Five Scots Honored by Conference, Including Cooper as Player of the Year

James Cooper

Brandon Johnson

» 2005-06 All-NCAC Team

North Coast Athletic Conference-champion College of Wooster collected two of the league’s individual postseason awards and four of its players were recognized on the All-NCAC Team for the third year in a row, announced the league office Wednesday following a vote by the 10 head coaches. James Cooper (Springfield, Ohio / South) was selected NCAC Player of the Year and Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison) picked up NCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year accolades. Joining Cooper with first-team all-conference honors was Tom Port (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake), while Tim Vandervaart (N. Canton, Ohio / Hoover) and Kyle Witucky (Zanesville, Ohio / Zanesville) were each recognized on the second team.

Cooper becomes the second sophomore to earn the NCAC’s top individual award, joining Scott Tedder of Ohio Wesleyan University in 1985-86. The 6-0, 155-pound shooting guard is on track to finish the season as the league’s leading scorer, something that no Fighting Scot player has accomplished previously. Cooper’s currently at 19.4 points per game, and he’s reached that figure in an efficient manner as he’s the only player ranked among the conference’s top-10 in all three shooting categories – field-goal percentage (7th, .564), 3-point percentage (4th, .486), and free throw percentage (3rd, .806). Additionally, Cooper has increased his assist average from 1.4 last year to a rate of 2.5 per game, to go with 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals.

Port is now a three-time All-NCAC player after his second consecutive first-team selection. The 6-5, 215-pound senior forward missed four games due to a fractured left wrist on Jan. 18, but has since bounced back and is second on Wooster and seventh in the league in scoring with a career-high average of 15.4 points. He’s also second on the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg), assists (2.9 apg), and blocked shots (1.0 bpg), while ranking 11th, 6th, and tied for 10th in the conference in those respective categories. Also of note, Port’s the second-best free throw shooter in the NCAC (.825; 52-of-63).

Vandervaart was tabbed with his second postseason award after receiving honorable mention on the All-NCAC Team last year. The 6-6, 205-pound junior post player has been all over the place for the Scots this season, as he ranks among the top-10 in the conference in six key categories – scoring (9th, 14.6 ppg), rebounding (3rd, 8.7 rpg), field-goal percentage (1st, .644), assists (8th, 2.8 apg), steals (5th, 1.8 spg), and blocks (5th, 1.4 bpg). On the year, Vandervaart has posted nine double-doubles.

Witucky, a four-year starter at point guard, garners his third-straight All-NCAC citation. Running the Scots’ offense, he ranks second in the league statistics in both assists (3.9 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.4 per game), as well as 10th in 3-pointers made (1.8 3pg). Witucky, who has guided the program to a 108-13 record (.893) the last four seasons, also is averaging 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

Johnson, the third Wooster player to be voted NCAC Newcomer of the Year since the award’s inception in 1994-95, has been the squad’s top reserve. The freshman guard is the Scots’ fourth-leading scorer at just a shade under 10 tallies per game (9.6), with a significant amount of his points at the foul line where he’s shooting 77.1 percent (64-of-83) – sixth-best in the league. A defensive standout, Johnson’s 47 steals also put him sixth in the NCAC stats in that category (1.7 spg), and he has passed out 71 assists (2.5 apg).

Wooster, currently ranked No. 5 by D3hoops.com’s national poll, will play a first-round game in the NCAA Div. III Tournament this Friday against Randolph-Macon College (22-6) at the campus of Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. Tip time is scheduled for 6 p.m.