NORFOLK, Va.- Savannah State University senior Rashad Hassan was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year. The SSU men's basketball team were also picked to win the 2012-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season title. The Tigers, who won last season's regular season championship, return everyone from last year's squad.
The Tigers received 24 first place votes and totaled 616 points to take hold of the conference's top spot. SSU finished among the top five in the MEAC in several categories including scoring margin (2nd), scoring defense (1st), rebounding margin (1st), assists (3rd), steals (5th), and assist-to-turnover ratio (5th) a year ago. The Tigers finished the season with a 14-2 mark in MEAC play and 21-12 overall. SSU's season concluded with a 65-51 loss to the University of Tennessee in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Hassan, a 6-7 Riverdale, Georgia native, led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points per game and started in 32 of 33 games a year ago. He ranked in the top 20 in the nation with a 57.0 field goal percentage. The 2011-12 season was highlighted by three double-double performances including 20 points and 14 rebounds against Tennessee in the NIT.
Senior guard Deric Rudolph was named to the MEAC preseason second team. Rudolph averaged 10 points per game last season.
All awards are voted on by the conference's head men's basketball coaches and sports information directors.
