| Travis Gabbidon | Devin Gibson | Omar Johnson |
FRISCO ? Senior Travis Gabbidon and sophomore Devin Gibson were tabbed third-team All-Southland Conference and junior Omar Johnson was named honorable mention, as the league office announced its all-conference teams Tuesday.
Gabbidon and Gibson were two of five players chosen to the third team in a combined vote by the head coaches and sports information directors, pushing the program’s number of all-league selections to 20.
Gabbidon, a 6-7 forward from Phoenix, Ariz., leads the Roadrunners in scoring and rebounding with 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season. He is shooting 40.7 percent (118-290) from the floor, has made 28 3-pointers and is a 71-percent (110-155) free throw shooter. Gabbidon, a JUCO All-American at College of Southern Idaho, ranks 14th in the SLC in scoring and 13th in rebounding and has posted five double-doubles, one of just six league players to record that many, 50 assists, 38 steals and 16 blocks. In conference games, he registered 12.3 points and 7.1 boards per contest to help UTSA to its best league ledger (8-8) since 2004-05.
Gibson, a 6-0 guard from Cypress Falls High near Houston, averaged 11.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists and he leads the SLC and ranks second in the NCAA in steals per game with 3.3 (78 in 24 games). The 2007-08 SLC Freshman of the Year also shot 41.7 percent (83-199) from the floor, made 17 3-pointers and converted 98-of-135 (72.6%) from the charity stripe. Despite missing five league contests with a back injury, Gibson ranked 14th in the SLC in scoring (12.8 ppg) and first in steals (3.0 spg), averaged 4.2 boards and 2.8 dimes per outing and shot 74.6 percent (53-71) from the free throw line.
Johnson, a 5-7 guard from Philadelphia, Pa., ranks second on the squad in scoring at 12.6 points per game and he leads the Roadrunners in assists (118/4.2 apg), 3-point field goal percentage (38.5%) and minutes (33.2 mpg). The Simon Gratz High product is shooting 69.4 percent (100-144) from the line, has made 47 3-pointers and has registered 52 steals. In SLC action, he averaged 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
Stephen F. Austin senior Matt Kingsley was voted the SLC Player of the Year, while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi junior Kevin Palmer was named the Newcomer of the Year and Nicholls’ Fred Hunter received Freshman of the Year honors. Colonels’ head coach J.P. Piper was named the Southland’s Coach of the Year.
No. 6 seed UTSA will face 3-seed Sam Houston State in the first round of the 2009 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12. The winner will advance to the semifinal at 6:05 p.m. Friday and the championship game will be played Sunday at 12:03 p.m. and televised on ESPN2.