February 28, 2009

Zasada named 1st Team all-SLIAC, Bell H.M.

Two Eureka College Red Devils earned All-St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference recognition following a vote by league coaches as announced Saturday night.  Junior Michael Zasada (McHenry, Ill./HS) was placed on the First Team, while junior Kameron Bell (Clinton, Ill./HS) received Honorable Mention.

Zasada, a 6-5 forward, was a consistent force in the SLIAC throughout the season, leading the Red Devils (12-13, 9-7 SLIAC) in points (14.4 ppg), rebounds (9.3 rpg), steals (36), blocked shots (23) and three-point percentage (40.6).  In conference action, he ranked third in blocked shots (1.1 bpg), fifth in rebounding (9.7 rpg), fifth in steals (1.8 spg), fifth in three-point percentage (40.3), ninth in scoring (16.1 ppg) and 12th in made three-point field goals.

A 2007-08 Honorable Mention All-Conference performer, Zasada took his game to new heights this season, pulling down 233 rebounds, the eighth most in Eureka school history.  He now has 597 boards in his career, putting him 10th on the EC career rebounds list.  Zasada recorded a team-high nine double-doubles on the season, including seven against SLIAC opposition.  He ended the season by scoring in double figures in 12 of his last 13 games.  He also reached the 20-point mark five times, including a career-high 28 points against Maryville on January 3.  Zasada, who is the second Red Devil to earn First Team All-Conference honors for men's basketball in Eureka's three years in the league, was named SLIAC Player of the Week for the week of November 17-23.

Bell, a junior transfer from Carl Sandburg College, was one of the top newcomers in the conference, and a key figure in the Red Devils' turn-around from a 2-9 start to the season.  He averaged 9.1 points per game over his first 11 outings of the season, but went on a tear over the final 14 contests of the 2008-09 campaign, averaging 16.2 points the rest of the way as the Red Devils won 10 of those 14 games.

Bell posted four double-doubles and five 20+ point scoring efforts, all versus conference opponents.  Bell joined his teammate, Zasada, as two of the six players in the league to rank in the top ten in both points and rebounds.  Bell was eighth in rebounds (7.3 rpg) and 10th in scoring (15.6 ppg).  He was also among the league leaders in steals (10th), field goal percentage (12th) and free throw percentage (13th).  He set career-highs with 27 points in an EC win at MacMurray on January 21, then recorded a career-high 14 rebounds in his next game versus Westminster on January 24.

Eureka ended the season as the third rated defensive squad in the SLIAC in terms of both points allowed and field goal percentage defense.  The Red Devils posted a 4-4 record against the four teams that qualified for the SLIAC playoffs, highlighted by a season series sweep of Webster and a road win over regular season and tournament champion Fontbonne.  Eureka put together a four-game winning streak in January and a six-game victory streak in February.

Below is a complete listing of the conference awards:  

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For More Information Contact:

Bryan Moore
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bmoore@eureka.edu