Legiste, Tham repeat as Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University basketball forwards Inady Legiste and Jami Tham have been named the Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month for December. The TU duo earns this honor for a second straight month.

Legiste, a junior from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, averaged 18.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game during his six starts for the Pioneers in the month. He shot a sizzling 60.8 percent from the floor and went 12-of-15 from the free throw line (80%). He also averaged 1.8 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per contest while posting a double-double for every game in December.

He opened the month with 21 points and 11 rebounds at No. 11 Lincoln Memorial. He followed with 22 markers and 12 boards in a 64-61 South Atlantic Conference win over UVA Wise. In that game he shot 9-of-11 from the floor while also dishing out three assists and blocked two shots.

On Dec. 10, he scored a career-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting in TU's 87-76 win at Mars Hill. In a match-up with league-newcomer Emory & Henry, Legiste scored 18 points and hauled in a career-high 16 rebounds. In the opening game of the Embry-Riddle Holiday Classic, he posted 17 points and 15 boards against Davis & Elkins. He closed out the month with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Embry-Riddle.

Legiste continues to lead the nation with his eight double-doubles. He is tops in the SAC in rebounding averaging 10.2 boards per contest (6^th in NCAA II), while his 17.7 points per game average is second in the league. His .588 field goal percentage is 10^th in the SAC and his 1.2 blocked shots per game tally is seventh in the conference.

Tham averaged 18.7 points and 16.0 rebounds per game as the Pioneers went 7-0 during December, including a perfect 4-0 mark in South Atlantic Conference action. Tham shot 55.2 percent (53-for-96) from the field and 75.0 percent (24-for-32) from the foul line and recorded double-doubles in all seven contests, while twice earning both SAC and Tennessee Sportswriters Association Player of the Week honors.

The Arlington, Virginia native began December with 22 points and 18 rebounds in a 67-38 win at Lincoln Memorial on Dec. 2, and followed up by collecting 18 points and 16 rebounds as the Pioneers downed UVA Wise 75-59 on Dec. 7. Against Mars Hill on Dec. 10, Tham scored a career-high 31 points on 13-for-14 shooting from the field and pulled 15 rebounds in an 80-68 Tusculum victory. Her 92.9 percent field-goal percentage was the second-best shooting performance (minimum 10 attempts) in program history.

On Dec. 12, Tham had 15 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes as the Pioneers routed Brescia 92-33, and two days later she swiped a career-high 20 rebounds and added 16 points in a 63-39 victory over Emory & Henry. Tham closed the month with 15 points and 14 boards in a 65-59 victory over Southern Wesleyan on Dec. 17, and collected 14 points and 18 rebounds to help Tusculum beat Milligan 67-46 on Dec. 31. Against Southern Wesleyan, Tham became the second active Division II player to reach 1,000 career rebounds.

Tham leads all divisions of the NCAA in double-doubles with 14 in as many games, and leads the SAC and ranks second in Division II in rebounding at 14.1 per game. Tham ranks sixth in the conference in scoring at 17.6 points per game and third in field-goal percentage at 57.5 percent. She leads all active Division II players and is tied for 10th among active NCAA players (all divisions) with 47 career double-doubles.

The Tusculum Student-Athlete of the Month Award is sponsored by Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar of Greeneville.  The Applebee's Student-Athlete of the Month Award honors one male and one female student-athlete each month from an in-season sport during the 2022-23 academic year, recognizing their hard work, effort and performance.

2022-23 Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month