March 9, 2010

Cullowhee, N.C. - Following Monday night's Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship game at the Time Warner Cable Arena, Western Carolina guard Harouna Mutombo was named to the 2010 SoCon All-Tournament Team as voted on by the media in attendance. Mutombo was a second team selection.

Mutombo is the 17th different Catamount to earn all-tournament accolades since 1978, and the first for WCU since Nick Aldridge also garnered second team plaudits in 2007 when the Catamounts advanced to the quarterfinals.

A native of Pickering, Ontario, Mutombo averaged 16 points per game in the two contests for the Catamounts, scoring 14 in the quarterfinal win over Elon and a team-high 18 points in the semifinal loss to eventual champion, Wofford. The sophomore shot 50-percent from the floor, connecting on 12 of his 24 shot attempts including 4-for-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc.

The team's seasonal leader in rebounding, Mutombo averaged four boards per contest including an average of three on the offensive glass.

Wofford put four on the 10-member all-tournament first and second teams - two on each including the Most Outstanding Performer, Noah Dahlman - while runner-up Appalachian State had two selections. Semifinal participant College of Charleston landed one on both the first and second team, while UNC Greensboro and WCU each had a second team honoree.

Western Carolina (22-11) posted the program's first 20-win season since becoming a NCAA Division I member institution this year, and secured 20-plus wins for the first time since the 1971-72 season. The Catamounts snapped a three-year drought for wins at the annual conference tournament, advancing to the SoCon semifinals for the first-time since 1999, ending an 11-year drought.

WCU will await word on a possible post-season berth which would come following next weekend's selection shows.

2010 Southern Conference Men's Basketball All-Tournament First Team
Kellen Brand, Appalachian State
Donald Sims, Appalachian State
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Jamar Diggs, Wofford

2010 Southern Conference Men's Basketball All-Tournament Second Team
Tony White, Jr., College of Charleston
Ben Stywall, UNC Greensboro
Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina
Tim Johnson, Wofford
Cameron Rundles, Wofford

2010 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Noah Dahlman, Wofford