The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Millsap Named First Team All-Conference, Johnson Tabbed Third Team
3/8/2010 12:00:00β―AM | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB junior guards Elijah Millsap and Aaron Johnson were both selected as All-Conference USA performers, which was announced by the league office on Monday. Millsap was tabbed as a first-team all-conference honoree, while Johnson earned third-team all-conference accolades, as voted on by media and coaches from around the conference.
Millsap becomes the first UAB player since Robert Vaden in 2008 and the fifth UAB player to earn first-team All-C-USA honors since the league began in 1995. The Grambling, La. native has had an outstanding season, leading the conference in rebounds per game (9.4), while also ranking fifth in the league with 16.0 points per contest. Millsap, the brother of Utah Jazz star Paul Millsap, tops the conference in double-doubles with 15 (second-most in UAB history).
Millsap is one of only two guards to rank among the top 40 players in rebounding in Division I. A transfer for Louisiana-Lafayette, Millsap, who was named the 2007-08 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, has led the Blazers in scoring and/or rebounding in 25 of their 30 contests on the season.
Johnson earns his first all-conference award for the Green & Gold with his third-team selection. The Chicago, Ill. native averages 10.0 points and ranks third in the league with 4.9 assists per game entering the league tournament. In league contests only, Johnson ranks second in assists per game (5.5) and is 26th in scoring (10.9).
Johnson leads the Blazers on the defensive end of the floor where he has a team-best 20 charges taken and ranks second on the team with 1.5 steals per game. He has recorded 13 double-digit scoring games this season alone, after compiling only five such contests through his previous two seasons.
Players from five different schools are represented on the C-USA men's basketball first team. Millsap joined seniors Aubrey Coleman of Houston and Ben Uzoh of Tulsa, junior Randy Culpepper of UTEP and sophomore Elliot Williams of Memphis. All five players are guards.
The second team is comprised completely of forwards and centers. Marshall senior Tyler Wilkerson and freshman Hassan Whiteside (the only freshman all-conference selection) are joined by Southern Miss junior Gary Flowers, UTEP junior Derrick Caracter and Tulsa senior Jerome Jordan on the second unit.
Johnson was joined on the all-conference third team by a pair of SMU student-athletes in junior forward Papa Dia and senior guard Derek Williams. The trio was joined by Memphis sophomore swingman Wesley Witherspoon and junior guard Brock Young of East Carolina.
The Blazers, who received a the No. 3 seed in the 2010 GMC Sierra Conference USA Championship, earned a first round bye and a spot in the quarterfinals. UAB will face the winner of Wednesday's opening round game between No. 6 Southern Miss and No. 11 Tulane.
2009-10 ALL-CONFERENCE USA FIRST TEAM
Aubrey Coleman, Houston, G, 6-4, 200, Sr., Houston, Texas
Randy Culpepper, UTEP, G, Jr., 6-0, 165, Jr., Memphis, Tenn.
Elijah Millsap, UAB, G, Jr., 6-6, 211, Grambling, La.
Ben Uzoh, Tulsa, G, 6-3, 200, Sr., San Antonio, Texas
Elliot Williams, Memphis, G, 6-5, 180, So., Memphis, Tenn.
2009-10 ALL-CONFERENCE USA SECOND TEAM
Derrick Caracter, UTEP, F, 6-9, 275, Jr., Fanwood, N.J.
Gary Flowers, Southern Miss, F, 6-8, 214, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Jerome Jordan, Tulsa, C, 7-0, 245, Sr., Kingston, Jamaica
Hassan Whiteside, Marshall, F, 6-11, 235, Fr., Gastonia, N.C.
Tyler Wilkerson, Marshall, F, 6-8, 240, Sr., Lexington, Ky.
2009-10 ALL-CONFERENCE USA THIRD TEAM
Papa Dia, SMU, F, 6-9, 235, Jr., St. Louis, Senegal
Aaron Johnson, UAB, G, 5-8, 175, Jr., Chicago, Ill.
Derek Williams, SMU, G, 6-1, 170, Sr., Jamaica, N.Y.
Wesley Witherspoon, Memphis, F/G, 6-9, 210, So., Atlanta, Ga.
Brock Young, East Carolina, G, 5-11, 175, Jr., Raleigh, N.C.
