Marshall Sports Information

 

IRVING, Texas — Marshall senior forward James Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich.) earned the program’s first Conference USA Men’s Basketball Newcomer of the Year award, the league announced Tuesday.

The honor is the first of his career. On Monday, Kelly became the first Thundering Herd player in history named to the All-C-USA first team. He is the second Thundering Herd player in program history to receive an individual C-USA specialty award. DeAndre Kane was the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2011.

“In one year James helped our fans get excited about Marshall basketball again, and I thank him for his hard work,” Herd coach Dan D’Antoni said. “His impact on our program will leave a lasting impression.”

Against Southern Miss on Saturday, the Miami (Fla.) transfer became the second player in Marshall history to record at least 600 points and 300 rebounds in a single season, joining Herd Hall-of-Famer Russell Lee who did it as a junior (1970-71) and a senior (1971-72).

Entering the C-USA Tournament, Kelly has 639 points and 307 rebounds one of only three Division I players to date this season with the 600/300 combination. His all-around dominant play led to 14 double-double performances, second-most in the league.

He was the only player ranked in the top three in the conference for both points (20.6 per game) and rebounds (9.9 per game) for the regular season.

The 6-foot-8, 259-pound forward was named the league’s Player of the Week three times this year, marking the first time a Herd player earned the honor more than once.

He led the league’s defensive rebounding statistic with 8.1 per game, ranking No. 9 in among Division I men’s basketball players.

Against Charlotte on Feb. 18, he posted Marshall’s first 20/20 game in 43 years with 27 points and 23 rebounds. His 23 boards are the second-most in a single game by a 2015-16 D-I player.

Kelly helped Marshall reach a program-record 12 wins in Conference USA play, as well as the No. 3 tournament seed – its highest in 11 seasons with the league. The Herd also finished 7-2 in C-USA home dates, the most Henderson Center league wins since joining C-USA in 2005-06.

The 2015-16 specialty teams and awards are as follows:

2015-16 CONFERENCE USA NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

James Kelly, Marshall, Sr., F, 6-8, 259, Ann Arbor, Michigan

2015-16 CONFERENCE USA SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

Dirk Williams, UAB, Sr., G, 6-5, 180, Homewood, Alabama

2015-16 CONFERENCE USA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Marcus Evans, Rice, G, 6-2, 190, Chesapeake, Virginia

2015-16 CONFERENCE USA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

William Lee, UAB, So., F, 6-9, 210, Plantersville, Alabama

2015-16 CONFERENCE USA ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Jon Davis, Charlotte, G, 6-2, 193, Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Andrien White, Charlotte, 6-3, 184, Richmond, Virginia

Zoran Talley, Old Dominion, F, 6-7, 195, Merrillville, Indiana

Marcus Evans, Rice, G, 6-2, 190, Chesapeake, Virginia

Terry Winn, UTEP, F, 6-7, 230, Monroe, Louisiana

2015-16 CONFERENCE USA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM (*repeat selection)

*Adrian Diaz, FIU, Jr., F, 6-10, 230, Miami, Florida

Alex Hamilton, Louisiana Tech, Sr., G, 6-4, 194, Chipley, Florida

Brandan Stith, Old Dominion, R-So., F, 6-7, 230, Lawrenceville, Virginia

Marcus Evans, Rice, Fr., G, 6-2, 190, Chesapeake, Virginia

William Lee, UAB, So., F, 6-9, 210, Plantersville, Alabama

As the No. 3 seed in the Conference USA Tournament, the Herd will face either No. 6 UTEP or No. 11 FIU on Thursday, March 10, at 9:30 p.m. ET at Legacy Arena in the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) in Birmingham, Ala. The game will be televised by American Sports Network.