Dawson, Coffman selected to play in Collegiate Basketball Invitational

            WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Midwestern State University seniors Eric Dawson and Drew Coffman have been chosen among the 60 players from NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA in the inaugural Collegiate Basketball Invitational April 19-21 in Wadsworth, Ohio.

            McCarthy Sports, the organizing organization producing the event, made the announcement on Friday.

            The Collegiate Basketball Invitational is a national event that gathers the finest senior men's basketball players from Divisions II, III and the NAIA to compete on six, 10-man teams in a double-elimination tournament.  The tournament features four games on both Thursday and Friday, with the bracket's championship game on Saturday at noon.

            The culminating game for the event is Saturday night, April 21, when 20 of the players will play in a nationally-televised all-star game on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Central.

            Dawson, a second-team Basketball Times All-American and first-team All-South Central Region by both Daktronics and the NABC, led NCAA Division II in rebounding with 11.4 boards a game.  He also led all of collegiate basketball with 23 double-doubles this season and was among the top 100 in scoring in Division II with 17.4 points a game.

            The two-time All-Lone Star Conference South first-teamer was this season's LSC Tournament Most Valuable Player and holds every school record for blocked shots, including 170 career blocks.  Dawson averaged 16.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots a game in his two-year career at MSU.

            Coffman transferred from Texas Tech in January 2006 for his senior season this year.  He averaged 17.2 points for the Mustangs in 2006-07 on his way to earning second-team Daktronics, Inc. All-South Central Region.  He was second in the LSC, third in the South Central Region and 30th nationally with 5.2 assists per game, while leading the South Central Region and ranking 16th in Division II with a 45.1 three-point field goal percentage.

            The first-team All-LSC South performer and member of the All-LSC Tournament Team also was second in the South Central Region and 30th in Division II with an 84.7 free throw percentage (122-of-144).

            The pair won't play on the same team in the CBI.  Dawson will play for the team sponsored by WRH Health Systems, coached by Muskingum (Ohio) (NCAA III) coach Geno Ford.  Coffman will play for the team sponsored by First Merit Bank, coached by Montevallo (Ala.) (NCAA II) coach Danny Young.

            Dawson and Coffman are among six players representing the Lone Star Conference in the event.  Joining MSU's dynamic duo are Southeastern Oklahoma State's Eric Babers, Central Oklahoma's Anthony Brown, Tarleton State's John Davis, and West Texas A&M's Damien Lolar.

            B.J. Walker and Duane Jones of Oklahoma City, the NAIA National Champion who played MSU in an exhibition game last November, are also part of the event.

            Other notable Division II stars include Anthony Atkinson of national champion Barton (N.C.), Christian Burns of Philadelphia (Pa.), Frank Phillips of Findlay (Ohio), Ricky Volcy of Northern Michigan, Zack Whiting of Chaminade (Hawaii), Steven Wright of Northern Kentucky and Zack Wright of Central Missouri

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