University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville Lands Three on Big South’s Men’s Basketball All-Decade Team
06.12.2020 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE – The Big South Conference announced today that former UNC Asheville men's basketball players Matt Dickey (2008-2012) and Ahmad Thomas (2014-2018) along with former head coach Eddie Biedenbach were named to the 2010-19 Men's Basketball All-Decade Team presented by Hercules Tires.
Dickey played a vital role for the Bulldogs and the program's success in the early part of the decade. The Trussville, Alabama native is the program's scoring leader in the Division I era with 1,778 points. During his senior season, he averaged 16.1 points per game and helped the Bulldogs make their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. He also earned All-Big South First Team honors for the second straight season as a senior and took home Big South Conference Player of the Year honors as well.
Like Dickey, Thomas put together a stellar career for the Bulldogs. Thomas is still the program's all-time leader in steals (251) and ranks sixth all-time in scoring with 1,626 points. The two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year landed back-to-back spots on the All-Big South First Team as well. Thomas concluded his career at UNC Asheville as the only men's basketball player in Big South history with over 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 steals and 250 assists in their career.
Biedenbach spent 17 seasons with the UNC Asheville men's basketball team. He remains the winningest men's basketball coach in Big South history with 154 wins in the league and 256 overall. He directed Asheville to five outright/shared regular-season championships (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008, 2012) and three Big South Tournament titles (2003, 2011, 2012). Biedenbach led the Bulldogs to four NCAA postseason appearances (3 NCAA Tournament – 2003, 2011, 2012; 1 NIT – 2008), and the 2008 NIT appearance was the first-ever in Big South history. Biedenbach is the only coach in league history with two NCAA Tournament victories (2003, 2011), and UNC Asheville became the first men's basketball team in Big South history to win an NCAA Tournament contest in 2003. He was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame and Western North Carolina Hall of Fame in 2014, and the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame and Big South Hall of Fame in 2015.
A 15-person committee of Big South Conference administrators served as the official voting panel to determine the All-Decade Team, with fan voting comprising 20 percent of the overall total. The 2010-19 Men's Basketball All-Decade Team is listed below in alphabetical order and features 12 players and one head coach. In case of ties, additional honorees have been added.
2010-19 MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-DECADE TEAM PRESENTED BY HERCULES TIRES
Name, School Notables
Nick Barbour, High Point Mid-Major All-American, 3-time All-Conference
John Brown, High Point 2-time All-American, 2-time Player of the Year, 4-time All-Conference
Chris Clemons, Campbell All-American, Player of the Year, 4-time All-Conference
Xavier Cooks, Winthrop All-American, Player of the Year, 3-time All-Conference
Matt Dickey, UNC Asheville All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
David Efianayi, Gardner-Webb 3-time All-Conference
Javonte Green, Radford Defensive Player of the Year, 3-time All-Conference
Keon Johnson, Winthrop All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Carlik Jones, Radford Mid-Major All-American, Player of the Year, 3-time All-Conference
Kelvin Martin, Charleston Southern 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Saah Nimley, Charleston Southern All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Stan Okoye, VMI All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Ed Polite Jr., Radford Defensive Player of the Year, 3-time All-Conference
Jesse Sanders, Liberty All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Ahmad Thomas, UNC Asheville 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Head Coach, School Notables
Eddie Biedenbach, UNC Asheville 2 Championships, 2 NCAA Tournaments, 48-22 Big South record,
75-56 overall, Big South Hall of Fame member
Cliff Ellis, Coastal Carolina 2 Championships, 2 NCAA Tournaments, 2 NIT berths, 2 CIT berths,
87-35 Big South record, 155-75 overall
Men's Basketball All-Decade Team candidates were determined based on being at least one of the following: 1) Was a multiple All-Conference honoree; 2) Was named an All-American; 3) Is a member of the Big South Conference Hall of Fame; 4) Student-athletes must be a college graduate or in good academic standing with their respective institution; 5) Won a Conference Championship as a coach and/or was voted Conference Coach of the Year. Candidates that participated in two different decades were placed in a specific decade based on consultation from member institutions. Member institutions also had final determination in regards to the inclusion of student-athletes and coaches. Previous Men's Basketball All-Decade Teams were recognized for the years 1985-89, 1990-99, and 2000-09.
Dickey played a vital role for the Bulldogs and the program's success in the early part of the decade. The Trussville, Alabama native is the program's scoring leader in the Division I era with 1,778 points. During his senior season, he averaged 16.1 points per game and helped the Bulldogs make their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. He also earned All-Big South First Team honors for the second straight season as a senior and took home Big South Conference Player of the Year honors as well.
Like Dickey, Thomas put together a stellar career for the Bulldogs. Thomas is still the program's all-time leader in steals (251) and ranks sixth all-time in scoring with 1,626 points. The two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year landed back-to-back spots on the All-Big South First Team as well. Thomas concluded his career at UNC Asheville as the only men's basketball player in Big South history with over 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 steals and 250 assists in their career.
Biedenbach spent 17 seasons with the UNC Asheville men's basketball team. He remains the winningest men's basketball coach in Big South history with 154 wins in the league and 256 overall. He directed Asheville to five outright/shared regular-season championships (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008, 2012) and three Big South Tournament titles (2003, 2011, 2012). Biedenbach led the Bulldogs to four NCAA postseason appearances (3 NCAA Tournament – 2003, 2011, 2012; 1 NIT – 2008), and the 2008 NIT appearance was the first-ever in Big South history. Biedenbach is the only coach in league history with two NCAA Tournament victories (2003, 2011), and UNC Asheville became the first men's basketball team in Big South history to win an NCAA Tournament contest in 2003. He was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame and Western North Carolina Hall of Fame in 2014, and the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame and Big South Hall of Fame in 2015.
A 15-person committee of Big South Conference administrators served as the official voting panel to determine the All-Decade Team, with fan voting comprising 20 percent of the overall total. The 2010-19 Men's Basketball All-Decade Team is listed below in alphabetical order and features 12 players and one head coach. In case of ties, additional honorees have been added.
2010-19 MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-DECADE TEAM PRESENTED BY HERCULES TIRES
Name, School Notables
Nick Barbour, High Point Mid-Major All-American, 3-time All-Conference
John Brown, High Point 2-time All-American, 2-time Player of the Year, 4-time All-Conference
Chris Clemons, Campbell All-American, Player of the Year, 4-time All-Conference
Xavier Cooks, Winthrop All-American, Player of the Year, 3-time All-Conference
Matt Dickey, UNC Asheville All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
David Efianayi, Gardner-Webb 3-time All-Conference
Javonte Green, Radford Defensive Player of the Year, 3-time All-Conference
Keon Johnson, Winthrop All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Carlik Jones, Radford Mid-Major All-American, Player of the Year, 3-time All-Conference
Kelvin Martin, Charleston Southern 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Saah Nimley, Charleston Southern All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Stan Okoye, VMI All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Ed Polite Jr., Radford Defensive Player of the Year, 3-time All-Conference
Jesse Sanders, Liberty All-American, Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Ahmad Thomas, UNC Asheville 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-Conference
Head Coach, School Notables
Eddie Biedenbach, UNC Asheville 2 Championships, 2 NCAA Tournaments, 48-22 Big South record,
75-56 overall, Big South Hall of Fame member
Cliff Ellis, Coastal Carolina 2 Championships, 2 NCAA Tournaments, 2 NIT berths, 2 CIT berths,
87-35 Big South record, 155-75 overall
Men's Basketball All-Decade Team candidates were determined based on being at least one of the following: 1) Was a multiple All-Conference honoree; 2) Was named an All-American; 3) Is a member of the Big South Conference Hall of Fame; 4) Student-athletes must be a college graduate or in good academic standing with their respective institution; 5) Won a Conference Championship as a coach and/or was voted Conference Coach of the Year. Candidates that participated in two different decades were placed in a specific decade based on consultation from member institutions. Member institutions also had final determination in regards to the inclusion of student-athletes and coaches. Previous Men's Basketball All-Decade Teams were recognized for the years 1985-89, 1990-99, and 2000-09.
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