Newberry’s Miller tabbed Freshman of the Year; Valentine gets all-conference nod

ROCK HILL – A pair of Wolves pick up honors from the 2017-18 South Atlantic Conference Men’s Basketball All-Conference list. Max Miller was named SAC Freshman of the Year along with a spot on the all-freshman team, while Rob Valentine garnered a place on the all-conference first team.

Throughout his spectacular freshman campaign, Miller combined for 251 points, 162 rebounds, and 30 blocks. He led the team with three double-doubles on the season, including a standout performance against Piedmont International where he shot a 91.7 clip going 11-for-12 from the field to tally 23 points and 11 boards.

Miller finished the year shooting 61.9 percent from the field, nabbing him a top-five spot in the conference in overall field goal percentage.

With the selection, Miller is Newberry’s fourth SAC freshman of the year during the school’s 20 years in the league. The Roscoe, Illinois native also secured a spot on the SAC All-Freshman team.

Senior Rob Valentine’s dazzling season resulted in an all-conference first team nod, joining the list alongside Carson-Newman’s Charles Clark, No. 2 Queens’ Todd Withers, and No. 1 Lincoln Memorial’s Emanuel Terry, Trevon Shaw, and Dorian Pinson.

Valentine concluded his sensational senior campaign accumulating 554 points and connecting from beyond the arc 109 times this season. His 109 treys set a Newberry record for made three-pointers in a single season, with his 10 at Bob Jones on Nov. 14 setting another school record for most made during a singular game.

The Richmond, Virginia native ranked in the top-ten in several SAC statistical categories including second in total points, third in average points per game, and sixth in three-point percentage. Valentine also lit up the national stage currently occupying the fourth spot in Division II in treys made per game with an average of 3.76.

Along with his effectiveness from beyond the arc, Valentine combined for 106 rebounds including his first career double-double at Lenoir-Rhyne where he notched 29 points and a career-high 11 boards.

Valentine’s all-conference first team pick is the first for the Wolves since Demarkus Smith earned the honor during the 2014-15 season.

View the full list of honorees below and find the SAC’s release here.
2017-18 South Atlantic Conference Men’s Basketball All-Conference Agate

First Team

Emanuel Terry, Lincoln Memorial

Charles Clark, Carson-Newman

Dorian Pinson, Lincoln Memorial

Todd Withers, Queens

Trevon Shaw, Lincoln Memorial

Rob Valentine, Newberry

Second Team

Ike Agusi, Queens

Jerrin Morrison, Catawba

Donte Samuels, Coker

Mike Davis, Queens

Cornelius Taylor, Lincoln Memorial

Shaun Jones, Carson-Newman

Honorable Mention

Zeriq Lolar, Wingate

Djibril Diallo, Lenoir-Rhyne

Jalin Alexander, Queens

Kerigan Farley, Wingate

Gage Ellis, Anderson

Marco Haskins, Wingate

All-Freshman

Max Miller, Newberry

Austin Gilyard, Mars Hill

Dashaunte Smith, Tusculum

Nassyr Daniel, Mars Hill

Quantra Taylor, Wingate

Marquis Green, Coker

Player of the Year

Emanuel Terry, Lincoln Memorial

Freshman of the Year

Max Miller, Newberry

Defensive Player of the Year

Emanuel Terry, Lincoln Memorial

Coach of the Year

Josh Schertz, Lincoln Memorial

Statistical Champions
Points Per Game – Charles Clark, Carson-Newman; Jerrin Morrison, Catawba, 21.5
Three Pointers Per Game – Trevon Shaw, Lincoln Memorial, 4.36
Rebounds Per Game – Emanuel Terry, Lincoln Memorial, 10.4
Blocked Shots Per Game – Bertrand Awana, Lenoir-Rhyne, 2.09
Field Goal Percentage – Emanuel Terry, Lincoln Memorial, 72.1
Assists Per Game – Kerigan Farley, Wingate, 5.8
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Grant Teichmann, Carson-Newman, 3.24
Steals Per Game – Kerigan Farley, Wingate, 2.14
Three Point Field Goal Percentage – Trevon Shaw, Lincoln Memorial, 47.3
Free Throw Percentage – Austin Gilyard, Mars Hill, 88.6
Team Scoring Offense – Lincoln Memorial, 96.2
Team Steals – Coker, 280
Team Field Goal Percentage – Lincoln Memorial, 54.5
Team FG Percentage Defense – Lincoln Memorial, 36.6
Team Assists – Lincoln Memorial, 564
Team Rebounding – Lincoln Memorial, 1,218
Team Blocked Shots – Queens, 132
Team Three Point FG Percentage – Lincoln Memorial, 42.5
Team Scoring Defense – Lincoln Memorial, 68.4
Team Free Throw Percentage – Anderson, 74.3
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Lincoln Memorial, 1.71

Newberry Athletics contributed to the writing of this article.