in school history to record back-to-back 60-steal seasons, is second in Conference USA with 60 steals. Basden has had at least one steal in all but one game this year and has had three or more steals in 12 games. In addition, Basden is the 49ers second leading rebounder with 6.3 boards per game. As the 49ers top defender, he has been responsible for guarding power forwards, like Cincinnati's Jason Maxiell, and perimeter players, like Louisville's Francisco Garcia. Basden becomes the first 49er to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Iti, a 7-0 freshman from Sydney, Australia, was named to the league's all-Freshman team, after averaging 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while blocking a team-high 31 shots and shooting .588 from the floor. Iti started 20 of 27 regular-season games for the 49ers including 15 of 16 in league play. He scored in double figures four times, including a career-best 16 points at Tulane. He ranks 11th in C-USA with 1.15 blocks per game. He matched a Halton Arena record with six blocked shots against N.C. A&T. He joins Curtis Withers (2003) and Rodney White (2001) as the only 49ers that have been named to the all-freshman team in Conference USA.
The 49ers, seeded fifth in the C-USA Tournament, will play #12-seed Tulane, in the first round, Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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