ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University guard Trenton Gibson has been named the 2020-21 South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year announced league officials on Wednesday.
Gibson also earns a spot on the All-SAC first team while graduate student James West IV garnered All-Conference honorable mention recognition and Inady Legiste was named to the SAC All-Freshman Team. The All-Conference Team is selected by a vote of the league's 13 head coaches.
Gibson becomes the third player in program history to be named conference player of the year joining TU Sports Hall of Fame members Lindsay Houston and Kyle Moore. Houston was named the 1979 Volunteer State Athletic Conference Player of the Year while Moore was tabbed SAC Player of the Year on two occasions (2009 & 2010).
Gibson, a junior from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is the only player in the league to be ranked in the top-five in scoring, rebounding and assists. He is third in the SAC in scoring averaging 18.9 points per game and is also third in on the boards pulling down 8.1 per contest. His 5.1 assists per game average is third in the conference and 30th in NCAA Division II.
Gibson has started in all 17 games this season and leads the SAC in minutes played per game averaging 34:38 per outing. He has scored in double figures in 16 of his 17 games this year including a career-best 31 markers earlier this season against UVA Wise. The 2019 SAC Freshman of the Year is shooting 42.3 percent from the floor, 36 percent from three-point territory and 83.5 percent from the free throw line (7th in SAC). His 111 free throws made are second in the league and fourth in the nation, while his 133 free attempts are second-best in the SAC and ninth in NCAA II.
In his 78-game career, Gibson has scored 1,136 points which are the 21st-most in Tusculum history. He is also listed in the program's top-10 in assists (315 – 10th), assist average (4.04 apg – 7th), rebound average (6.28 rpg – 4th), free throws made (347 – 6th), free throw attempts (434 – 6th) and free throw percentage (80% - 7th). He is also 10 rebounds away from 500 career rebounds and four steals from the 100th of his career.
Gibson has also shined off the basketball hardwood where he was named last year's recipient of the SAC Elite 20 Award and was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team.
West, a native of Woodbridge, Virginia, earns a spot on the All-SAC team in his first TU campaign after transferring from NCAA Division I Mount St. Mary's. West was having a solid first month of the season before being injured at Lincoln Memorial and was sidelined for the next seven games. He returned to the line-up on Feb. 3 and has emerged as one of the hottest players in the conference. He is averaging 17.2 points per contest including 20.5 ppg since his return. He poured in a career-best 26 points in a road win at Coker, following his 22-point effort in TU's 90-74 upset win over eighth-ranked Lincoln Memorial (Feb. 17).
West is shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 44.7 percent from three-point territory. He is averaging 3.8 three-pointers per game this season including 4.67 treys per contest in his last six outings. His eight 3-pointers made at Coker are tied for the seventh most in TU history. He is averaging 3.7 points and 2.3 assists per game.
Legiste, a rookie forward from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, becomes the ninth player in program history to garner SAC All-Freshman distinction joining current teammates Trenton Gibson 92019) and Joshua Scott (2020). Legiste is averaging 8.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game (15th in SAC) while leading the team in field goal percentage (.508 – 10th in SAC). He is also second on the team in blocked shots averaging 1.24 per game, which are third in the conference. He has played in 17 games where he has scored in double figures in six of them. He is averaging 12.5 ppg in his last two contests and 10.5 ppg in his last four. He poured in a season-best 20 points and 12 rebounds in TU's 60-59 road win at Anderson.
The regular-season statistical champions were also honored with Tusculum earning top honors for most steals by a team with 140 on the year.
Tusculum (13-4), the No. 2 seed in the 2021 Pilot Flying J SAC Championship, will host No. 3-seed Carson-Newman this Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at Pioneer Arena. The winner of that game will take on the winner between No. 1 Queens University of Charlotte and No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne in the championship game on Sunday at the site of the highest remaining seed.
2020-21 All-South Atlantic Conference Team
First Team
Trenton Gibson, Tusculum
Devin Whitfield, Lincoln Memorial
Quandaveon McCollum, Newberry
R.J. Gunn, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jarren Cottingham, Wingate
Cameron Whiteside, UVA Wise
Second Team
Cameron Henry, Lincoln Memorial
Kenny Dye, Queens
Gavin Rains, Queens
TJ Brown, Newberry
Darius Simmons, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jamari Smith, Queens
Honorable Mention
Tripp Davis, Carson-Newman
Francis Sio, Wingate
Marcus Burwell, Catawba
Crosby James II, Anderson
James West IV, Tusculum
Luke Brenegan, Carson-Newman
SAC All-Freshmen Team
Ren Dyer, Carson-Newman
Inady Legiste, Tusculum
AJ McKee, Queens
Isayah Owens, Limestone
Bernard Pelote, Catawba
SAC Player of the Year: Trenton Gibson, Tusculum
SAC Freshman of the Year: Ren Dyer, Carson-Newman
SAC Defensive Player of the Year: Davion Bradford, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Coach of the Year: Chuck Benson, Carson-Newman
SAC Statistical Champions
Points Per Game – Cameron Whiteside, UVA Wise, 21.1
Three-Pointers Per Game – Devin Whitefield, Lincoln Memorial, 3.4
Rebounds Per Game – Quandaveon McCollum, Newberry, 9.1
Blocked Shots Per Game – Bryant Thomas, Carson-Newman, 1.9
Field Goal Percentage – Davion Bradford, Lenoir-Rhyne, 65.6
Assists Per Game – Kenny Dye, Queens, 5.7
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – David Elkins, Mars Hill, 2.4
Steals Per Game – Tripp Davis, Carson-Newman, 2.4
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage – Luke Brenegan, Carson-Newman, 45.0
Free Throw Percentage – Marcus Ford, Newberry, 93.3
Team Scoring Offense – Lincoln Memorial, 92.9
Team Steals – Tusculum, 140
Team Field Goal Percentage – Lincoln Memorial, 52.7
Team FG Percentage Defense – Carson-Newman, 39.3
Team Assists – Lincoln Memorial, 433
Team Rebounds – Lincoln Memorial, 785
Team Blocked Shots – Carson-Newman, 77
Team Three-Point FG Percentage – Carson-Newman, 41.1
Team Scoring Defense – Carson-Newman, 65.4
Team Free Throw Percentage – UVA Wise, 78.5
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Lincoln Memorial, 1.59
