Buffalo's McCrea Honored Along With KSU's Porrini, Guyton

McCrea became the first UB player to ever win Freshman of the Year Honors. McCrea is having one of the finest freshman campaigns in school history. The 6-6 forward is averaging 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. His 330 points scored this season is the third-highest single-season total by a freshman in school history. McCrea has been efficient around the basket as he leads the Mid-American Conference and ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage (.648). He ranks fourth in the conference in blocked shots with 50 - the second most ever by a UB freshman. His 38 steals are second on the team.

"This a tremendous honor for Javon and for our program. Especially considering all of the great freshmen we have throughout the Mid-American Conference," head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "It is a testament to the hard work Javon put in and the hard work his teammates put in to put him in this position."

Standing a mere 6'2", Porrini developed into one of the most versatile defenders in the conference this season. With him guarding any one of four positions on the floor from point guard to power forward, he helped cornerstone a Kent State defense that led the league in field goal percentage defense (.416) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.317). Porrini also was second on the team with 4.3 rebounds per game, including 3.0 on the defensive end, for a team that was second in the league in rebounding with 37.0 per game. He had 12 games this season with three or more steals and ranked fifth in the MAC with 1.7 steals per game this season.

"Mike is one of the toughest kids that I have worked with in my 14 years in the coaching profession," said Kent State Head Coach Geno Ford. "He is a fierce competitor that brings a workman-like mentality to every game. His ability to defend opposing players ranging from point guards to post players has been a vital part of our team's accomplishments this year."

Porrini is the fourth different Kent State player to receive the honor joining Haminn Quaintance (2008), John Edwards (2004) and Demetric Shaw (2001 & 2002).

Guyton was tabbed the league's top reserve following a conference season in which he came off the bench in 13 of his 14 games and averaged 12.4 points per contest during league play. One of the top marksmen from three, he shot 40.5 percent (49-121) from beyond the arc on the season ranking him eighth in the MAC. Guyton picked up his game down the stretch as the Golden Flashes secured the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament and a second straight regular season title. In the last seven games of the regular season the 6'4" junior guard averaged a team best 15.4 ppg and shot over 50 percent from the field and 48.1 percent (13-27) from three.

"Carlton has been a key contributor to our success this season," said Ford. "He has thrived in his role off the bench and has given our team an immediate lift upon entering games during MAC play."

This is the second straight year Kent State has had a player named ‘Sixth-Man' of the Year. Guyton is the third player in school history to be recognized with the honor joining Anthony Simpson (2010) and Kevin Warzynski (2006). Since the award was first handed out in 2003, the Golden Flashes have had a player receive the award in three of the nine years.

The All-MAC Team and All-Freshman Team will be announced tomorrow. FirstEnergy MAC Men's Basketball first-round games take place tonight on the higher seed campus sites. For more information visit MAC Tournament Central by clicking HERE.

MAC Freshman of the Year Voting
Javon McCrea, Buffalo (10 votes)
Trey Zeigler, Central Michigan (9 votes)
Matt Stainbrook, Western Michigan (1 vote)