PLANO, Texas — After finishing as the league's sixth-leading scorer and a second-team all-conference selection, Southeastern Louisiana's Amir Abdur-Rahim was named Tuesday to the Southland Conference 2003-04 Preseason All-Conference First Team in a release by the conference office.
Abdur-Rahim, a 6-foot-3 senior from Atlanta, Ga., averaged 15.4 points per game and was one of two Lions named to the team. The younger brother of NBA All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Amir reached double-figure scoring in 23 of 27 games and scored a career-high 31 points in a double-overtime win over Texas State on Feb. 1. He was named second-team all-Southland each of the past two years.
Joining Abdur-Rahim on the Preseason team is senior Terry West, a 6-6 forward and the SLC's 12th-leading scorer at 11.5 points per game. West, from Camilla, Ga., led the Lions in rebounds (4.7) as a junior and was eighth in the SLC in free throw percentage (.752)
After winning the league scoring title last year, Texas-San Antonio senior LeRoy Hurd tops the list of preseason All-Southland Conference selections for the 2003-04 men's basketball campaign.
Hurd was named newcomer of the year and to the second-team all-conference squad after averaging 17.6 points per contest as a junior. A transfer from the University of Miami, Hurd finished fourth in the league with 8.0 rebounds a contest. He was a 49.8 percent (131-263) shooter from the floor and hit 75.4 percent (98-130) of his free throws to rank seventh in the Southland Conference in both categories.
Also named to the first-team is Terry Conerway of Texas State. Conerway, a 6-3 senior guard, is the lone returning player from last year's first-team all-league squad.
Conerway averaged 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds to rank sixth and 10th, respectively, as a junior for the Bobcats. A transfer from Hill Junior College, he finished second in the top newcomer voting after leading Texas State to a 17-12 season in 2003. The Cleburne, Texas, product was the only non-senior on last year's first team all-conference club at season's end. Conerway ranked second in the league with 2.43 3-pointers made per game and was sixth in accuracy with 40.5 percent (68-168) of his trey attempts made. He can get it done defensively also as he was second in the Southland in steals with 2.29 per outing.
Joining Abdur-Rahim, Hurd and Conerway on the preseason first team are Roy Johnson and Derrick Obasohan of Texas-Arlington.
Johnson and Obasohan are two of three starters returning at Texas-Arlington this fall. Picked to finish eighth in last year's preseason coaches poll, the Mavs finished third behind the 11.3 points per game from Obasohan and 11.1 from Johnson. Obasohan, a 6-7 forward, averaged 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game over the final six games.
Northwestern State's Jermaine Wallace earned freshman of the year honors last season and heads up this year's preseason second-team. Playing on a freshman-laden team, 14 in all, Wallace averaged 11.1 points during his rookie campaign. He edged Marcus Clark of SFA for the rookie recognition.
Clark joins Wallace on the preseason second team along with West and Lamar University sophomores Jonathan Burnett and Jason Grant.
2003-04 Preseason First-Team All-Southland Conference
Name University Pos. Cl. Ht. Hometown
Terry Conerway Texas State G Sr. 6-3 Cleburne, Texas
LeRoy Hurd Texas-San Antonio F Sr. 6-7 Moss Point, Miss.
Amir Abdur-Rahim Southeastern Louisiana G Sr. 6-3 Atlanta, Ga.
Roy Johnson Texas-Arlington C Sr. 6-9 Houston, Texas
Derrick Obasohan Texas-Arlington F Sr. 6-7 Houston, Texas
