Men's Basketball
2004-05 All-Conference Team

(Lebanon, Ill.) – The Missouri Baptist University men’s basketball team earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship on Tuesday by defeating McKendree College, 86-65, in the title game of the American Midwest Conference Tournament. The Spartans move on to the NAIA's 32-team national tournament as the AMC’s automatic qualifier on March 16-22 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

In a vote taken by league coaches, Jeremy Bell of Williams Baptist College has been selected as the AMC Player of the Year in 2004-05. Bell, a senior guard from Marked Tree, Ark., led the conference in scoring at 20.9 points per outing during the regular season. Bell shot just under 41 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from three-point range and 78.6 percent from the free throw line. He also averaged 5.3 rebounds per contest. Bell led NAIA Division I in scoring as a junior in 2003-04.

The award for AMC Newcomer of the Year was given to Terrance Smith of Columbia College. Smith, a junior guard from Chicago, Ill., led the Cougars in scoring at 17.1 points per game. Smith connected on 48.7 percent of his shots from the field. He was accurate from both the three-point line and free throw stripe. Smith hit 44 percent of hits attempts (102-of-232) from beyond the arc while making 83.3 percent (60-of-72) from the foul line.

Chance Smith of Williams Baptist College is the 2004-05 AMC Freshman of the Year. Smith, a center from Bono, Ark., contributed 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest while playing every game in his freshman season for the Eagles. Smith also blistered the nets for 62 percent shooting from the field this season.

For the second consecutive year, Tony Tompkins of Missouri Baptist University has been named the AMC Coach of the Year. Tompkins led the Spartans to their second straight AMC regular-season championship as the team went 11-1 in league play. Heading into the AMC Tournament, Tompkins led Missouri Baptist to a 22-8 overall record and a No. 16 ranking in the final NAIA Division I regular-season poll.

A complete list of the 10-member AMC All-Conference team, the honorable mention squad and the academic all-conference team, is included on the following pages. Members of the Academic All-Conference team have earned at least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

- AMC -

2004-05 AMC All-Conference Team
Men's Basketball

First Team All-Conference

Honorable Mention All-Conference

2004-05 American Midwest Conference
Academic All-Conference Team