Men's Basketball Release (2005-06) - Strong Named All Region - Guilford College

GUILFORD'S BEN STRONG EARNS ALL-SOUTH HONORS

Greensboro, NC (3/21/06) -- Guilford College's Ben Strong was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-South Region Second Team Tuesday.

Strong is the first men's basketball student-athlete in Guilford's Division III history to receive NABC honors. Last week he received D3hoops.com Third Team All-South Region recognition.

Strong, a 6-10, 220-pound center, enjoyed one of the best men's basketball seasons in Guilford's NCAA Division III history to become the school's initial First Team All-ODAC honoree in men's basketball. He leads the ODAC and ranks 70th nationally with his 18.9 points per game scoring average. Strong also tops the league and stands 34th in Division III with 1.9 blocks per game. He scored 509 points in 27 games, the most since Guilford joined Division III in 1991. His 52 blocks rank fourth in school history, first in the Division III era. Strong also set Guilford's Division III season records for scoring average, field goals (195), free throws (119) and blocks average. He stands sixth in the league with 6.6 rebounds per game and fourth in field-goal percentage (.560). Guilford's top scorer in 18 games, he totaled a team- and career-high five double-doubles this year. Strong hit for a career-high 30 points in the Quakers' 109-106 victory over Emory & Henry Jan. 18 and had 10 20-point games.

Strong's play helped coach Tom Palombo's Quakers to a 13-14 overall record (10-8) and their highest ODAC Tournament seed (4th) since joining the league in 1991. The Quakers reached the tournament semifinals before falling to eventual champion Virginia Wesleyan, 72-69. The Marlins went on to win the NCAA Division III National Championship. Strong is one of the 13 letter winners due back for the 2006-2007 season.