Coffield named all-East Region

Published in Sports on March 27, 2005 2:07 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive College guard Elton Coffield has been named to the NABC Division II men's basketball All-East Region first team, as selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Coffield was named Most Outstanding Player at the East Regional of the 2005 NCAA Division II men's basketball championship as he helped lead Mount Olive to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA II Elite Eight.

A 6-3 sophomore from Williamston, Coffield was the Trojans' "sixth man" this season, coming off the bench in 32 of 34 games to average a team-high 17.8 points per game. He scored 29 points in the East Regional championship game against Salem International (W. Va.) and averaged almost 19 points per game at the regional. He was also named to the All-Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference first team and earned All-Tournament honors at the CVAC Tournament.

Coffield scored in double figures in all but three games this season, establishing a career-high with 31 points against Concord (W. Va.) in December, a game that saw the Trojans set a school record for most points (119) and produce the highest single-game field goal percentage in Division II this season (71.6 percent). Coffield had 12 games of 20 points or more and was a two-time CVAC Player of the Week selection.

Mount Olive concluded its greatest season in school history, posting a 29-5 mark to set a school record for most wins in a season. The Trojans made their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA II Men's Basketball Championship, capturing their first-ever East Region title to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.

Mount Olive fell to Bryant (R.I.) University 84-69 on Wednesday in the national quarterfinals.