EIU sweeps sportsman hoop honor

Posted: Friday, April 5, 2013 7:00 pm

BRENTWOOD — Eastern Illinois University is the recipient of the 2012-13 OVC Team Sportsmanship Award for both men’s and women’s basketball.
Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans.
The 2012-13 school year marks the eighth year the team sportsmanship honors have been awarded. This marks the first award for either EIU basketball program and the third year in a row (and fourth overall) that a school has swept the basketball awards.
The Eastern Illinois men finished its first season under head coach Jay Spoonhour with a 6-10 record in OVC play and earned a spot in the OVC Tournament field.
“This award is a testament to our fans, our game management administration and our guys, that the other programs in the OVC thought well of us,” said Spoonhour. “It is important to us at EIU that we are trying to do things in a first class manner. I was very impressed by the game management and sportsmanship of the whole league. This is a great honor.”
In its first season under head coach Lee Buchanan, the Eastern Illinois women’s team finished 20-12 overall and were 12-4 in OVC play which earned them a share of the OVC regular season championship. The team would go on to top Missouri in the first round of the WNIT to earn its first postseason victory in a national tournament in school history.
“This award shows the character of the young ladies that play in our program here at Eastern Illinois,” said Buchanan. “I’m appreciative of the other coaches and student-athletes in this league. Winning an award like this shows the type of respect that other programs have for your players.”
Implemented in August 2005, the team honors are the most recent addition to an awards program that recognizes and celebrates sportsmanship within the Conference.

Published in The WCP 4.4 .13