Braswell Named First-Team All-American and Regional POTY by NABC

Senior Ed Lapinski, head coach Scott Coval, and junior Darnell Braswell were each honored by the NABC over the weekend.

Center Valley, PA (March 23, 2009) – Junior Darnell Braswell (Allentown, PA/William Allen) became the first DeSales University men's basketball to earn First-Team All-American honors over the weekend when he was named to the NABC First-Team All-American Team after also taking home NABC Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year Honors.

Braswell and senior teammate Ed Lapinski (Red Hill, PA/Upper Perkiomen) were each named to the NABC All-District Mid-Atlantic Team with Braswell earning First-Team honors and being named Mid-Atlantic Regional Player of the Year and Lapinski taking home Second-Team honors. All First-Team regional selections were forwarded to the All-American committee and Braswell was honored once again being named a First-Team All-American. In addition, head coach Scott Coval was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by the organization.

The All-Region honor is the second for both players after they were each named to the D3hoops.com All-Region team. DSU finished the year with a 25-6 overall record, won its first-ever Freedom Conference Championship and advanced all the way to the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Franklin & Marshall College.

Braswell, who was also named the Freedom Conference Player of the Year, led the team averaging 16.8 points per game and ranked second on the team averaging 7.8 rebounds per game. He tied for the team-lead with nine double-doubles and was also ranked second on the team with 77 assists and 47 steals. Braswell finished the season scoring 20+ points in six of the final eight games including a career-high 27 points in the win over Ithaca College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He becomes the first men's basketball player to ever earn First-Team All-American honors at DeSales.

Lapinski ranked second on the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game and averaged a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game. He tied Braswell for the team-lead with nine double-doubles and also led the team with 30 blocked shots. Lapinski finishes his career ranked among the all-time leaders in points scored (1,133 – 14^th), rebounds (719 – 4^th), blocked shots (75 – 6^th), and as the all-time leader in games played with 114.

Coval adds the Regional Coach of the Year honor after also being named the Freedom Conference Coach of the Year this season. He led the Bulldogs to a school-record in wins, to 20+ wins for the sixth time in the last seven years and to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in his 16-year coaching career. He will enter his 17^th season with a career record of 281-150 (.652).

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