March 4, 2008
 
HOLT IS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BECKWITH FIRST TEAM FRAISE SECOND TEAM
CHAMPAGNE COACHING HONOR

Having already claimed the Gulf South Conference East Division title, the University of North Alabama men’s basketball team also laid claim to the GSC’s top individual awards Tuesday when Casey Holt was named GSC East Division Player of the Year and Bobby Champagne was chosen GSC East Division Coach of the Year.

Holt, a senior from Culleoka, Tenn., and Champagne, in his fifth season as head coach at UNA, helped guide the Lions to a 23-7 record entering Friday’s quarterfinal round of the GSC Basketball Tournament. Holt averages 18.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and has scored in double-figures 26 times this season. He has added 11 double-figure rebound games and has nine double-doubles and one triple-double. He won three GSC East Division Player of the Week honors this season and his 1,133 career points ranks 15th in school history.

Holt’s selection marks the first time a Lion has been East Division Player of the Year since the late Harris Lendor in 1994-95. Prior to divisional play, UNA had three other players named GSC Player of the Year, with Coleman Crawford selected in 1973-74, Otis Boddie in 1979-80 and Maurice Stafford in 1983-84.

Champagne is in his fifth season with the Lions and is the third UNA coach to be named GSC men’s basketball coach of the year. Bill Jones was selected coach of the year in 1979-80 and 1983-84 and Gary Elliott won the award in 1993-94. Champagne has led the Lions to the GSC Tournament in each of his five seasons at the school and this year’s break-out season gives him an 82-62 record at UNA.

UNA senior guard Quinn Beckwith of Tuscumbia was also selected first –team All-GSC and junior center Thomas Fraise of New Orleans, La., was named second-team All-GSC.

Beckwith, who missed 10 games due to injury, averaged 16.9 points and made a team-leading 80 three-point baskets. He scored in double-figures in 18 of the 20 games that he played in. Quinn leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage (.447), 3-point field goal attempts (179) and 3-point field goals made (80). Beckwith set school records in his junior season for the Lions including most three-point attempts in a game (16), most three-point attempts in a season (287) most three-point baskets made in a season (108) and highest free throw percentage in a season (.893)

Fraise averages 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and has been a force inside for the Lions all season. He has scored in double-figures 26 times and had seven double-figure rebound games. He earned three GSC East Division Player of the Week honors this season. Thomas is second on the team in points (421) and rebounds (220) and has started in 27 games this season.