CHICAGO – Chicago State men's basketball was honored following one of its most successful seasons in the program's NCAA Division I history as it earned several honors as the 2008-09 All-Independent honors was announced Wednesday morning. The honoree were voted by the 14 Independent head coaches and sports information directors.
Senior guard David Holston (Pontiac, MI/Avondale HS) (Pontiac, Mich.) was named Independent Player of the Year after finishing second for the award last season and was named First Team All-Independent, while second-year head coach Benjy Taylor captured Independent Coach of the Year honors. South Dakota's Tyler Cain was named Defensive Player of the Year and Jamar Briscoe of North Carolina Central claimed Newcomer of the Year honors.
In addition to Holston and Taylor, senior guard John Cantrell (Pontiac, MI/Northern HS) (Pontiac, Mich.) earned Second Team All-Independent accolades and sophomore forward Carl Montgomery (Chicago, IL/Shepard) (Palos Heights, Ill.) earned Honorable Mention All-Independent honors.
Holston averaged 25.9 points, 6.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and three steals per contest this season while averaging an NCAA D-I leading 4.6 made three-pointers per game in addition to ranking fourth in the nation in scoring and steals. He was a two-time Great West Conference and Heritage Sports Radio Network D-I Player of the Week honoree, and earned NABC District 13 Second Team honors on March 5.
“It was just a privilege to get this award. I want to say thanks to Coach Taylor, my teammates, the coaching staff, the athletic administration and the university for being supportive and encouraging me to have a great year,” Holston stated.
Taylor guided CSU to a 19-13 record that included a 10-2 mark versus Independent teams, while the Cougars were rated third in the nation in scoring at 84 points per game and fourth nationally in steals per game with an average of 10 thefts a game. In addition, CSU finished 11-3 at the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center.
“This is a great honor that bodes well for Chicago State University. The coaching staff and I along with the administration have worked hard to build a winning program. I like to thank everyone for their support this season,” said Taylor.
Cantrell recorded averages of 19.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.2 assists per game during his final collegiate season which included ranking 38 th nationally in scoring and 40 th in steals. He twice earned Great West Player of the Week honors and closed his career with a 33-point performance against Houston Baptist. His best game of the season was scoring a career-best 40 points in CSU's quadruple-overtime contest against Utah Valley on Jan. 29.
Montgomery led the Cougars with 7.2 rebounds and an Independent-leading 1.9 blocks per game in addition to shooting a team-best 63 percent from the field and recording six double-doubles on the year. He opened the season with a double-double of a career-high 23 points and 12 boards against Saint Xavier, while going 8-of-8 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. He also grabbed a career-high 18 caroms in a road win at Longwood on Jan. 12.
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