ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University's Trenton Gibson has been named the 2021 recipient of the South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year Award announced league officials Wednesday.
The SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the conference's championship sports and is selected by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives committee. Winners are selected based on their achievements in academics and athletics.
Gibson becomes the first men's basketball student-athlete in league history to earn both the SAC Player of the Year and SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year awards in his respective career.
This marks the third time in program history that a TU men's basketball has earned SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year honors, joining former Pioneer greats Jeremy Fortner (2000) and Chris Poore (2007).
Gibson, a 6-4, 200-pound junior guard from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has a 3.96 cumulative grade point average while majoring in sport management and is expected to graduate with honors this May in only three years.
He led the Pioneers in scoring, rebounding and assists as Tusculum posted a 14-6 record and finished the year as NCAA II Southeast Region semifinalists. TU finished third in the South Atlantic Conference standings and advanced to the semifinal round of the SAC Tournament for a second straight year.
Gibson was named the 2021 SAC Player of the Year and also garnered postseason honors by earning spots on the SAC All-Tournament Team and the NCAA Southeast Regional All-Tournament squad. He also became only the third Pioneer to garner NABC All-District accolades, joining Brad Hawks (2004) and two-time honoree Kyle Moore (2009, 2010).
"Trenton is a perfect example of the ideal student-athlete," said Tusculum head coach JT Burton. "His work ethic on the basketball court is only surpassed by his efforts in the academic arena. He leads by example in all facets of his life. As a coach, you can't ask or hope for a better representative of your team, but also your university and conference. I am very proud of Trenton and congratulate him on this outstanding achievement."
Gibson finished the year averaging 18.8 points per game which was third in the league, while his 8.2 rebounds per game average was also third-best in the conference. He dished out 5.0 assists per contest (3rd in SAC / 36th in NCAA II) making him the only player in the SAC to be ranked in the league's top-five in scoring, rebounds and assists. He also topped the conference in minutes played per game averaging 35.6 minutes per outing (49th in NCAA II).
The two-time All-SAC selection scored in double figures in 19 of his 20 games this season including nine outings with 20 or more points. Gibson, who was named the 2018 SAC Freshman of the Year, became the 28th member of Tusculum's 1,000-Point Club. His 1,190 career points are the 19th most in the 110-year history of TU's men's basketball program. He is also the only player in school history with over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career.
Gibson has shined in the classroom where he was the 2020 recipient of the South Atlantic Conference Elite 20 Award for men's basketball and was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team in the same season. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Tusculum President's List, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He is a two-time Division II Athletic Directors Association Honor Roll selection and is a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society.
In addition to his success on the basketball court and in the classroom, Gibson has been an active member of the community. He volunteers at the Nettie Day of Service, is a member of the Pioneer Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and is a Pioneer Peer serving as a mentor for incoming freshmen. He volunteers as a youth basketball coach with the Above the Rim program and has served as a sports management intern within the Tusculum Athletic department this spring.
On 11 previous occasions, a Tusculum student-athlete has swept both the Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year accolades in the same academic year. Former TU men's tennis All-American Lukas Winkelmann achieved the SAC sweep on three occasions (2013, 2014, 2015); Accomplishing the rare feat twice are women's tennis legend Lesley Murray (2003, 2004) and men's cross country runner Simon Holzapfel (2009, 2010). Tusculum baseball pitcher and first baseman Shane Banks was the first do the sweep of both awards in 2001, followed by baseball pitcher Kevin Hammons (2007), men's golfer Chase Carroll (2009) and most recently by women's tennis All-American Annie McCullough (2019).
