University of South Alabama Athletics

MOBILE, Ala. -- South Alabama's record-setting year was reflected in the Sun Belt Conference's postseason awards as the Jaguars became just the second school in league history to place four players on the all-conference team, the league office announced today. Head Coach Ronnie Arrow was also named Coach of the Year in a vote by his peers and selected league media.

Seniors Demetric Bennett and Daon Merritt were named to to the first and second teams, respectively, while Brandon Davis and Domonic Tilford earned third team honors. Only Virginia Commonwealth in 1980-81 has ever had as many selections.

Arrow joins UAB's Gene Bartow as the only three-time winners of the Coach of the Year award as he earned similar recognition in 1988-89 and 1990-91 during his first stint with the Jaguars. The award is sixth for a South Alabama leader: Cliff Ellis, Bob Weltlich and John Pelphrey were also winners during their tenures with the Jaguars.

Bennett returns to the first team for the second straight year. He is ranked among the conference leaders in nine statistical categories, including scoring (19.9), rebounding (6.0) and steals (1.3). A two-time Player of the Week honoree by the league, Bennett was named Rivals.com National Player of the Week following a career-high 39-point effort against Mississippi in December. The Albany, Ga. native reached 20 points on 16 occasions and has topped double figures in every game but three. Earlier this season, Bennett topped the 1,000 career point plateau and currently ranks seventh.

Merritt jumped to the second team after taking home third team honors last year and in the preseason. He is the league leader in assists at 5.5 per game, while also ranking in the top 20 in scoring average at 11.4 points per game. Merritt has topped double figures in scoring on 15 occasions, while leading the team in assists 26 times.He dished out a career-best 13 at Troy on Feb. 10.

Davis, a Birmingham native, is one of the top inside players in the conference, ranking among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and blocked shots. He has reached double figures in scoring 15 times, including a career-best 26 points at New Orleans. He has four double-doubles, including at Western Kentucky when he reached the mark by halftime. He leads the team with 43 blocks, including at least one in 21 contests, and is on pace to set a new single-season field-goal percentage record. He is currently at 63.5 percent, best in the Sun Belt.

Tilford has been an outside spark for the Jaguars all season. He had topped double figures on 18 occasions, and reached 20 points six times, including a season-high 26 twice. The Louisville, Ky., native ranks second on the team in three-pointers with 60, tied for the ninth-best in the school record books for a season. He tied the single-game mark with eight at Troy on Feb. 10.

"There is no doubt in my mind that all four of those young men deserve to be all-conference," Head Coach Ronnie Arrow said. "It is a reflection of the season that we have had and I thank the voters for recognizing that. The fact that we are only the second team inleague history to have four players selected is a tribute to the players.

"To be named Coach of the Year is not only based on our players, but also my coaching staff," Arrow said of his award. "It takes a lot of heard work on all parties. I feel like I have the best assistants in the world."

South Alabama is 25-5 (16-2 in Sun Belt Conference play) this season. The Jaguars tied the school record for overall wins in a season, while setting a new mark for league wins. They open tournament action as the No. 1 seed on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. against the Denver-New Orleans winner. USA's Mitchell Center, where the Jags are 16-0 this season, is the site for this year's Sun Belt Conference Tournament.