March 1, 2005

MACON, GA - Florida Atlantic University's Mike Bell has been named Atlantic Sun Conference Player-of-the-Year, announced the conference office Tuesday morning. Bell becomes the first Owl ever to receive the honor. The Raleigh, NC, native led the A-Sun with 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. In addition, Tywain McTyer was named to the A-Sun's All-Freshmen Team.

Bell put together the most prolific two-year career in FAU history. This year alone, he was named A-Sun Player-of-the-Week three times while posting 14 double-doubles. He owns FAU career records for points per game (18.5) and rebounds per game (9.5). He also holds the FAU single-game record for rebounds (23).

He finishes fifth all-time at FAU with 1,001 points. His 514 rebounds rank third. Bell is just the second player in Owls' history to post 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, and the first to do it in two years.

Bell was second on the team in 2004-05 with 47 three-pointers. Eight times he connected at least three times from beyond the arc. His 51 blocks give him 107 for his career, second in FAU history. His 2.0 blocks per game rank first.

"Mike epitomized for us what a student-athlete should be both on and off the court," said FAU head coach Sidney Green. "I am so proud of what he was able to accomplish in just two years. His achievements speak for themselves. To do what he did in just two seasons is an amazing accomplishment. He has raised the bar for future players in our program."

Bell was named the A-Sun Preseason Player-of-the-Year in October. He joined FAU prior to his junior season from nearby Palm Beach Community College after starting his career at North Carolina State.

McTyer burst on the FAU scene to become one the A-Sun's top guards. He averaged 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while ranking sixth in the A-Sun with a 1.51 assist/turnover ratio. He averaged 5.5 points per game and 2.0 rebounds per game in 17.5 minuters/game.

In addition to the on-court honors, four Owls were named to the A-Sun All-Academic Team. Jimmy Bishop, Fred Marshall, and Derrick Simmons all achieved a 3.0 GPA or better. David Anderson, who sat out the 2004-05 campaign after transferring to FAU, was also an All-Academic selection.