BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- WKU senior T.J. Price was named to the 2014-15 All-Conference USA First Team, and fellow senior George Fant picked up All-C-USA Second Team recognition, the league office announced Monday.
Price is WKU's first conference top-team selection since Sergio Kerusch and Steffphon Pettigrew in 2010-11.
Both players have now been named all-conference in three-straight seasons, and this year's C-USA recognition is the highest of both of their careers. Price was a second-team all-conference selection in both his sophomore and junior seasons while WKU competed in the Sun Belt Conference, and Fant was an All-SBC Third Team pick in his sophomore and junior seasons as well.
Price finished as the regular-season scoring champion in C-USA in scoring at 17.6 points per game, which also ranks 59th in the nation. He also tops the C-USA leaderboard in three-point field goal percentage (.423) and is second in both three-pointers made (80) and threes per contest (2.7). The Slidell, La., native has hit double figures 26 times in 2014-15 and had 20 or more points in a game 11 times. He has started all 30 WKU games and also added 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Fant leads WKU and sits third in C-USA in rebounding with 8.5 boards per game, and he has led WKU in rebounding 22 times in 2014-15. Fant has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 12 games this year, and he has put together 12 double-doubles, which is the second-most in C-USA. Fant's scoring average of 13.9 points per game and rebounding average are both career highs, and he has started all 30 WKU games.
With both Price and Fant having 1,500-plus career points at WKU, the Hilltoppers have two active 1,500-point scorers for the first time since Tom Marshall and Art Spoelstra in 1953-54. Price hit the 1,500-point mark at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 15, and Fant joined him on Feb. 19 at UAB. In addition, Fant became just the fifth player in WKU history to be in the top-10 in career rebounds and also have 1,500 career points (Jim McDaniels, Ralph Crosthwaite, Art Spoelstra, Tom Marshall).
Specialty awards for the conference will be announced at a later date.
WKU is seeded fifth in its inaugural C-USA Tournament and will face 12th-seeded Marshall in the first round Wednesday at 6:00 PM (CT) in Birmingham, Ala. The game will be televised by the American Sports Network. All games in the men's tournament will be played at Legacy Arena at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. Should WKU defeat Marshall, it would play host UAB in the quarterfinals at 6:00 PM (CT) on Thursday.
Tickets for the C-USA Tournament can be purchased through the WKU Ticket Office online at WKUSports.com, in person at E.A. Diddle Arena or via phone at 1-800-5-BIG Red or 745-5222 locally.
2014-15 ALL-CONFERENCE USA FIRST TEAM
Kenneth "Speedy" Smith, Louisiana Tech, Sr., G, 6-3, 180, St. Petersburg, Florida
Trey Freeman, Old Dominion, Jr., G, 6-2, 175, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Vince Hunter, UTEP, So., F, 6-8, 205, Detroit, Michigan
Jeromie Hill, UTSA, Sr., F, 6-8, 250, Cairns, Australia
T.J. Price, WKU, Sr., G, 6-4, 223, Slidell, Louisiana
2014-15 ALL-CONFERENCE USA SECOND TEAM
Dennis Mavin, FIU, Sr., G, 6-3, 183, Gainesville, Florida
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech, Sr., G, 6-4, 160, Jacksonville, Arkansas
Alex Hamilton, Louisiana Tech, Jr., G, 6-4, 190, Chipley, Florida
Seth Gearhart, Rice, Sr., F, 6-7, 215, Wilsonville, Oregon
George Fant, WKU, Sr., F, 6-6, 250, Bowling Green, Kentucky
2014-15 ALL-CONFERENCE USA THIRD TEAM
Pierriá Henry, Charlotte, Sr., G, 6-4, 188, Charleston, West Virginia
Ryan Taylor, Marshall, So., F, 6-5, 225, Indianapolis, Indiana
Jordan Williams, North Texas, Sr., G, 6-6, 202, Dallas, Texas
Chip Armelin, Southern Miss, Sr., G, 6-4, 200, Sulphur, Louisiana
Robert Brown, UAB, Jr., G, 6-5, 190, Clermont, Florida
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