Published: March 07, 2008 12:26 pm         

Tyndall is Coach of the Year

Eagle bench boss, players honored by OVC

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State University Men’s Head Basketball Coach Donnie Tyndall has been named Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, and Eagle junior Leon Buchanan and freshman Kenneth Faried have been named to the All-Newcomer Team as voted on by the league’s head basketball coaches and sports information directors.

Tyndall, in his second season at his alma mater, took a team that was 4-23 in 2005-06 and guided them to a 12-18 record a year ago and to a 15-15 mark this season.  His MSU team was picked to finish 10th in the OVC’s preseason poll, but proceeded to go 12-8 in conference play and earn a third-place finish.

He is the fourth MSU coach to earn Coach of the Year honors and the first since 1994-95.  Other Eagle coaches to win the award are Jack Schalow, Wayne Martin and Dick Fick.

“I am very honored to be named OVC Coach of the Year,” Tyndall said.  “With so many great programs and coaches in the league, it is truly humbling to be selected.  I am so appreciative of my staff.  Barry (Wortham), Chris (Moore), Kevin (Reynolds) and Jake (Lawrence) are tireless workers who do a fantastic job in every aspect of our program.  I feel incredibly fortunate to work with them.

“Our players are obviously a large part of this as well.  This is my 14th year in coaching, and I’ve had the best group of young men this season that I have ever coached.  They are great players, great students, great people and great teammates.  Five of our 11 players had a 3.0 or higher grade point average for the fall semester.  They were a joy to coach each and every day.

 “The most exciting and humbling thing to me about being selected OVC Coach of the Year is that my name will always be in the record books on the same list as Coach Wayne Martin.  Coach Martin is a guy who I have looked up to for a long time.  So, for me, this is very special.  I can only hope to have the same success he had as we continue to build this MSU program.”

Buchanan, a junior college transfer from Albany, Ga., averaged 13.2 points and 6.1 rebounds this season.  He ranks among the OVC leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.  Buchanan has also been ranked among the NCAA leaders in field goal percentage and free throw percentage for much of 2007-08.  He scored a career-high 35 points at Bowling Green earlier this season.

Faried, a freshman from Newark, N.J., averaged 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in his initial college season.  He is among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots.  Faried led the Eagles in rebounding in 21 games this season.

“As I’ve said from day one, our talent level have improved and will continue to improve here at MSU,” Tyndall said.  “These two guys are very talented, hard-working young men who certainly deserve this honor and who were a huge part of our success this season.”

Tyndall was on hand in Nashville tonight (March 6) to receive the Coach of the Year award at ceremonies announcing all of the conference’s post-season honors for men’s and women’s basketball.