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

• GUILFORD'S BEN STRONG EARNS ALL-STATE HONORS

      Greensboro, NC (4/4/06) -- Guilford College's Ben Strong earned a spot on the 2006 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) College Division Men's Basketball Team, the organization announced Monday. Strong, a second-team selection, is Guilford's first NCCSIA all-state men's basketball honoree in the squad's brief history.

      The all-star units are comprised of basketball student-athletes from North Carolina's NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA institutions. The state's sports information directors nominated student-athletes for the teams, which were selected by NCCSIA members. NCCSIA was founded in 2002 and its first all-state basketball teams were released in 2005.

Strong, a 6-10, 220-pound sophomore center, enjoyed one of the best men's basketball seasons in Guilford's NCAA Division III history. He was the Quakers' first student-athlete chosen to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-South Region squad (2nd Team) and Guilford's initial First Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men's basketball honoree. Also a Third Team D3hoops.com All-South pick, he led the ODAC and ranked 70th nationally with his 18.9 points per game scoring average. Strong also topped the league and stood 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 placed sixth in the league with 6.6 rebounds per game and third 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 ODAC) 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.