Elon's head men's basketball coach Ernie Nestor has been named the SoCon Coach of the Year for men's basketball. In addition, Chris Chalko was named to the All-Conference team and Brett James was named to the All-Freshman team. Kitara McMoore was named to the women's All-Conference team. Details...
The honors are the result of voting by the Southern Conference’s head basketball coaches.
After registering an 8-23 record last season and a projected finish of fourth in the Southern Conference North Division entering this season, Nestor led the Phoenix to a 14-13 regular-season ledger and a 10-4 mark in league play en route to capturing the North Division crown.
After struggling to a 2-9 start this season, the Phoenix stunned Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Clemson for a 74-69 road victory to ignite an eight-game winning streak. Elon has won 12 of its last 16 contests, including its last eight games at Alumni Gym.
The Phoenix turned in a perfect 7-0 slate versus Southern Conference competition at Alumni Gym, including a victory over College of Charleston on Feb. 6 for Nestor’s 100th career coaching victory.The Phoenix are the No. 2 seed in the SoCon Basketball Tournament which starts Thursday, March 2 at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Nestor also received coach of the year honors by the SoCon’s Sports Media Association.
Chalko leads the Phoenix with 12.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. The 6-8 forward also tops the team with 71 three-pointers made this year, the third-highest single-season performance in Elon history. This season, Chalko has knocked down six three-pointers on two separate occasions in addition to converting a career-high seven treys against Montreat.
Entering the 2006 Southern Conference Championship, Chalko ranks fifth among league leaders with 2.73 three-point field goals made per game. In conference contests, Chalko is ranked second with 3.23 treys per game, 10th with 13.5 points per game and 10th with a 39.3-percent clip from behind the three-point arc. He has scored in double digits in 17 games this year, including four performances of at least 20 points.
In addition to Chalko, the other members of the All-Conference team are: Elton Nesbitt of Georgia Southern (also named SoCon Player of the Year), Appalachian State’s D.J. Thompson, College of Charleston’s Dontaye Draper, Davidson’s Ian Johnson and Brendan Winters, Furman’s Moussa Diagne, UNC Greensboro’s Ricky Hickman and Kyle Hines and Wofford’s Howard Wilkerson.
James averages 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest off the Phoenix bench. The 6-5 guard has logged two starts this season, earning his first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds in a victory over Guilford.
With Elon’s three leading scorers sitting out due to injuries and illness, James amassed a career-high 18 points in a win against College of Charleston. He finished 7-for-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line in that victory. James paces the Phoenix with 20 blocked shots while rating 8th in the conference with 0.74 blocks per game and sixth in league games with 0.79 per outing.
James is joined on the All-Freshman team by College of Charleston’s Jermaine Johnson, Furman’s Jadee Jones and Stanley Jones, and UNC Greensboro’s David McClenny.
In SoCon women’s basketball honors, Elon sophomore forward Kitara McMoore (Virginia Beach, Va.) collected All-Southern Conference honors from both the league’s coaches and the media. The coaches select one 10-player team, while the media selects both a first and second team. McMoore earned first team accolades.
McMoore led the Southern Conference in scoring at 14.1 points per game and in rebounding at 9.1 caroms per contest this season. She posted a league-high 10 double-doubles, including career bests in both categories when she netted 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a victory at Western Carolina.
She also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (2nd – 57.3%), blocks (10th – 0.70 bpg), offensive rebounds (3rd – 3.00 rpg) and defensive rebounds (1st – 6.15 rpg).
A two-time Southern Conference Player of the Month, McMoore is among team leaders in assists (2nd – 52), blockds (2nd – 19) and steals (2nd – 46). The three-time SoCon Player of the Week sits one rebound shy of 400 for her career and already sits in seventh place in career blocks with 49.
In the most recent NCAA statistical rankings, McMoore rated 21st in the nation in field goal percentage.
McMoore and the Phoenix will begin Southern Conference Tournament play on Friday, March 3 against third-seeded Davidson at approximately 7 p.m.