ROCK HILL, S.C. - Anderson University men's basketball players Brandon Young, Kevis Cornwell and Denzail Jones have earned All-South Atlantic Conference honors, as announced by the league office Friday morning.
Young was named to the first team after starting 28 regular-season games for the Trojans and ranking third in scoring average on a team that boasts five players averaging double figures. Anderson's all-time leading scorer averaged 12 points per game, while handing out 2.6 assists a contest. He led the team in made 3-pointers, with 56 on the season, connecting on 41.5 percent of his long-range attempts. The 6-foot-2 playmaker ranks eighth in free-throw percentage, 13th in assists and 20th in the conference in scoring. A native of Belmont, N.C., Young led the Trojans in scoring on two occasions; reaching double figures in 20 games, while tallying a season-high 29 points in AU's road win past Mars Hill. He dished out at least four assists in six contests and closed the season out by reaching double figures in eight of the Trojans' final 10 regular-season matchups.
Cornwell was selected to the second team following a regular season that saw the 6-foot-2 senior lead the team in scoring and rank 17th in the conference in scoring, third in steals, seventh in assists and 11th in field goal percentage. The York, S.C., native started all 29 games and became just the fifth player in Anderson's storied history to reach the 1000-point plateau earlier this season. Cornwell dished out nearly three assists a game, including a season-high nine at South Carolina State. He led the team in scoring nine times, while posting a team-best streak of 14 consecutive double-figure outings.
Jones was named to the SAC All-Freshman squad after a rookie season that saw the 5-foot-9 guard average 12.3 points per contest, good enough for 18th in the league. He ranked second in the conference in free throw percentage, seventh in steals and eighth in assists. The native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., connected on 101-of-121 free throw attempts (83.5 percent) and led AU in scoring seven times. Jones reached the 20-point scoring plateau on five occasions, notching a season-high 28 points in the win past Mars Hill on Dec. 11. He earned Player of the Week honors following the SAC/Peach Belt Classic, by averaging a team-high 15 points and four assists over the two-day event.
"I'm very proud of each guy and happy that their hard work and accomplishments are being acknowledged and rewarded," Anderson head coach Jason Taylor said."
Lincoln Memorial University junior forward Desmond Johnson, who helped lead the Railsplitters to the conference championship as one of the league's top scorers and rebounders, was named the Player of the Year.
Johnson ranked eighth in the league in scoring at 15.5 points per game and was second in rebounding at 8.8 boards per game. He made 63.8 percent of his field goals, also second in the league. He was a key player for the Railsplitters, who are 25-2 overall and ranked 12th nationally.
Catawba College's Keon Moore was named the Men's Freshman of the Year. Moore averaged 16.8 points, sixth-best in the conference, and made 55 3-pointers, also sixth-best in the league.
Lincoln Memorial coach Josh Schertz, who guided the Railsplitters to their first SAC championship, was named Men's Coach of the Year.
Joining Johnson on the men's All-Conference First Team are: Young; Josh Roper, Brevard; Dominick Reid, Catawba; D'Mario Curry, Lincoln Memorial; and Odell Turner, Wingate.
The men's All-Conference Second Team consists of: Cornwell; Sammy Emile, Mars Hill; Dion Malachi, Mars Hill; Tony Davis, Newberry; Robert Troutman, Tusculum; and Jaime Vaughn, Wingate.
Joining Moore on the men's All-Freshman Team are: Jones; Ishmael Sanders, Carson-Newman; Allan Jones, Lenoir-Rhyne; and Vincent Bailey, Lincoln Memorial.
