MOC standouts earn honors

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on April 14, 2009 1:46 PM

• Print
• Email

MOC Sports Information

MOUNT OLIVE -- Kendrick Easley, a third team All-American and the Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Player of the Year, has been named to the 2008-09 NCCSIA All-State College Division Men's Basketball first team, as voted on by members of the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association. Easley helped lead Mount Olive to its second consecutive Conference Carolinas regular season title.

Jasmine Whitby, an All-Southeast Region and All-Conference Carolinas selection, has been named to the 2008-09 NCCSIA All-State College Division Women's Basketball first team, as voted on by members of the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association. Whitby helped lead Mount Olive to its highest single-season win total as an NCAA Division II school.

Easley, a 6-1 junior from Norfolk, Va., earned All-America honors for the second year in a row after winning All-America honorable mention last year. Easley was this year's Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring with a 21.2 points per game average. Easley ranks 16th in the nation in scoring and is in the top 10 nationally in three-point field goals per game (3.4) and three-point field goal shooting percentage (43.6 percent). His 84.9 free throw percentage ranks in the top 35 in the nation.

He was an All-Southeast Region first team selection by two different organizations this year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Daktronics. He came within two points of matching a school single-game record with 39 points in a win against Pfeiffer. Easley scored in double figures in 26 of 28 games and had a streak of 10 consecutive games with at least 20 points near the end of the regular season.

Easley scored 593 points in 2008-09, coming within seven points of becoming only the fourth player in Trojan men's basketball history to reach the 600-point mark in a season. Easley has 1,542 points for his career.

Easley was also named to the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll. He has a 3.20 grade point average majoring in sports management.

Easley's award marks the second year in a row a Mount Olive player has earned Player of the Year honors. Brandon Streeter was the 2007-08 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Player of the Year. The Trojans' four all-conference selections is a school record. Mount Olive had the most all-conference selections this season.

Mount Olive posted an 18-10 record overall and tied for first in the Conference Carolinas regular season standings with a 17-3 mark. The Trojans were the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, but were upset by No. 7 seed Erskine 54-52 in the quarterfinals, denying Mount Olive a bid for its sixth consecutive appearance in the championship game, as well as its sixth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Whitby, a 5-10 junior from Yorktown, Va., was named to the All-Conference Carolinas first team and the All-Tournament Team at this year's conference tournament. She averaged 15.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. She recorded seven double-doubles, including career highs of 32 points and 20 rebounds in a 93-84 win over Erskine. In an 87-82 overtime win over Barton, Whitby tallied 28 points and 14 rebounds, and was 12-for-12 from the free throw line.

A transfer from Louisburg College, Whitby earned Conference Carolinas Player of the Week honors during the season and was an honorable mention for the WBCA National Player of the Month Award for the month of January.

Mount Olive posted a 23-6 record overall and finished second in the Conference Carolinas standings with a 17-5 mark. The Trojans advanced to the championship game of the Conference Carolinas Tournament for the second year. Mount Olive was ranked as high as No. 8 in the NCAA II Southeast Region Top 10.