March 11, 2008
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Foster Website with Videos, Quotes, Stats and MoreFoster Highlight reel from 2007 and 2008 seasonsVUcommodores YouTube: Foster’s 42 w/ Fisher’s Radio Calls
NASHVILLE – Senior wing Shan Foster became the fourth Vanderbilt player and the second consecutive Commodore to win the SEC Player of the Year Award in a vote done by the league’s 12 coaches. Foster joins last year’s winner, Derrick Byars, Dan Langhi in 2000, and Will Perdue in 1988 as the only Vanderbilt players to capture the award since its inception in 1987. Freshman A.J. Ogilvy was named to the All-SEC Second Team and was a unanimous selection to the league’s All-Freshman team.
Only LSU (six) and Kentucky (five) have won more SEC Player of the Year award honors from the league’s coaches than Vanderbilt (four) since the award’s inception in 1987.
Foster leads the SEC in scoring (20.6 ppg), three-point field goals made (4.03/game), and three-point field goal percentage (47.2%).
The Player of the Year award caps off a remarkable season by the 6’6 senior from Kenner, La. Earlier this year, he became Vanderbilt’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing former Commodore great Matt Freije, and became the school’s leader in three-point field goals made and attempted. Foster also set the single-season Vanderbilt record for threes in route to Vanderbilt’s best start in school history at 16-0 and a tie with the 1992-93 team for the highest regular season win total (25) since Vanderbilt began playing basketball in 1900-01.
Foster, who has been named the SEC Player of the Week a record four times in 2007-08, has posted the most 20-point games in the league this season (17) and has the highest single-game output in the SEC season after pouring in 42 points in a win over Mississippi State on March 5.
Foster, along with Mississippi State’s Jamont Gordon, were the only two players named as unanimous selections to the All-SEC First Team. Richard Hendrix of Alabama, Sonny Weems of Arkansas, Ramel Bradley of Kentucky, Charles Rhodes of Mississippi State, Devan Downey of South Carolina, and Chris Lofton and Tyler Smith of Tennessee join Foster and Gordon on the first team.
Vanderbilt’s freshman center A.J. Ogilvy, who leads all SEC freshman in scoring at 16.7 points per game, was a unanimous selection to the league’s All-Freshman team and was honored on the All-SEC Second Team. The 6’11 freshman from Sydney, Australia, has four double-doubles on the year and is one of the league leaders in field goal percentage (4th, 58.2%) and free throw percentage (4th, 78.4%). He also leads all SEC players in free throw attempts with 208 charity stripe appearances, which is also the fourth-highest single-season total in Vanderbilt history. Ogilvy was joined on the All-SEC Second Team by Nick Calathes of Florida, Sundiata Gaines of Georgia, Joe Crawford and Patrick Patterson of Kentucky, Marcus Thornton of LSU, Dwayne Curtis of Ole Miss, and JaJuan Smith of Tennessee.
Foster and Ogilvy lead the Commodores into SEC Tournament play Thursday afternoon at the Georgia Dome when they face off against Auburn. Tip-off is set for 2:15 p.m. CST.
SEC Postseason Awards (*-Ties; #-Unanimous)
FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
Richard Hendrix, Alabama*
Sonny Weems, Arkansas
Ramel Bradley, Kentucky
Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State#
Charles Rhodes, Mississippi State
Devan Downey, South Carolina
Chris Lofton, Tennessee*
Tyler Smith, Tennessee
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt#
SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Nick Calathes, Florida
Sundiata Gaines, Georgia
Joe Crawford, Kentucky
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
Marcus Thornton, LSU
Dwayne Curtis, Ole Miss
JaJuan Smith, Tennessee
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt
SEC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Nick Calathes, Florida#
Jai Lucas, Florida#
Chandler Parsons, Florida*
Jeremy Price, Georgia
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky#
Anthony Randolph, LSU#
Trevor Gaskins, Ole Miss*
Chris Warren, Ole Miss#
Mike Holmes, South Carolina*
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt#
SEC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Steven Hill, Arkansas*
Sundiata Gaines, Georgia*
Ramel Bradley, Kentucky*
Garrett Temple, LSU
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State#
JaJuan Smith, Tennessee
SEC COACH OF THE YEAR
Billy Gillispie, Kentucky*
Bruce Pearl, Tennessee*
SEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt
SEC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Dave Bliss, Georgia
SEC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Nick Calathes, Florida*
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky*
SEC SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
J.P. Prince, Tennessee
SEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State#
