Fort Valley State duo headline SIAC basketball honors

 The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has announced its annual men’s basketball awards to cap the 2022-2023 regular season. The league’s head coaches and sports information directors voted on this year’s all-conference teams, which feature ten student-athletes.

The 2023 TIAA SIAC Basketball Championship, presented by Cricket, will take place February 25 – March 4 and will be hosted by Savannah State University.

The 2023 TIAA SIAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team is headlined by a Fort Valley State duo in sophomore forward K.J. Doucet, who was voted 2022-2023 TIAA SIAC Player of the Year, and junior point guard Jamal Reynolds, who earned the 2022-2023 TIAA SIAC Defensive Player of the Year award.

Doucet returns as a leader for the Fort Valley State Wildcats. The returning 2021-22 SIAC Freshman of the Year and 2022-23 SIAC Preseason Player of the Year had an impressive sophomore season with the team. The sophomore forward leads the Wildcats at 16.2 points per game, shooting 42.7 percent (141-of-330) from the field and 75.5 percent from the free-throw line making 5.0 per game over 28 games. The Georgia native averaged 5.1 rebounds per game for the Wildcats this season. Doucet has scored in double figures in 26 games, including a season-high 25 against Lane College in December. He is ranked third in scoring for the league going into the tournament and has been named SIAC Player of the Week multiple times this season.

A top defender for the Wildcats, Jamal Reynolds, is also leading the league in steals averaging 2.1 per game this season and has been named this year’s Defensive Player of the Year. The junior guard has had at least one steal in 25 of his 28 games this season, including a season-high six steals in an overtime win against Allen earlier this month. On the season, he shot 50.0 percent (66-of-132) from the field, 61.9 percent (39-of-63) from the free-throw line, and 28 percent from the three-point line. He finished the season averaging 3.6 rebounds per game and 1.5 assists per game.

Golden Bears’ leading scorer and fifth in the league averaged 16.5 points per game during the regular season. He is the only player in the conference that is top-10 in scoring (5th) and assists (10th). Battle was a double-figure scorer in 20 games this season. He had seven games with more than 20 points, including 29 against Kentucky Wesleyan and 28 points versus Spring Hill. The Georgia native earned one Player of the Week and one Newcomer of the Week honor from the SIAC this season.

Terin Wofford has been a pleasant surprise for the Golden Rams. Wofford is a highly athletic guard that scores on all levels. Wofford is also one of the Golden Rams’ best defenders. In 27 games this season, the freshman guard averages 8.4 points per game and 2.4 rebounds. On the season, the Georgia native collected 44 steals, 24 assists, and eight blocks entering the tournament.

Coming off a surprise SIAC Championship Title last year, Horace Broadnax has led his Tigers to a second-place finish in the SIAC East Division this season, even after losing his three top scorers from last year’s championship team. The veteran head coach has a 14-7 conference record this year in his 18th year at Savannah State.

The Elite 14 award recognizes the student-athlete who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the SIAC championship level in their sport while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. Mykayle Carter of Miles was the second recipient of this award in his respective sport.

(complete team listed below)

2023 TIAA SIAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team
presented by Cricket

First Team

Second Team

Coach of the Year: Horace Broadnax, Savannah State
Player of the Year: K.J. Doucet, Fort Valley State
Defensive Player of the Year: Jamal Reynolds, Fort Valley State
Newcomer of the Year: Rodney Battle, Miles
Freshman of the Year: Terin Wofford, Albany State

Courtesy: SIAC