Kane, Pittman Take Top Honor at Banquet

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - DeAndre Kane and Elijah Pittman were named co-winners of the Hal Greer Most Outstanding Player Award during the annual Marshall men's basketball awards banquet Saturday inside the Erickson Alumni Center at Foundation Hall.

Along with the awards presentation, the night included a highlight video, dinner and comments from the seniors as well as head coach Tom Herrion.

Kane, a junior from Pittsburgh, Pa., averaged 15.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.0 assists this season, one of two players in NCAA Division I to put up at least 14 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. In Conference USA, he ranked among the top 10 in scoring, assists, steals, assists/turnover ratio and minutes played. Kane recorded the fourth triple double in Marshall history with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists at Hofstra. He was also the recipient of the Greg White Playmaker Award.

Pittman, a junior from Covington, Ky., led the team with 16.1 points per game, a mark that ranked as the sixth-best in C-USA. His 516 total points this season ranked 34th on Marshall's all-time list. He scored at least 20 points 11 times this season including a season-high 23 at Tulane. Pittman was consistent in his scoring as only four times did he not score in double-figures.

The Bob Redd Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award went to Nigel Spikes. The senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. averaged 1.9 blocks per game, the third most in C-USA. His 60 total blocks ranks as the fourth-most in a season at Marshall. One of the highlights of the season came against UCF when the 6-foot-10 center recorded nine blocks which tied for the fourth-most in school history. Spikes also brought down 7.3 rebounds per game, which ranked 11th in C-USA.

The Charlie Slack Most Outstanding Rebounder Award was given to Dennis Tinnon. The senior from Green Bay, Wisc. ranked fourth in C-USA with 9.1 rebounds per game. He led the team with 10 double-doubles and recorded at least 10 rebounds 15 times this season.

Yous Mbao received the Cam Henderson Mr. Marshall Award and Austin Loop was given the Mike D'Antoni Academic Award. Loop, along with fellow freshman Tamron Manning was recently awarded a spot on the C-USA Commissioners Honor Roll for finishing the season with a GPA of over 3.00.

The Tamar Slay Sixth Man Award was given to Robert Goff. The senior from Indianapolis, Ind. Averaged 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds. Although he started in the team's final six games, Goff primarily came off the bench as the sixth man, averaging 17.6 minutes per game.

The J.R. VanHoose Coach's Award was given to redshirt freshman DeVince Boykins and junior guard D.D. Scarver. Boykins, known more for his defense than scoring, played in 22 games after missing the first seven games of the season with an injury. Scarver ranked third on the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game.

Manning was given the Leo Byrd Most Improved Player Award. The Georgetown, Ky. native played in a total of just 11 minutes through five games before earning a spot in Herrion's rotation in mid-December. Manning made five starts on the season and erupted for a season-high 12 points in a senior day win over Southern Miss.

The "Voice of the Herd" Steve Cotton received a special honor from Herrion as the first recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for his 15 years of loyalty to the Herd and the Marshall men's basketball program.

2012-13 Men's Basketball Award Winners

Distinguished Service Award - Steve Cotton

Leo Byrd Most Improved Player Award - Tamron Manning

J.R. VanHoose Coach's Award - DeVince Boykins, D.D. Scarver

Tamar Slay Sixth Man Award - Robert Goff

Mike D'Antoni Academic Award - Austin Loop

Cam Henderson Mr. Marshall Award - Yous Mbao

Charlie Slack Most Outstanding Rebounder Award - Dennis Tinnon

Bob Redd Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award - Nigel Spikes

Greg White Playmaker Award - DeAndre Kane

Hal Greer Most Outstanding Player - DeAndre Kane, Elijah Pittman