University of Memphis Athletics
Williams Named 2009-10 Conference USA Newcomer Of The Year
Mar 09, 2010 | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2010
IRVING, Texas - University of Memphis sophomore Elliot Williams was named the 2009-10 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year, the league office announced Tuesday. Williams earned All-C-USA first team honors on Monday.
Williams is the first Tiger to receive the C-USA Newcomer of the Year accolade. It is the fourth year the league has awarded the honor.
The league's second-leading scorer at 18.5 ppg, Williams leads the Tigers in scoring, and also averages 4.2 rebounds from his guard spot. He is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor, 37.8 percent from the arc and 76.4 percent from the charity stripe, and is ranked among Conference USA leaders in all three statistical categories. Williams has 117 assists (second on team) and 41 steals.
Williams, who earned four C-USA Rookie of the Week awards and one C-USA Player of the Week honor during the season, has scored in double figures in 29 of the Tigers' 31 games. The Memphis, Tenn., native has 16 games in which is scored 20 or more points, the fourth-most 20-point games in a season since 1991-92. The 6-foot-5 guard's 565 points this year are the fourth-most by a sophomore in Tiger history.
Williams scored a career-high 33 points in his Conference USA debut against Southern Miss on Jan. 9. He hit eight treys in the win over the Golden Eagles. The eight three-pointers made were the second-most in a single game in school history, and also set the single-game record for most treys made versus a conference opponent.
The Tigers (23-8, 13-3 C-USA) begin play in the Conference USA Tournament on Thursday, Mar. 11 at 12 p.m. (CT) as the postseason classic's No. 2 seed. Memphis meets the winner of the East Carolina/Houston first round contest, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 10 at 12 p.m. (CT).
The following are the 2009-10 Conference USA awards released Tuesday:
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Elliot Williams, Memphis
CO-SIXTH MEN OF THE YEAR
Steven Idlet, Tulsa
Dago Pena, Marshall
CONFERENCE USA ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Keith Clanton, UCF
Marcus Jordan, UCF
Arsalan Kazemi, Rice
Kendall Timmons, Tulane
Hassan Whiteside, Marshall
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Hassan Whiteside, Marshall
CONFERENCE USA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Aaron Johnson, UAB
Jerome Jordan, Tulsa
Julyan Stone, UTEP
Sai'Quon Stone, Southern Miss
Hassan Whiteside, Marshall
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Hassan Whiteside, Marshall
