Ryan Bright earns Southland academic honor again
4/28/2008 1:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston State's Ryan Bright has been selected the 2008 Capital One Southland Conference Men's Basketball Student Athlete of the Year, the second season in a row for the Deer Park product to win the honor.
The student-athlete of the year is annually presented to the individual in each conference sport who achieves excellence in academics and athletics. Nominees shall have earned at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average to go along with superior athletics achievement.
Bright, a senior Kinesiology major, was named 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America and All-District after posting a 3.64 grade point average. He was a three-time All-Southland Conference Academic selection is a Dean's List student. He is an officer on the Sam Houston State Student Athlete Advisory Committee and has also been a Bearkat mentor, reading to Huntsville elementary school children.
Bright was named a Mid-Major All-American by collegeinsider.com and was also named All-Region after helping the Bearkats to three 20-plus win seasons and 84-39 record in his four-year career. He earned first-team All-Southland Conference honors for the second-straight year and led the league in rebounds at 10.7 per game. He scored in double figures 20 times during the 2007-08 season and 74 times in his career.
Bright, a five-time SLC Player of the Week honoree in his career, also ranked in the top-10 six other SLC statistical categories, including minutes played (sixth), assists (sixth) and steals (seventh).
He completed his college career ranked as Sam Houston State's No. 3 all-time leading rebounder with 930 and No. 7 all-time leading scorer with 1,393.
Bright and teammate Shamir McDaniel both were selected as two of the five players on the Capital One Academic All-Southland Conference men's basketball squad.
McDaniel posted a 3.24 GPA in marketing and was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District. The senior from Converse Judson, earned All-Southland Conference honors in 2008 after averaging 11.2 points per game. Named Southland Conference "Player of the Week" after scornig 18 points the Texas Tech victory, McDaniel ranked among the league's top three point shooters. He scored in double figures in 21 games, helping lead Sam Houston to its third consecutive 20-plus victory season, a Bearkat first.
Barkley Falkner, a junior center for Sam Houston from Oxford, MS, was named to the Academic All-SLC second team. An accounting major with a 3.93 grade point average, Falkner was a reserve post player who appeared in all but one game in 2008. His top performances included 8 points in a victory over Loyola-Marymount and 8 rebounds in ten Kats' win at Texas-Arlington. Falkner is an SHSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee team representative and a Dean's List student.
Jeremy Thomas, senior guard from Victoria Memorial, was an honorable mention Academic All-SLC selection. Thomas was the sixth man for 2007-08 Bearkats, leading the team in free throw pct. (.820). He has been a valuable contributer as reserve guard the past four years on Sam Houston teams that compiled 84-39 overall record. Thomas is a SHSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee team representative and Dean's List student.
2007-08 CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL
FIRST TEAM
Ryan Bright ? Sam Houston State ? Sr. ? 3.64 ? Kinesiology
Shamir McDaniel ? Sam Houston State ? Sr. ? 3.24 ? Marketing
Kevyn Green ? Southeastern La. ? Sr. ? 3.20 ? General Studies
Adonis Gray ? Nicholls State ? Sr. ? 3.10 ? General Studies
Michael McConathy ? Northwestern State ? So. ? 3.56 ? Electronics Engineering
SECOND TEAM
Darren Hopkins ? Lamar ? Sr. ? 3.02 ? General Studies
Anthony Vereen ? UT Arlington ? Jr. ? 3.01 ? Exercise and Sports Studies
Tommy Moffitt ? UT Arlington ? So. ? 3.41 ? Criminology and Criminal Justice
Scott Weaver ? Stephen F. Austin ? Sr. ? 3.39 ? Kinesiology
Barkley Faulkner ? Sam Houston State ? Jr. ? 3.93 ? Accounting
HONORABLE MENTION
Jeremy Thomas -- Sam Houston State - Sr. - 3.49 -- Health
