Thornhill Named Coach of the Year, Six Griffins Named SLIAC All-Conference
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – For the second time of his career, Lance Thornhill was named SLIAC Coach of the Year, Freshman Charles Nelson earned 6th Man of the Year, while five other Griffins earned All-Conference awards.
Ethan Chartrand was honored First Team All-Conference, Cheikh Thiam was selected Second Team All-Conference, Brent Wagner earned Third Team All-Conference, while Elijah Rice and Thiam earned a spot in the All-Defensive Team.
Thornhill was named Coach of the Year. He led the team to a 18-7 overall record and a 13-5 conference record in the SLIAC, winning seven consecutive games. The Griffins recorded the best winning percentage on the overall season since 2007 with a .720. This is the second time that Thornhill won the title.
Nelson, a freshman forward from St. Louis, Mo., was selected 6th Man of the Year. He made 23 appearances, averaging 10.5 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game. He leads the team in steals with 39, totaled 241 points, 53 rebounds, 43 assists, and three blocks. He is ranked 11th in the SLIAC in steals.
Chartrand, a sophomore forward from Webster Groves, Mo., was honored First Team All-Conference. He started in 19 of 24 games played, averaging 14.1 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, and 1.0 assist per game. He leads the Griffins in points with 338, totaled 96 rebounds, 42 assists, 30 steals, and six blocks. He is ranked 10th in the SLIAC in scoring, fifth in field goal percentage, 22nd in three-point field goals per game, and 20th in steals.
Thiam, a junior center from Belleville, Ill., earned Second Team All-Conference and was named to the All-Defensive Team. He made 19 appearances for the Griffins, averaging 11.5 points per game, and 7.3 rebounds per game. He leads the team in blocks with 23, totaled 219 points, 138 rebounds, 17 assists, and 12 steals. He is ranked 24th in the SLIAC in scoring, fifth in rebounding, and fourth in blocked shots.
Wagner, a senior guard from Park Hills, Mo., was selected Third Team All-Conference. He started in all 25 games played. He averaged 11.8 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. He leads the team in three-pointers with 62, totaled 296 points, 102 rebounds, 29 steals, 28 assists, and eight blocks. He is ranked 22nd in the SLIAC in scoring, second in three-points field goals per game, and 23rd in steals.
Rice, a senior guard from Cahokia, Ill., was named to the All-Defensive Team. He started in 22 of 24 games played. He averaged 10.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. He leads the team in assists with 98, totaled 248 points, 127 rebounds, and 33 steals. He is ranked 18th in the SLIAC in rebounding, third in assists, second in assist/turnover ratio, and 13th in steals.
Kendall Horton was selected to the All-Sportsmanship Team.