May 11, 2008

Baton Rouge, La. - Two former Tulane basketball greats and a nationally-known official from Lafayette were the major honorees the 34th Annual Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Awards Banquet this past Saturday night.

Inducted into the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame were former star player Paul Thompson and former coach Perry Clark, both of Tulane.

The other major honoree was long-time referee and current Coordinator of Men's Basketball Officials for the Southeastern Conference, Gerald Boudreaux, who won the LABC's prestigious Mr. Louisiana Basketball award. This award is given annually to someone who has made a significant, long-term contribution to the game of basketball at any level in the State of Louisiana.

Also honored at the banquet were Louisiana's major college, small college, junior college and high school basketball players and coaches of the year, along with the top pro player from the state.

Thompson was a four-time All-Metro Conference, three-time All-Louisiana and two-time first team NABC All-District selection while at Tulane in the early 1980s. He finished his career as the leading scorer and second leading rebounder in Tulane history, with 1,851 points for a 16.5 average and 903 rebounds for an 8.1 average.

Thompson averaged 17.5 points and 7.4 rebounds as a senior, 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds as a junior, and 18.7 points and a conference-leading 9.4 rebounds as a sophomore. He was the Metro Conference Freshman of the Year in 1980, with averages of 15.0 points and 8.2 rebounds. He led Tulane to its first two postseason appearances, reaching as far as the NIT quarterfinals in 1982.

Clark revived a dormant Tulane program in 1989, winning 185 games over the next 11 seasons. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1992, after taking Tulane to its first NCAA Tournament. He was also a two-time Metro Conference and Louisiana Coach of the Year and once an NABC District Coach of the Year.

Clark led Tulane to one Metro Conference championship and three Conference USA division titles. He took the Green Wave to a total of three NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT appearances, including a third place finish in the 1996 NIT. He posted six 20-win seasons, including records of 23-10, 22-9, 22-9, 22-10, 20-11, 20-11 and 18-11.

Boudreaux was a NCAA Division I college basketball official for 25 years and currently serves as Coordinator of Men's Basketball Officials for the Southeastern Conference. He was selected to work the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four five times during his career, including the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003 championship games.

Boudreaux officiated in 16 consecutive NCAA and SEC Tournaments, and in 2000 was honored as the Naismith Men's College Official of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. He currently serves as the Director of the Parks & Recreation Department for the Lafayette Consolidated Government.

The LABC also presented the Pete Maravich Memorial Award, honoring Louisiana's Major College Player of the Year, to senior guard Bo McCalebb of the University of New Orleans. This season McCalebb was a first team All-Sun Belt Conference selection and was the SBC Defensive Player of the Year. The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major All-American led the SBC in scoring with a 23.2 average (9th in the nation) and in steals with a 2.38 average.

Coach Mike McConathy of Northwestern State was presented the Tommy Joe Eagles Memorial Award as Louisiana's Major College Coach of the Year. This year he led the Demons to their fourth straight Southland Conference Tournament championship game appearance, after finishing in fourth place during the regular season. This is the nation's second-best streak of postseason tournament success.

The Bob Pettit Award, which is given to Louisiana's Professional Player of the Year, was presented to first-time recipient Paul Millsap. In his second year in the NBA, the former Louisiana Tech star averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds, and shot 50.4% from the field, in helping lead the Utah Jazz to the Northwest Division title. Millsap had single game highs of 28 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks.

Josh Porter of LSU-Shreveport received the Louisiana Small College Player of the Year award after being named a first team NAIA All-American and the NAIA Co-National Player of the Year, with season averages of 21.9 points (5th in the nation) and 3.12 three-point field goals made (10th in the nation). Coach Chad McDowell of LSU-Shreveport, who was named the Louisiana Small College Coach of the Year for the fifth straight year, directed the Pilots to a No. 4 final national ranking, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships, and the second round of the NAIA Tournament with a school-best 31-3 record.

Whitworth Treasure and Coach David Francis of Southern-Shreveport were honored as the Louisiana Junior College Player and Coach of the Year, respectively. Treasure, a freshman guard, averaged 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Coach Francis led the Port City Jags to the finals of the Louisiana Athletic Association of Community Colleges tournament with a 22-6 record.