March 6, 2007

As the only freshman to earn all-conference honors, Southern Miss guard Jeremy Wise was named the 2006-07 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Senior Jeremy Hunt and junior Joey Dorsey of the No. 5 Memphis Tigers were selected the Sixth Man of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, as voted by the conference's 12 head coaches and select media.

Wise set the Southern Miss record as the top freshman scorer in school history with 510 points. He also became the first Southern Miss player to reach 500 points in a season since 1998-99. Wise ranks fourth in Conference USA for scoring, averaging 17.6 ppg, and free throw percentage (.828). The 6-foot-2 guard is the only Golden Eagle to start in every game this season and has scored in double figures in 27 of 29 games, including 20-straight currently. He also has 10 games of 20 or more points this season, including a season-best 28 at Memphis on Jan. 27. Following that performance, he was named C-USA Player of the Week, becoming the first freshman in four years to earn the honor.

Wise is joined on the all-freshman team by teammate Sai'Quon Stone, John Fields of East Carolina, Tulane's Kevin Sims and Tulsa's Ben Uzoh. Stone and Uzoh are also scoring in double figures with a 10.3 ppg average. Fields ranks fourth in C-USA for blocks (1.96) and has ranked nationally in that category this season. Sims averages 9.9 points and 3.5 assists per game for the Green Wave.

Dorsey leads the inaugural All-Defensive Team, as the 2006-07 Defensive Player of the Year. The junior is the conference's top rebounder, with 9.5 boards per game, and has a league-best 75 blocked shots this season. He earned Conference USA first team honors and was the top rebounder in 21 games for the 27-3 Tigers.

Joining Dorsey on the All-Defensive squad is teammate Antonio Anderson, seniors Paul Delaney III of UAB and Oliver Lafayette of Houston, as well as sophomore Bamba Fall of SMU. Lafayette is pocketing 2.5 steals per game this season to lead Conference USA and rank 15th nationally. Delaney (1.90 spg) and Anderson (1.83) are ranked second and third in the conference. Fall was averaging a league-best 2.58 blocks per game before being sidelined by a broken finger in February.

Hunt, an All-Conference USA second team selection, was named the 2006-07 Sixth Man of the Year. The senior came off the bench in 29 of 30 games for the Tigers, and ranks second on the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game and a team-best 75 three-pointers. Hunt scored 25 points in one half during a game with UAB on Feb. 8 on his way to a season-high 30 points.

2006-07 CONFERENCE USA ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

John Fields, East Carolina, F, 6-9, 200, Fayetteville, N.C.
Kevin Sims, Tulane, G, 5-10, 160, Jackson, Miss.
Sai'Quon Stone, Southern Miss, G, 6-6, 205, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ben Uzoh, Tulsa, G, 6-3, 185, San Antonio, Texas
Jeremy Wise, Southern Miss, G, 6-2, 165, Jackson, Miss.

2006-07 FRESHMAN/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Jeremy Wise, Southern Miss, G, 6-2, 165, Jackson, Miss.

2006-07 CONFERENCE USA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Antonio Anderson, Memphis, G, 6-6, 200, So., Lynn, Mass.
Paul Delaney III, UAB, G, 6-2, 200, Jr., Decatur, Ga.
Joey Dorsey, Memphis, F, 6-9, 260, Jr., Baltimore, Md.
Bamba Fall, SMU, C, 7-1, 210, So., St. Louis, Senegal
Oliver Lafayette, Houston, G, 6-2, 180, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.

2006-07 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Joey Dorsey, Memphis, F, 6-9, 260, Jr., Baltimore, Md.

2006-07 SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

Jeremy Hunt, Memphis, G, 6-5, 210, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.

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