Feb. 28, 2005

Chicago, Ill. - UIC senior Cedrick Banks was named to the All-Horizon League First Team and was joined by teammate Armond Williams on the All-Horizon League Defensive Team as men's basketball postseason honors were announced on Monday afternoon.

This marks the fourth straight season that Banks has taken home all-league honors, being named to the 2001-02 second team while picking up first team accolades in each of the last three seasons. The 6-foot-2 guard led the Horizon League in scoring this year at 18.4 points per game while also ranking among the league's best in rebounds (4.9 rpg), steals (1.3 spg), assists (2.5 apg) and free throw percentage (81%).

This is Banks' first time being named to the league's all-defensive squad while Williams is now a two-time honoree.

Williams, a 6-foot-5 forward, leads UIC in rebounding and ranks fourth in the Horizon League, pulling down 6.4 caroms per game. He also rates sixth in the league in steals, averaging 1.6 per outing.

Banks was joined on the All-Horizon League First Team by Ed McCants and Joah Tucker of UW-Milwaukee, Blake Schilb of Loyola and Javier Mendiburu of UW-Green Bay.

The All-Horizon League Second Team consists of Brandon Cotton (Detoit), DaShaun Wood (Wright State), Benito Flores (UW-Green Bay), Brandon Polk (Butler) and Omari Westley (Cleveland State).

Cotton, Flores and Polk were joined by Raheem Moss (Cleveland State) and Zach Williams (Wright State) on the league's all-newcomer team.

McCants was voted the Horizon League's Player of the Year while UW-Milwaukee's Bruce Pearl was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year. Cotton took home Horizon League Newcomer of the Year accolades.

Banks and Williams will be back in action on Tuesday night, when they open play at the 2005 American Family Insurance Horizon League Tournament by welcoming Cleveland State to the Pavilion at 7:00 p.m., for an opening round game.