April 10, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team held its annual Coaches Club Banquet and Awards Ceremony Thursday, as the team, coaches, administrators and special guests met in the brand-new Hospitality Suite in the Pete Hanna Center.

Head coach Jimmy Tillette acted as the Master of Ceremonies and awarded his players with the honors they earned during the 2007-08 season.

Senior Travis Peterson received the Most Outstanding Offensive Player award Thursday after he led the team in scoring with a 13.2 points per game average. He was also Samford's leading rebounder and received Second-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors.

Peterson, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-10 center from Glendale, Ariz., finished his illustrious four-year Samford career with 1,121 points, the 16th-highest total in school history. He was a staple in the Bulldogs' starting lineup since the 2005 season and became the 21st player in school history to reach the prestigious 1,000-point plateau.

As a senior in 2007-08, Peterson led Samford in scoring, rebounds, assists and blocks, becoming the only center in the nation to accomplish the feat.

Joe Ross Merritt, the Bulldogs' senior guard from Oklahoma City, Okla., earned both the Most Outstanding Defensive Player and the Practice Hard awards.

In 2007-08, Merritt finished his career with 173 three-point baskets and was ranked second on the team with a 38.6 percentage from beyond the arc. He led the Bulldogs in scoring 12 times and played a key role in Samford's defense being ranked among the top-15 teams in the nation.

Sophomore guard Trey Montgomery was named the team's Most Improved Player, while redshirt freshman Matt Robertson garnered the Academic Award. Robertson ended the year with a phenomenal 3.69 grade-point average.

Redshirt freshman Gaby Bermudez earned one of the most rewarding honors at the banquet Thursday. The Bulldogs' native of Miami, Fla., was named the recipient of the Kevy McInnis Award, which is named after a former Samford player who lost his life in a car accident.

The award is given annually to the player that best exemplifies leadership both on and off the court, possesses the desire to achieve, and devotes his time to both church and community service.

True freshman Matthew Friday and senior Curtis West earned participation awards, while Josh Bedwell, Bermudez, Josh Davis, Andy King and Robertson received first-year honors.

Sophomores Savoy Fraine, Bryan Friday, Jim Griffin and Montgomery were honored with second-year accolades. Merritt and Peterson were also given fourth-year awards.

The evening was capped off by an exciting 10-minute highlight video.

The Samford University basketball team concluded its 2007-08 season with a 14-16 overall record and a 10-10 mark in OVC play. The Bulldogs earned a No. 5 seed in the OVC Tournament and qualified for its 15th-consecutive postseason tournament.

Next year, Samford will be without the efforts of record-setting seniors Merritt and Peterson, but will return five players with significant experience in the starting lineup.

Bedwell and Davis both started regularly for the Bulldogs in 2007-08 as true freshmen, and Montgomery and Friday will also return. Samford will also receive a boost from two-year starter West, who is expected to be back in the starting lineup after being forced to redshirt this season with an injured shoulder.