Horizon League 2005-06 Season Recap
The Horizon League had familiar company at the top with the rest of the league pretty much wide-open.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers won the regular season championship for the third straight season and reached the league tournament title game for the fourth straight season. The Panthers then went on to win the league tournament championship to gain its second straight NCAA tournament berth.
The team UWM beat, the Butler Bulldogs, finished second in the regular season standings and were awarded a berth into the NIT. The Panthers got the 11th seed for the NCAA tournament and Butler drew Florida State for its NIT game.
UWM beat 6th-seeded Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA tournament while Butler was defeated by the Seminoles. The Panthers advanced in the NCAA tournament for the second straight season. The reward? The Florida Gators. UWM was no match for the eventual national champion Gators.
The off-season has already brought out some coaching changes within the league. Mike Garland stepped down after a brief and unsuccessful tenure with the Cleveland State Vikings. Garland was 23-60 in his three seasons at CSU. Also, Paul Biancardi stepped down at Wright State.
Both coaches have already been replaced. Cleveland State hired former Rutgers and Kent State coach Gary Waters. Waters, who was most recentlythe head coach at Rutgers for the last five seasons, went to the postseason six times in the last 10 seasons. And, Wright State hired former UNC-Wilmington head coach Brad Brownell as the new coach at WSU. Brownell was 83-40 in his four years at UNCW.
Player of the year: Brandon Polk, Sr., Butler
Coach of the year: Todd Lickliter, Butler
Newcomer of the year: Othyus Jeffers, So., Illinois-Chicago
All-League team
First team
Brandon Polk, Butler
Blake Schilb, Loyola
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee
DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State
Second team
Brandon Cotton, Detroit
Justin Bowen, UIC
Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay
Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee
All-Newcomer Team
Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Josh Mayo, UIC
Leon Young, Loyola
Mike Schachtner, UW-Green Bay
Keston Roberts, Youngstown State
All-Defensive Team
Torvoris Baker, Detroit
Majak Kou, Loyola
Terry Evans, UW-Green Bay
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee
DaShaun Wood, Wright State
UW-Milwaukee Panthers (22-9 overall, 12-4 conference)
Team MVP: Joah Tucker (17.2 points per game)
Top scorer: Tucker
Top rebounder: Adrian Tigert (6.9 per game)
Assist leader: Chris Hill (3.0 per game)
Starters leaving
Tucker
Boo Davis
Hill
Tigert
Key players returning
Jason McCoy
Butler Bulldogs (20-13, 11-5)
Team MVP: Brandon Polk (19.3 points, 59% FG percentage)
Top scorer: Polk
Top rebounder: Brandon Crone (5.0 per game)
Assist leader: Avery Sheets (3.8 per game)
Starters leaving
Sheets
Bruce Horan
Brandon Polk
Key players returning
Brandon Crone
Brian Ligon
UW-Green Bay Phoenix (15-16, 8-8)
Team MVP: Ryan Evanochko (15.8 points per game, 5.2 assists)
Top scorer: Evanochko
Top rebounder: Terry Evans (5.5 per game)
Assist leader: Evanochko
Starters leaving
None – Phoenix had no seniors on the roster this past season
Key players returning
Evanochko
Mike Schachtner
Josh Lawrence
Ryan Tillema
Evans
Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (19-11, 8-8)
Team MVP: Blake Schilb (19.1 points, 3.9 assists per game)
Top scorer: Schilb
Top rebounder: Leon Young (7.2 per game)
Assist leader: Schilb
Starters leaving
Chris Logan
Key players returning
Blake Schilb
J.R. Blount
Majak Kou
Tom Levin
Kye Pattrick
Detroit Titans (16-16, 8-8)
Team MVP: Brandon Cotton (17.5 points per game)
Top scorer: Cotton
Top rebounder: Torvoris Baker (7.5 per game)
Assist leader: Jon Goode (3.3 per game)
Starters leaving
Baker
Ben Green
Chuck Bailey
Key players returning
Cotton
Goode
Illinois-Chicago Flames (16-15, 8-8)
Team MVP: Justin Bowen (14.7 points, 6.8 rebounds per game)
Top scorer: Bowen
Top rebounder: Othyus Jeffers (7.6 per game)
Assist leader: Jeffers (3.0 per game)
Starters leaving
Bowen
Key players returning
Jeffers
Josh Mayo
Jovan Stefanov
Danijel Zoric
Robert Bush
Wright State Raiders (13-15, 8-8)
Team MVP: DaShaun Wood (17.9 points, 4.7 assists per game)
Top scorer: Wood
Top rebounder: Jordan Pleiman (6.7 per game)
Assist leader: Wood
Starters leaving
None; no seniors on roster last season
Key players returning
Wood
Drew Burleson
Pleiman
William Graham
Tyrone Scott
Cleveland State Vikings (10-18, 5-11)
Team MVP: Ije Nwankwo (11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds per game)
Top scorer: J’Nathan Bullock (11.3 per game)
Top rebounder: Patrick Tatham (6.0 per game)
Assist leader: Carlos English (4.6 per game)
Starters leaving
None
Key players returning
Bullock
Nwankwo
Raheem Moss
English
Tatham
Victor Morris
Youngstown State Penguins (7-21, 4-12)
Team MVP: Quin Humphrey (19.2 points, 8.3 rebounds per game)
Top scorer: Humphrey
Top rebounder: Humphrey
Assist leader: Derrick Harris (5.3 per game)
Starters leaving
Harris
Key players returning
Humphrey
Keston Roberts
Jack Liles
John Barber
Colin LaForme
Dwight Holmes
