HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- Senior guard AJ Slaughter has been named to the 2010 Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament team, the conference office announced Tuesday night following the conclusion of the tournament championship game in Hot Springs, Ark. The Shelbyville, Ky. native was selected to the six-member team after averaging 15.3 ppg in leading Western Kentucky University (21-13) into the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals.

Eric Tramiel and George Odufuwa of the tournament champion North Texas Mean Green along with Troy's Michael Vogler and Brandon Hazzard as well as Denver's Nate Rohnert joined Slaughter on the squad. It is the sixth-straight year WKU has had at least one player named All-Tournament, and the 32nd time in 28 years of Sun Belt affiliation for the Toppers. Slaughter was named last year's tournament Most Valuable Player. Tramiel took home this year's MVP trophy.

In the Hilltoppers' first round win over New Orleans, Slaughter had 13 points and two steals in directing the 83-58 victory. In quarterfinal action on Sunday, Slaughter erupted for 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting including two clutch threes in the closing minutes to lift fourth-seeded WKU past fifth-seeded Arkansas State 65-64.

Unfortunately, the First-Team All-Conference standout probably closed out his collegiate career on Monday against Troy in the semifinal round, with five points, three assists, and three rebounds in playing all 40 minutes of the 54-48 setback. It snapped his string of 21-straight games scoring in double figures. With 1,581 points, he is 12th all-time in scoring on the Hill.

Slaughter, who was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year, lived up to that billing, leading the Hilltoppers and ranking second in the league in scoring at 17.5 ppg on the season. Seeing more time on the court than any other player in the conference, averaging 36.5 mpg, Slaughter was the only player in the league to rank in the top four in the Sun Belt in assists, steals, free three percentage, and three-pointers made per game.

With 13 performances of 20 points or more this season, he topped that scoring plateau more than any other player in the league. Averaging 19.2 ppg in conference play, Slaughter was the key catalyst in the Toppers stretch run. As WKU won its final six games of the regular season, Slaughter contributed 20.8 ppg, 6.3 apg, and had a three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.

A three-time SBC Player of the Week winner this year, Slaughter eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in the season-opener against Wisconsin-Milwaukee when he scored a then-career-high 30. He posted double figures in scoring in 31 of 34 games this season, jetting up the WKU career scoring list from 45th to 12th.

Capping off a four-year career that includes a 97-40 record, two regular season Sun Belt Championships, two SBC Tournament titles, and a pair of NCAA Tournaments, Slaughter dropped a career-high 31 points in a 99-69 win over South Alabama on February 18 on "senior night" at E.A. Diddle Arena.