Landmark Conference

Men's Basketball Awards Announced for 2014-15

3/1/2015 12:00:00 AM

TOWSON, Md. — Catholic was unbeatable for a majority of the 2014-15 Landmark men's basketball season, and the coaches recognized that dominance with a near sweep of the conference's major awards.

Cardinal guard Bryson Fonville took home Player of the Year recognition, while his teammates Kevin Phanord and Jay Howard were named Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Susquehanna's Frank Marcinek and his assistants broke up the Catholic run with their selection as the Landmark's Coaching Staff of the Year.

The 2014-15 All-Landmark teams were also announced, with three players each from Catholic, Scranton and Susquehanna making the cut.

Fonville's name can be found near the top of several statistical categories. He is sixth in the league in scoring (15.8 PPG), first in assists (5.5 APG) and second in steals (47). He also adds 4.6 rebounds per contest while playing a league-high 34.5 minutes per game. Fonville played all 40 minutes in seven of his 26 appearances, scoring in double figures in 21 of those contests.

Phanord has started in only one of his 26 appearances, but the junior guard played a key role for a defense that surrendered the second-fewest amount of points in Landmark play. Phanord often guards the other team's top scorer, and he ranks 18th in the league with 24 steals despite his limited playing time.

Howard exploded onto the scene in his debut season, ranking third in the conference with 16.9 points per game. He also grabs 6.0 rebounds per game, and his 59 offensive rebounds are second most in the league. A two-time Landmark Athlete of the Week, Howard shoots 53.7 percent from the floor, and he has made the most free throws (139) in the conference.

Marcinek guided the Crusaders to a four-game win improvement in the conference standings, helping Susquehanna clinch a playoff spot for a sixth time in eight seasons. The Crusaders finished 12-4 in Landmark matchups this season, and they were 19-7 overall. Their offense averaged a conference-high 78.0 points per game, while their defense held opponents to a conference-low 40.5 percent shooting output. Marcinek previously received Coach of the Year accolades in 2008-09.

Fonville and Howard also made up two of the six First-Team All-Landmark selections. They were joined by Brendan Boken and Ross Danzig from Scranton, Brandon Hedley from Susquehanna and Mike Klinger from Drew.

Boken repeats as a first-team honoree after ranking in the top three in scoring (17.3 PPG, second), shooting percentage (62.4 percent, second), rebounding (7.2 RPG, third), blocks (36, first) and field goals made (171, first). The junior forward has started all 27 games, scoring in double figures in 23 of them while crossing the 20 point barrier in 11 of those contests.

Danzig will end his career as a three-time first-team representative. The 2013-14 Player of the Year is currently averaging 13.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. His 119 total assists are third in the conference, while his 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio is the highest in the league. Danzig has hit 47.0 percent of his shots from the floor this season.

Hedley has steadily progressed in his three seasons as a Crusader, rising from Rookie of the Year in 2012-13 to Second-Team All-Landmark last season before reaching the first team as a junior. He sank a conference-high 88 attempts from long distance, including setting a new Landmark single-game record with 10 made 3-pointers on Feb. 21 against Elizabethtown. Hedley averaged 14.9 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range.

No one in the Landmark, though, could match the scoring prowess of Klinger, who rises up to the first team after a second-team nomination in 2013-14. The junior guard averaged 17.9 points per game, reaching double figures in 24 of 26 contests. He shot 40.9 percent from 3-point range and 48.6 percent from the field overall, and Klinger also had the highest free throw percentage at 85.6 percent (101-118) to help the Rangers earn the conference's fourth playoff spot.

Five different institutions were featured among the six Second-Team All-Landmark members.

Player of the Year	Defensive Player of the Year	Rookie of the Year	Coach of the Year
Bryson Fonville, Catholic	Kevin Phanord, Catholic	Jay Howard, Catholic	Frank Marcinek, Susquehanna

 

The 2014-15 Landmark Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams:

First Team						Second Team
Brendan Boken*	Scranton	Jr.	F	South Pasadena, Calif.		Kevin Herring II	Drew	Jr.	G	Columbus, Ohio
Ross Danzig*^	Scranton	Sr.	G	Clarks Green, Pa.		Justin Klingman	Scranton	Sr.	G	Clarks Summit, Pa
Bryson Fonville*	Catholic	Jr.	G	Greensboro, N.C.		Josh Miller	Susquehanna	Jr.	G	Strasburg, Pa.
Brandon Hedley	Susquehanna	Jr.	G	Silver Spring, Md.		David Smith	USMMA	Jr.	G	Lakewood, Wash.
Jay Howard	Catholic	Fr.	G	Pennsauken, N.J.		Corey Stanford	Catholic	So.	F	Harrison City, Pa.
Mike Klinger	Drew	Jr.	G	Franklin Park, N.J.		Steven Weidlich	Susquehanna	So.	G	Watchung, N.J.

* 2013-14 First Team All-Landmark
^ 2012-13 First Team All-Landmark