Ball State University Athletics
Peyton Stovall Named To All-MAC Preseason Team
October 13, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Junior Peyton Stovall (Lafayette, Ind./Lafayette Jefferson H.S.) has been named to the All-Mid-American Conference Preseason Team for the West Division, as announced today by the league office.
The preseason honor is the first for a Ball State player since Theron Smith, now a member of the National Basketball Association's Denver Nuggets, was selected to the preseason team in 2002.
The vote was conducted by members of the MAC News Media Association, and with his selection, Stovall will be one of 10 MAC basketball student-athletes in attendance at the league's annual Media Days Oct. 25-26 in Cleveland, Ohio.
"It's a very well deserved honor," says BSU head coach Tim Buckley. "Anytime a player gets an award like this, there becomes a duty to perform in order to live up to the accolades. There's no question Peyton is up to the task. The road is going to be difficult, because the target just became bigger. Peyton is a guy who has always made his teammates better and that will continue to be the case this season, especially if he is keyed on by other teams."
Stovall averaged 16.7 points per game in 2004-05 and enters the season as the leading returning scorer in the league. He improved his field goal percentage from 38 percent as a freshman to nearly 45 percent last season and upped his three-point shooting percentage from 26.5 percent to nearly 39 percent. His 467 total points were the fourth-highest ever by a BSU sophomore, while his 65 threes were also the fourth-best by a Cardinal in a single season.
"We feel like Peyton has the chance to be one of the better players in the Mid-American Conference," Buckley says. "He has a tremendous feel for the game. He has a great desire to improve and get better, and that's very obvious in his shooting numbers from his freshman year to his sophomore year. Peyton is a guy who is willing to enhance his strengths and attack his weaknesses."
Ball State opens it 2005-06 season with its first official practice Friday. The Cardinals welcome the return of three starters, five letterwinners and five newcomers to the new year. After an exhibition contest with Saginaw Valley State Nov. 12, Ball State opens the regular season with a Nov. 19 home contest with Oakland City.
MAC West Preseason Team
Peyton Stovall, Ball State
Mike McKinney, Northern Illinois
John Bowler, Eastern Michigan
Sammy Villegas, Toledo
Joe Reitz, Western Michigan
MAC East Preseason Team
Romeo Travis, Akron
Mychal Green, Ohio
Leon Williams, Ohio
Yassin Idbihi, Buffalo
Kevin Warzynski, Kent State
