March 6, 2007

FRISCO, Texas - UT Arlington junior center Jermaine Griffin was named to the 2007 All-Southland Conference Men's Basketball First-Team while guard Ro'ger Guignard was named the league's freshman of the year, it was announced Tuesday.

"It is a tremendous honor for both of those guys," said UT Arlington Head Men's Basketball Coach Scott Cross after word of the announcement. "Jermaine has been solid most of the year and this will be a boost to him as we enter the conference tournament. Ro'ger has done a tremendous job making the adjustment to Division I basketball and he will only get better as his career goes on."

Griffin has been ranked in the 15 nationally throughout the season in field-goal percentage. Currently he is 11th in field-goal percentage with 62.5% (157 of 251), 11th in the league in scoring (13.4 ppg.) and second in blocked shots (1.96 bpg.). He is the school's career blocks leader with 108. He also set the single-season record with 55 this year, eclipsing the old mark of 43 set by Paul Renfro in 1979-80.

Guignard is second on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game and led the squad with 3.45 assists per game. He has 69 3-pointers this season and will join Willie Brand as the only UTA players to reach 70-or-more 3-pointers in a single season with a 3-pointer at the weekend's O'Reilly Auto Parts Southland Conference Basketball Tournament.

He is the fifth Maverick to be named freshman of the year joining Derrick Obasohan (2001), Bill Washington (1997), Albert Culton (1981) and Melvin Polk (1980). Guignard is on track to becoming the first UTA player to average double figures as a freshman since Washington in 1996-97.

UT Arlington will face McNeese State, Thursday, at 8:30 p.m., in the opening round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Southland Conference Basketball Tournament.