ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996 TAG: 9604010124
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
Gene Keady persevered through a season of tragedy in which his stepdaughter suffered a severe head injury and his father died.
Marcus Camby reached the Final Four despite a less serious misfortune. He collapsed Jan. 14 at St.Bonaventure, missed four games and returned after a battery of tests.
Both were honored Friday by The Associated Press as college basketball coach and player of the year.
Camby, who led Massachusetts to its first NCAA semifinal, received the Adolph Rupp Trophy, sponsored by the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky in the name of college basketball's winningest coach.
Keady guided Purdue to its third straight outright Big Ten title, a feat last achieved in the early 1960s by Ohio State.
Keady received 54 votes in the national voting of AP membership and was followed by Tim Floyd of Iowa State, 28 1/2; Rick Pitino of Kentucky, 22; John Calipari of Massachusetts, 20; Jerry Dunn of Penn State, 13 1/2; and James Dickey of Texas Tech, 13.
Camby averaged 20.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks this season for UMass.
Camby, a native of Hartford, Conn., received 63 votes, easily outdistancing Ray Allen of Connecticut, who had 29 1/2. They were followed by Allen Iverson of Georgetown, 25; Tim Duncan of Wake Forest, 15 1/2; and Tony Delk of Kentucky, 13.
HENDERSON HEADS OUT: Ronnie Henderson, leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference the last two years, announced he will skip his senior season and instead make himself available for the NBA draft in June.
Henderson, who averaged 21.8 points a game, had said earlier this month that he would stay at LSU.
On Friday, he said he is getting ready to get married and wants to be able to provide for his family.
``I've made a choice that now is the time for me to stop receiving and start giving back to my family and those who have supported me all these years,'' Henderson said.
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