Tampa’s Jeremy Black Tabbed Male Athlete of the Year
Tampa men’s basketball standout Jeremy Black has been named the 2008 Sunshine State Conference Male Athlete of the Year, announced Monday by Commissioner Michael J. Marcil.
Voting for the Athlete of the Year award was conducted among the league’s sports information directors.
Black enjoyed a stellar year in his final campaign at Tampa, earning SSC Player of the Year honors after averaging 18.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. He led the conference in rebounding and ranked second in scoring, helping guide the Spartans to a second-place finish in the final men’s basketball standings.
Registering 18 double-double performances, the Tampa native turned in a number of impressive outings. He twice scored at least 30 points, netting 30 against Valdosta State and 37 versus Eckerd. In a win over Rollins, he amassed 29 points and 20 rebounds. Black was a consistent force in his final games as a Spartan, notching a double-double in all five of UT’s postseason games.
Black’s efforts earned him a host of awards including: first-team NABC All-America, second-team Daktronics All-America, first-team NABC and Daktronics All-South Region, Daktronics South Region Co-Player of the Year, and first-team All-SSC. At the conclusion of the season, he was chosen to participate in two all-star games, including the NABC Division II All-Star Game in Springfield, Mass., and the Collegiate Basketball Invitational in Wadsworth, Ohio. Black was named to the all-tournament team at the Collegiate Basketball Invitational and appeared in the final contest, which was televised on ESPNU.
For all his efforts on the court, Black was equally involved off of it, participating in a number of school and community outreach projects. He spent a number of hours volunteering at Just Elementary School, visiting classrooms to speak to students, among other efforts. Serving as co-president of the UT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), he helped raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and gifts that were distributed to students at Just during the holidays. Black was also a member of the SSC SAAC, joining forces with student-athletes throughout the league to render a day of service at the Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Fla.
Black is the fourth UT student-athlete to be named SSC Male Athlete of the Year, joining baseball players Eric Beattie (2002-03), Mike Valdes (1997-98), and Paul Russo (1989-90).