Murray Garvin Named MEAC Coach of the Year
By: SC State Athletics
NORFOLK, Va. (SC State) — South Carolina State head coach Murray Garvin was named the 2016 MEAC Coach of the Year, while junior guard Eric Eaves was selected to the All-MEAC Second Team the league announced.
All awards are voted on by the conference’s head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.
“It is an honor to be voted by your peers as Coach of the Year. This is an award that I can’t accept for myself without including our incredible coaching staff, players, athletic trainers and support staff here at South Carolina State University,” said Garvin. “I am truly grateful for this award and we are super excited about the future of SC State Basketball.”
GARVIN in his third full season at the helm was selected the Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the Bulldogs to a 12-4/2nd T record in conference play. He helped guide the team to a 17-13 overall mark the best regular season finish since 2005, with wins over Jacksonville and Miami (Ohio).
EAVES (6-3, 185) earned All-MEAC Second Team honors. He led the Bulldogs in scoring this season with 17.1 ppg (513 points), while shooting over .517% (167-of-323) from the field. He scored over 20+ points in 12 games or more and tossed in a career-high 35 points in the home-finale against Bethune-Cookman (3/3/16)
Garvin stated, “Eric Eaves to me is the most exciting and electrifying player in the MEAC Conference. We are happy for his selection to the All-MEAC 2nd team but we are not satisfied.” “He is the type of young man that cares more about the team than individual accolades and that is exactly what makes him special. We all feel that the best has yet to come both for E.J. and our basketball program.”
Others earning honors were Howard junior guard James Daniel, III was named the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year. Delaware State’s Devin Morgan was selected as the Rookie of the Year, while LaRon Smith from Bethune-Cookman earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Daniel is joined on the 2016 All-MEAC First Team by Hampton’s Quinton Chievous and Reginald Johnson, Jr., Norfolk State’s Jeff Short and Maryland Eastern Shore’s Dominique Elliott.
The 2016 regular season champion, regular season runners-up, first team members and top honorees, including Player, Rookie, Defensive and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to their first games of the 2016 MEAC Basketball Tournament. Tournament play tips-off March 7-12 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
To see a complete list of the All-MEAC Teams click here.
