Player of the Year Bailey Headlines SAC Men’s Basketball Awards
The SAC on Wednesday announced its award winners from the 2013-14 men’s basketball regular season, a list headlined by Lincoln Memorial’s Vincent Bailey, the conference’s Player of the Year.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The SAC on Wednesday announced its award winners from the 2013-14 men's basketball regular season, a list headlined by Lincoln Memorial's Vincent Bailey, the conference's Player of the Year.
Bailey came just short of averaging 20-and-10 for the regular-season champion Railsplitters, finishing with a scoring average of 21.6 points per game and a rebounding mark of 9.8 per game. Those numbers both ranked second in the SAC, and his 61.6-percent field goal shooting was the league's fourth-best.
The forward finished the regular-season with 14 double-doubles – tied for the SAC lead – and scored 20 or more points in 17 of LMU's 26 games. He becomes only the second Lincoln Memorial player to earn SAC Player of the Year honors, joining Desmond Johnson in 2010-11.
Accompanying Bailey on the All-SAC First Team are Carson-Newman forward Antoine Davis and guard Ishmael Sanders, Anderson guard Chandler Hash, Newberry forward Dondray Walker and Queens guard Jarrett Stokes.
Sanders finished fourth in the SAC in scoring at 19.7 points per game, led the conference in steals at two per game, and led the conference and ranked eighth in the nation in free-throw shooting at 91-percent. Davis – last year's SAC Player of the Year – ranked fifth in the league in scoring at 19.5 points per game along with averaging six rebounds and three assists per contest.
Hash was the conference leader and ranked fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 24.1 points per game. He also made 108 threes during the regular season – third-most in the country – and his 230 free throw attempts were Division II's 10th-most.
Stokes ranked seventh in the SAC in scoring at 18.3 points per game and also placed in the conference's top 10 in free throw shooting, three pointers and steals. Walker, meanwhile, was the SAC's second-best three-point shooter at 47.7-percent and finished 10th in scoring at 16.8 points per game.
Five of the six spots on the All-SAC Second Team were claimed by guards, as LMU's Lorenza Ross and Chance Jones, Lenoir-Rhyne's R.J. McClure, Wingate's Ryan Daye and Anderson's C.J. Gleaton earned selections. Wingate's Deion Turman was voted as the team's lone forward.
Earning All-SAC Honorable Mention accolades were Coker guard Julian Nelson, Brevard forward Darius Moose, Catawba forward Tyrece Little, Newberry guard Demarkus Smith, Queens forward Josh Clyburn and Catawba guard Kijuan Arrington.
Additionally, Wingate forward Isiah Cureton, LMU guard Luquon Choice, Brevard guard Trevon Shaw, Wingate forward Josh Dominguez and Newberry guard Gerald Evans were voted to the SAC All-Freshman Team.
Cureton was named the SAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season for the Bulldogs.
Finally, LMU's Josh Schertz was selected as the SAC Coach of the Year after leading the Railsplitters to a 24-2 record and their third conference title in four seasons. Schertz earns Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career, with the first coming in 2010-11.
2013-14 SAC Men's Basketball Awards
SAC Player of the Year: Vincent Bailey, Lincoln Memorial
SAC Freshman of the Year: Isiah Cureton, Wingate
SAC Coach of the Year: Josh Schertz, Lincoln Memorial
All-SAC First Team
Vincent Bailey, Lincoln Memorial
Antoine Davis, Carson-Newman
Chandler Hash, Anderson
Dondray Walker, Newberry
Ishmael Sanders, Carson-Newman
Jarrett Stokes, Queens
All-SAC Second Team
Lorenza Ross, Lincoln Memorial
R.J. McClure, Lenoir-Rhyne
Deion Turman, Wingate
Ryan Daye, Wingate
C.J. Gleaton, Anderson
Chance Jones, Lincoln Memorial
All-SAC Honorable Mention
Julian Nelson, Coker
Darius Moose, Brevard
Tyrece Little, Catawba
Demarkus Smith, Newberry
Josh Clyburn, Queens
Kijuan Arrington, Catawba
SAC All-Freshman Team
Isiah Cureton, Wingate
Luquon Choice, Lincoln Memorial
Trevon Shaw, Brevard
Josh Dominguez, Wingate
Gerald Evans, Newberry