The South Atlantic Conference Announces 2023 Men's Basketball Annual Award Winners and All-Conference Teams
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – UVA Wise guard Bradley Dean was voted the 2022-23 South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, while Carson-Newman forward Bryant Thomas was voted the Conference's Defensive Player of the Year and Mars Hill forward Kory Davis was voted the SAC Freshman of the Year. In addition, Catawba head coach Rob Perron was tabbed as the Coach of the Year, the Conference announced today.
Dean, a sophomore from Gate City, Va., led the league in scoring, averaging more than 20 points per game this season. He scored in double figures in 25 of 27 games, including scoring a career-high 40 points against Limestone on Dec. 15. In addition to his scoring prowess, Dean has averaged 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this season. He was named the SAC Varsity Gems Player of the Week once during the season.
Thomas, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., earns Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive year as he led the league in blocked shots (63) and is ranked in the top ten in total rebounds (185). He averaged 2.3 blocks per game and 6.9 rebounds per game, while also averaging 14.6 points per game. He was named the SAC Varsity Gems Player of the Week once during the season.
Davis, a freshman from Gastonia, N.C., had an outstanding start to his collegiate career. He averaged 15.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game this season. He is ranked fourth in the league in scoring and is in the top-10 in steals. He scored in double figures 22 times, including a career-high 28 points against Newberry on Feb. 11.
Perron earns his first-ever Coach of the Year honor after leading the Catawba Indians to the 2023 Piedmont Division Title with a 20-7 overall record, going 15-3 in league play. Under his guidance, Catawba leads the league in steals per game (11.2) and is second in offensive scoring, averaging 84.4 points per game. Currently, the Catawba Indians are ranked sixth in the NCAA Southeast Region.
In addition to Dean, Lincoln Memorial's Quay Kennedy and Chase Rankin received First Team honors, along with Tusculum's Inady Legiste, Wingate's Jarren Cottingham, and Newberry's Quadaveon McCollum.
2022-23 South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball All-Conference
First Team
Jarren Cottingham, Wingate
Bradley Dean, UVA Wise
Quay Kennedy, Lincoln Memorial
Inady Legiste, Tusculum
Quandaveon McCollum, Newberry
Chase Rankin, Lincoln Memorial
Second Team
DeAngelo Epps, Catawba
Ben Gahlert, Limestone
Javeon Jones, Catawba
Jordan Jones, Coker
Luke Lawson, UVA Wise
Tj Nesmith, Lenoir-Rhyne
Third Team
Gabe Brown, Emory & Henry
Me'Kell Burries, Lincoln Memorial
Destin Clark, Wingate
Kory Davis, Mars Hill
Myles Jenkins, Anderson
Bryant Thomas, Carson-Newman
All-Freshman
Mahmoud Bangura, Coker
Caleb Byrd, Newberry
Kory Davis, Mars Hill
Calen Lightford, UVA Wise
Patrick Shelley, UVA Wise
Player of the Year
Bradley Dean, Virginia-Wise
Freshman of the Year
Kory Davis, Mars Hill
Defensive Player of the Year
Bryant Thomas, Carson-Newman
Coach of the Year
Rob Perron, Catawba
Statistical Champions
Points Per Game – Bradley Dean, UVA Wise; 20.7
Three-Pointers Per Game – Garrett Denbow, Anderson; 3.52
Rebounds Per Game – Inady Legiste, Tusculum; 9.3
Blocked Shots Per Game – Bryant Thomas, Carson-Newman; 2.23
Field Goal Percentage – TJ Nesmith, Lenoir-Rhyne; 60.0
Assists Per Game – Chase Rankin, Lincoln Memorial; 7.2
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Chase Rankin, Lincoln Memorial; 3.20
Steals Per Game – Javeon Jones, Catawba; 3.04
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage – LJ McCoy, Lenoir-Rhyne; 44.2
Free Throw Percentage – Donell Nixon II, Wingate; 92.0
Team Scoring Offense – Lincoln Memorial; 88.4
Team Steals Per Game – Catawba, 11.2
Team Field Goal Percentage – Lincoln Memorial; 52.1
Team FG Percentage Defense – Lincoln Memorial; 39.9
Team Assists Per Game – Lincoln Memorial; 19.9
Team Rebounds Per Game – Lincoln Memorial; 40.69
Team Blocks Per Game– Carson-Newman; 4.5
Team Three-Point FG Percentage – UVA Wise; 40.0
Team Scoring Defense – Newberry; 69.3
Team Free Throw Percentage – Wingate; 75.6
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Lincoln Memorial; 1.45
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