SIAC releases 2019-20 men’s basketball honors

ROCK HILL, South Carolina – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has announced its annual men’s basketball awards to cap the 2019-2020 regular season. This year’s all-conference teams, which feature ten student-athletes, were voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.

Miles’s Junior forward, Avery Brown, headlines the 2020 SIAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference team as the conference’s leading vote to earn the 2020 SIAC Player of the Year honor.

Central State’s freshman shooting guard Darweshi Hunter, was named both Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. In addition, Romaine Thomas, a senior forward from Clark Atlanta, earned this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

Miles’s head coach Fred Watson was selected as the 2020 SIAC Coach of the Year.

Brown, a junior forward, shot an impressive 51.3 percent from the field this season. The Florida native averaged 18.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest, leading the Miles College Golden Bears to their second consecutive SIAC West Division crown. Brown was a sharpshooter from the free-throw line finishing the regular season shooting 75.5 percent. The junior also collected 70 assists and 31 steals on the year as the Golden Bears enter the tournament as a top seed with the intent to defend their championship title.

Central State’s freshman shooting guard Darweshi Hunter collected both Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors in his inaugural season with the Marauders. The Ohio native led the Marauders shooting with an accuracy of 51.4 percent from the field, averaging 20.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Hunter hit his career-high of 27 points in back-to-back contests against Albany State and Clark Atlanta. While shooting 50.4 percent from the field, Hunter also shot 37 percent from 3-point range and 76.1 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, he collected 51 steals and nine blocks this season.

Thomas, Clark Atlanta’s senior forward has earned this year’s SIAC Defensive Player of the Year award. Thomas, who was also selected as the league’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, collected 14 double-doubles on the year. The senior forward averaged over 16.7 points and grabbed 10.2 rebounds per game. The New York native shot 39.5 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from the 3-point line, and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line. At the conclusion of the regular season, Thomas has pulled down 275 total rebounds, blocked 41 shots, and has collected 25 steals.

Coach Fred Watson garnished the honor of the SIAC Coach of the Year for the 2019-2020 basketball season. Watson, in his second season with the Golden Bears, led his program to become nationally recognized coming in at No. 19 in Division II rankings. Watson has also led his program to 13-straight game victories, which is the most in school history in a single season. In his two-year tenure, Watson has managed to lead his team to the top of the Western Division for two consecutive years and captured a conference championship title with the Golden Bears in his first year.

(complete team listed below)

2019-20 SIAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team
 
First Team

Second Team

Coach of the Year
Fred Watson, Miles

Defensive Player of the Year
Romaine Thomas, Clark Atlanta

Freshman of the Year
Darweshi Hunter, Central State

Newcomer of the Year
Darweshi Hunter, Central State

Player of the Year
Avery Brown, Miles

Courtesy: SIAC