Wednesday, October 12, 2011

MACON, Ga. – Four unanimous choices adorn the 2011-12 Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference team including Mick Hedgepeth and Ian Clark from Belmont, who claimed first place in both the coaches and media polls. Kennesaw State’s Markeith Cummings, the Preseason Player of the Year, and USC Upstate’s Torrey Craig join the Bruin duo as unanimous selections.

The Bruins also placed senior Scott Saunders on the preseason team as he joins Clark and Hedgepeth as the top-three scorers from the 2010-11 squad that won 28 games and captured the 2011 A-Sun Championship. Clark led the way in scoring with 12.2 points per outing, while Hedgepeth and Saunders contributed 10.8 and 9.9, respectively.

ETSU also placed multiple student-athletes on the team with seniors Isiah Brown and Tommy Hubbard as the Buccaneers claimed the two-spot in both polls after advancing to the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Tournament Semifinals. The Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Brown ranked in the top-10 of three A-Sun statistical categories last season including rebounding (7.2; 4th), blocks (1.97; 4th) and field-goal percentage (.514; 6th). Hubbard returns after missing the majority of last season, but brings plenty of experience as he led the Bucs in scoring (13.9) and rebounds (8.2) during the 2009-10 season.

North Florida and Jacksonville split the third position in the coaches and media poll. The Ospreys earned No. 3 in the coaches poll after reaching the 2011 A-Sun Championship Final against Belmont as Jerron Granberry and Andy Diaz both received preseason recognition. The duo started all 34 games for UNF last season as Granberry averaged 12.0 points per outing and Diaz followed with 10.6.

The Dolphins’ Delwan Graham earned selection to the team after averaging 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds and helped Jacksonville win its second postseason game in as many years when the Dolphins defeated East Carolina in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Mercer and Lipscomb were next in both polls earning the fifth and sixth spots, respectively. The Bisons placed Jordan Burgason onto the preseason team following last season in which he led the league in three-pointers made per game with 2.8 and ranked fifth in 3-point percentage at .418.

No. 7 in both polls, Kennesaw State starts the 2011-12 season with a new head coach, Lewis Preston, but returns the top scorer from last season with Cummings. The junior hybrid player averaged 18.3 points last year and contributed 1.48 steals – ninth in the A-Sun. FGCU followed the Owls in the poll and also welcome a new frontman as Andy Enfield leads the Eagles program.

USC Upstate and Stetson complete both preseason polls as the Hatters jumpstart the season with new Head Coach Casey Alexander, who comes to Deland following 16 years working the sidelines at Belmont as an assistant and associate head coach. Craig, the 2010-11 A-Sun Freshman of the Year, completes the preseason team as he led the Spartans with averages of 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.27 three-pointers made last season – all of which ranked in the top-eight of the conference.

For the first-time in conference history, the A-Sun let the fans decide preseason awards via Facebook. Belmont’s Mick Hedgepeth was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year, while the Bruins were also picked to repeat as the regular-season champions. North Florida’s Matt Sauey was selected as the fan’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.