Annville, PA - After defeating Albright College 70-65 in the Commonwealth Championships semifinals on Wednesday, the Messiah men's basketball team is preparing for the program's second-ever appearance in the Commonwealth finale against Lycoming College.
On Friday, one day before the Championship tip-off with Lycoming College, the Falcons were honored by the Commonwealth with three recognitions.
Sophomore
David Fernandez was named First Team All-Commonwealth for the Falcons, with junior
Derek Mosley receiving a Second Team nod. Head coach
Rick Van Pelt was also named Coach of the Year.
The First Team recognition is the first for Fernandez, who leads the Falcons this season with a 15.9 points per game (ppg) average. The guard from Miami, Fl., also leads the Falcons with 71 assists, 32 steals, and a 57.1% shooting average from the field. His averages are good for top 10 in the Commonwealth for points (5th), field goal percentage (2nd), and assists (8th).
Fernandez has led the Falcons in scoring 12 times this season, as Messiah has accumulated a record of 19-6 including 12-2 in the Commonwealth Conference. Fernandez led the Falcons with 25 points on 10-14 shooting in
their recent, thrilling win over Albright in the conference tournament.
Mosley's Second Team recognition is also his first All-Commonwealth honor. The junior guard/forward from Stafford, Va., is second the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). He is shooting a impressive 43.2% from the three-point line.
Mosley's scoring average places him 11th in the Commonwealth, with his rebounding placing him 9th. He leads the conference in three-point shooting. He has led the team in scoring six times, and rebounding nine times.
For Van Pelt, the Coach of the Year award is his second such recognition after being named Co-Coach of the Year in 2006-07.
He has led the Falcons to a record of 19-6-- the fourth time he has accumulated 19 wins in a season-- and a #1 seed in this year's Commonwealth Championships. He's done so with a roster that includes only three seniors and one junior, with five sophomores or freshmen averaging double-digit minutes.
A former player for the Falcons and assistant coach for six seasons prior to his appointment to head coach, Van Pelt holds a record of 142-90 in his nine seasons with Messiah entering this weekend's Commonwealth finale vs. Lycoming College. He has led the Falcons to winning records in all but two of his seasons on the bench, and guided the Falcons to their first-ever Commonwealth Championship and NCAA Championships berth in 2005-06. Messiah returned to the NCAA Championships in 2006-07.
Messiah will look for their second-ever Commonwealth Championship this Saturday at 3:00 p.m., when they host Lycoming.
Widener's Perry Wright was named Player of the Year for the Commonwealth after placing third in the conference in scoring (16.2 ppg), ninth in rebounding (6.7 rpg), fourth in steals (2.3 spg), and eighth in three-point shooting (36.8%). Widener finished the season with a 18-8 record, including 9-5 in the Commonwealth. As the #2 seed in the conference tournament, they fell to Lycoming 79-77.
Arcadia's Travis Saltus was named Rookie of the Year after starting all 25 games for the Knights and averaging 8.4 ppg and collecting 63 total assists while shootin 44% from the field.
First Team
Pos - Name - School - Year - Hometown/High School
F - Danny Brooks - Lebanon Valley - Junior - Abington, MD/Edgewood
F - Derek Hall - Albright - Senior - Northampton, PA/Northampton
G -
David Fernandez - Messiah - Sophomor - Miami, FL/Florida Christian
G - Joe Meehan - Lebanon Valley - Senior - Harleysville, PA/St. Joseph's Prep
F - Perry Wright * - Widener - Senior - Severn, MD/Cardinal Gibbons
* = Player of the Year
Second Team
Pos - Name - School - Year - Hometown/High School
C - Jack Brennan - Widener - Senior - Stratford, NJ/Sterling
F - Michael Bradley - Lycoming - Senior - Philadelphia, PA/St. Joseph's Prep
F -
Derek Mosley - Messiah - Junior - Stafford, VA/Mountain View
G - Stefan Thompson - Alvernia - Senior - Philadelphia, PA/G.A.M.P
G - Jerald Williams - Lycoming - Junior - Riverdale, MD/Bladensburg
Rookie of the Year: Travis Saltus, Arcadia
Coach of the year: Rick Van Pelt, Messiah
