PHILADELPHIA'S TAYRON THOMAS TABBED ECAC BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

March 23, 2006

NEW HAVEN, CT - Philadelphia senior guard Tayron Thomas added yet another major honor to his stellar career as he was named the 2006 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Bloomfield junior guard Andre Dabney was a second team All-ECAC selection and fellow Deacon Daniel Terrell was an Honorable Mention. NJIT junior guard Clayton Barker was also an Honorable Mention pick.

An ECAC Division II first team All-Star a year ago, Thomas was recognized as the top player by the coaches of the ECAC for his play this past season in helping the Rams to a 20-11 overall record. A consensus first team All-American, Thomas led all of Division II in scoring with 29.0 ppg while also contributing 7.8 rpg, a team-high 117 assists and 55 steals, which also topped the Rams. Along the way, he set school records for points in a season (898) and a career (2,414) en route to earning Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Player of the Year honors.

Dabney, a first team All-CACC performer, ranked sixth in the CACC in scoring (18.9), second in assists (4.06), first in steals (2.68) and fifth in assist-turnover ratio (1.40). Dabney, who is from Plainfield, NJ, helped lead the Deacons to their third straight CACC Tournament title and with it a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament this season.

Terrell was named the CACC Tournament MVP this season and was also a first team All-CACC selection. Terrell, who hails from Somerdale, NJ, stood fourth in the conference in scoring (20.9), seventh in assists (3.65), first in free-throw percentage (.844) and fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.409).

Barker, who is from Passaic, NJ, was named to the All-CACC first team after ranking third in the conference in scoring with 21.9 points per-game. Furthermore, he also ranked 12th in assists (3.19), ninth in free-throw percentage (.783) and fifth in steals (2.04).