Pelle named Player of the Year, Crutchfield earns 3rd Coach of the Year honor

PRINCETON, W.Va. – After their record-setting run to a second consecutive West Virginia Conference men's basketball championship, it came as no surprise that unbeaten and No. 1-ranked West Liberty dominated the All-WVIAC Team announced today by the league coaches.

Senior guard Corey Pelle was named WVIAC Player of the Year, Jim Crutchfield earned WVIAC Coach of the Year honors for the third time in the past seven seasons and Pelle was joined by fellow senior standouts Barry Shetzer and Jordan Fortney as All-WVIAC First Team selections. Newcomer Mark Shadowens rounded out the WLU honorees by earning a spot on the WVIAC's All-Freshman Team.

The Hilltoppers just completed one of the most dominant regular-season runs in NCAA history. Along the way, they became the first conference team ever to go 22-0 in league play and are on pace to shatter the WVIAC's single-season scoring record as they take a nation's best 115.5 ppg. scoring average into post-season play. West Liberty is ranked No. 1 nationally in eight offensive categories and has won 24 of its 26 games by double-digit margins.

Crutchfield is the first man ever to win three WVIAC Coach of the Year Awards since the award's inception under the current format in 1980 and may be in the market for a new trophy case. He won eight WVIAC Tennis Coach of the Year Awards at West Liberty before being handed the men's basketball reins prior to the 2004-05 season. He has led the Hilltoppers to seven consecutive 20-win seasons – the school had only two 20-win campaigns in the seven decades before Crutchfield's arrival – and has seen his teams score more points and make more 3-point shots than any team in the nation over that span. His career record of 168-39 (.812) ranks No. 1 nationally among all NCAA Division II coaches.

Pelle, a mercurial 6-0 guard from Silver Creek, Ky., is only the second West Liberty player ever to earn WVIAC Player of the Year laurels and the first in more than a quarter-century (Spencer Johnson, 1984). An electrifying playmaker, the speedy southpaw leads the conference – and ranks among the top five nationally – in steals and assists while driving the nation's most potent offense with a 16.4 ppg. scoring average. Pelle is West Liberty's all-time leader in assists and steals and ranks among the top 10 scorers in Hilltopper history with 1,792 points. A second-team All-WVIAC pick as a sophomore, he moved up to first-team status last year and is the only repeat first-teamer on this year's honor roll.

Fortney, a 6-5 senior guard from Bowling Green, Ohio, leads the nation in 3-point field goals per game (4.12) and 3-point field goal percentage (.493) and is on pace to become the first man in NCAA history to lead both categories in the same season. The four-year standout has set a school single-season record with 107 3-point field goals and is averaging 16.3 points and 4.0 rebounds a game. Fortney leads the team with 11 games of 20 points or more.

Shetzer, a 6-5 senior guard from North Canton, Ohio, leads the team in scoring at 17.1 ppg. and is West Liberty's career leader in 3-point field goals with 266. He is the first player in Hilltopper history to post back-to-back seasons with 100 or more 3-point field goals and leads the team with 24 double-figure scoring games in 26 starts this season. Shetzer also ranks in the top 10 nationally in 3-point field goals per game (3.88) and 3-point field goal percentage (.455).

Shadowens, a 6-3 freshman guard from Kettering, Ohio, wasted little time getting up to speed with the Hilltoppers' fast-paced style and emerged as one of the fresh new faces in the conference. He had a season-high 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in a Jan. 24 win against Davis & Elkins and hit double-figures on seven other occasions.

Joining the West Liberty trio as first-team All-WVIAC selections are Nate Barnes of Alderson-Broaddus, Patrick Grubbs of Pitt-Johnstown, Jon Liggins of Charleston, Josh Miller of West Virginia State, Isaac Thornton of Fairmont State and Marquis Weddle of West Virginia Wesleyan.

Seton Hill's Matt Miller won the Freshman of the Year Award.

As regular-season champions, Coach Crutchfield and his Hilltoppers received a first-round WVIAC Tournament bye and won't hit the floor again until Thursday's quarterfinal round in Charleston. West Liberty is scheduled to play at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of Tuesday night's first-round matchup between Shepherd and Wheeling Jesuit.

2010-11 All-WVIAC Men's Basketball Team

Coach of the Year: Jim Crutchfield, West Liberty

Player of the Year: Corey Pelle, West Liberty

Freshman of the Year: Matt Miller, Seton Hill

First Team

Nate Barnes, Jr., G, Alderson-Broaddus

JORDAN FORTNEY, SR., G, WEST LIBERTY

Patrick Grubbs, Jr., C, Pitt-Johnstown

Jon Liggins, Sr., G, Charleston 

Josh Miller, Sr., G, W.Va. State

COREY PELLE, SR., G, WEST LIBERTY

BARRY SHETZER, SR., G, WEST LIBERTY

Isaac Thornton, So., G, Fairmont State

Marquis Weddle, Sr., G, W.Va. Wesleyan

Second Team

Javaughn Acree-Manuel, Jr., G, Concord

Danny Branch, Sr., G, Pitt-Johnstown

Justin Caldwell, Sr., G, Glenville State

Steve Catich, Jr., F, Wheeling Jesuit

Chris Giles, Jr., G, Seton HIll

Chad Moore, So., F, Shepherd

Nick Novak, So., G, Pitt-Johnstown

Donavin Vinson, Sr., F, Ohio Valley

Honorable Mention

Reggie Cook, Sr., G, Davis & Elkins

Steve Custis, Jr., G, Fairmont State

Terrence Green, Sr., G, Fairmont State

Bo King, Jr., G, W.Va. State

Hickman Simmons, Jr., F, Bluefield State

Malik Tinsley, Jr., F, Davis & Elkins

Tim Turner, Sr., G, Davis & Elkins

Honorable Mention

Brad DuPont, G, Wheeling Jesuit

Bill Luther, F, Pitt Johnstown

Matt Miller, G, Seton Hill

Brantley Osborne, G, Shepherd

MARK SHADOWENS, G, WEST LIBERTY

WVIAC Players of the Year

1976: Dave Moore (Fairmont State)

1977: Dave Moore (Fairmont State)

1978: Vance Carr (Fairmont State)

1979: John Bates (WV Wesleyan)

1980: Leroy Loggins (Fairmont State)

1981: Kevin Beaford (Fairmont State)

1982: Phil Dailey (Salem)

1983: Sedale Threatt (WV Tech)

1984: SPENCER JOHNSON (WEST LIBERTY)

1985: Tim Murphy (Fairmont State)

1986: Sam Cooke (WV Tech)/Keith Tyler (Charleston)

1987: Matt Bullett (Glenville State)

1988: Antonio Martin (Charleston)

1989: Willie Davis (Alderson-Broaddus)

1990: Willie Davis (Alderson-Broaddus)

1991: Ron Ward (Concord)

1992: Ron Ward (Concord)

1993: Willie Coleman (Salem-Teikyo)

1994: Willie Coleman (Salem-Teikyo)

1995: Antoine Hatcher (Salem-Teikyo)

1996: Shawn Harvey (WV State)

1997: Sean Hampton (Alderson-Broaddus)

1998: Sean Hampton (Alderson-Broaddus)

1999: Dewayne Richardson (Fairmont State)

2000: Ajamu Gaines (Charleston)

2001: Kalan Smith (Charleston)

2002: Wykeen Kelly (Salem International)

2003: Wykeen Kelly (Salem International)

2004: Mike Taylor (WV State)

2005: Lewis Muse (Concord)

2006: Shaun McKie (Salem International)

2007: Ted Scott (WV State)

2008: Chris Gilliam (Pitt Johnstown)

2009: Ted Scott (WV State)

2010: Terrell Eargle (Alderson-Broaddus)

2011: COREY PELLE (WEST LIBERTY)

WVIAC Coaches of the Year

1980: Joe Retton (Fairmont State)

1981: Joe Retton (Fairmont State)

1982: Ray Barnhart (Salem)

1983: Jim O'Brien (Wheeling)

1984: Bruce Stewart (WV Wesleyan)

1985: Tex Williams (Charleston)/Rich Cameron (WV Wesleyan)

1986: Tex Williams (Charleston)

1987: Terry Brown (Bluefield State)

1988: Tom Sutherland (WV Tech)

1989: Jay DeFruscio (Wheeling Jesuit)

1990: Tom Sutherland (WV Tech)

1991: Steve McDonald (WV Wesleyan)

1992: Greg White (Charleston)

1993: Gary Nottingham (Glenville State)

1994: Mike Carey (Salem-Teikyo)

1995: Butch Haswell (Fairmont State)

1996: DAN PETRI (WEST LIBERTY)

1997: Mike Carey (Salem-Teikyo)

1998: Butch Haswell (Fairmont State)

1999: Mike Carey (Salem-Teikyo)

2000: Jayson Gee (Charleston)

2001: Jeff Kepreos (WVU Tech)

2002: Charlie Miller (WV Wesleyan)

2003: Jay DeFruscio (Wheeling Jesuit)

2004: Bryan Poore (WV State)

2005: JIM CRUTCHFIELD (WEST LIBERTY)

2006: Greg Zimmerman (Alderson-Broaddus)

2007: Greg Zimmerman (Alderson-Broaddus)

2008: Bob Rukavina (Pitt Johnstown)

2009: Bryan Poore (WV State)

2010: JIM CRUTCHFIELD (WEST LIBERTY)

2011: JIM CRUTCHFIELD (WEST LIBERTY)