FOURPEAT: Hines becomes fourth ever to earn fourth All-SoCon honor

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – UNC Greensboro forward Kyle Hines was named to the 10-member All-Southern Conference squad on Thursday, selected by the league’s 11 head coaches.

It was Hines’ fourth coaches’ All-SoCon selection, making him just the fourth player to earn the honor (first-team or lone team) all four years since the selections began 62 seasons ago. He joins Marshall’s Skip Henderson (1984-88), Furman’s Jonathan Moore (1976-80) and George Washington’s Joe Holup (1952-56) as the only four-time all-conference honorees in league history.

For the third time in his career, Hines was the runner-up for SoCon Player of the Year. Davidson’s Stephen Curry, the runner-up last year when Hines was the conference Player of the Year, was named the Player of the Year on Thursday.

Hines, a 6-6 senior from Sicklerville, NJ, is the school’s all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker. The holder of several other career and many single-season school marks, Hines was the first player in school history to record three consecutive seasons of 400 points and back-to-back seasons of 500 points. This year, he has recorded his fourth straight season of 400 points and third straight over 500. He is also the only player in school history to have 200 rebounds in four consecutive campaigns.

The 2005 Southern Conference Rookie of the Year and 2007 Southern Conference Player of the Year (UNCG’s first-ever Player of the Year), Hines enters the Southern Conference Tournament this weekend with 2,157 points, 1,030 rebounds and 339 blocked shots in his career. An AP All-America Honorable Mention selection last season, Hines joined a select list – Pervis Ellison, David Robinson, Alonzo Morning, Tim Duncan and Derrick Coleman – of players with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 blocks. He also broke the Southern Conference’s career record for blocked shots and is just the sixth in the conference’s storied career to achieve 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He was the 96th in Division I history to do so.

He one of two active player in Division I with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 blocks and 100 steals – a distinction that he has now amazingly held since December of 2006. His former AAU teammate Rider’s Jason Thompson joined him on that list just last week. Only 20 players have had that combination of career stats since 1996-97 and Hines was the fastest to do it, achieving the quartet in just 67 games. Thompson did it in career game No. 117 last week.

Currently, Hines has a streak of 79 straight games scoring in double-figures, the longest in the nation. He is fifth among active players in career points, fourth in rebounds and third in blocked shots. His 44 career double-doubles are second most among active players, as well. This season, he is averaging 19.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest, while shooting 56.4 percent from the floor. Hines has 12 games of 20 or more points this season, including a season-high 32 points in a win at College of Charleston. He broke his own school-record already this season with 13 double-doubles.

Hines and Curry were joined on the all-conference squad by Georgia Southern’s Louis Graham, Davidson’s Jason Richards, Donte Minter of Appalachian State, Nicchaeus Doaks and Stephen McDowell from Chattanooga, Wofford’s Drew Gibson, Western Carolina’s Brandon Giles and Brett James of Elon.

Davidson’s Bob McKillop was named the conference’s Coach of the Year, while Cameron Wells from The Citadel was named Rookie of the Year.

UNCG opens the Southern Conference Tournament on Saturday. The fifth-seeded Spartans take on fourth-seeded Appalachian State at approximately 4:15 pm at the North Charleston Coliseum.

2007-08 Southern Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Stephen Curry, Davidson
Freshman of the Year: Cameron Wells, The Citadel
Coach of the Year: Bob McKillop, Davidson

Coaches All-Southern Conference Team
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Kyle Hines, UNC Greensboro
Louis Graham, Georgia Southern
Jason Richards, Davidson
Donte Minter, Appalachian State
Nicchaeus Doaks, Chattanooga
Stephen McDowell, Chattanooga
Drew Gibson, Wofford
Brandon Giles, Western Carolina
Brett James, Elon

Coaches All-Freshman Team
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
Donald Sims, Appalachian State
Cameron Wells, The Citadel
Willie Powers, Georgia Southern
Austin Dahn, The Citadel

- UNCG -