SHAWNEE, Okla. – On Wednesday, the Great American Conference announced its 2022-23 Men’s Basketball superlative awards, released the All-GAC teams and named its top Scholar Athletes. Following a dominant regular season, Southern Nazarene captured four of the major awards as Tyler McGhie won Player of the Year, Nick Davis earned Defender of the Year, Javon Jackson claimed Freshman of the Year and Adam Bohac garnered Coach of the Year. Southern Arkansas’ Gregory Hammond Jr. scored the Newcomer of the Year accolade. Southeastern Oklahoma State Kody Clouet received the league’s Elite Scholar Athlete award.
2022-23 GAC BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
The Crimson Storm won the regular season by a league-record six games. McGhie led the league in 3-point field goals and 3-point field goal percentage. His 17.3 points per game ranked third. Davis ranked third in blocks and fourth in rebounding in pacing a Southern Nazarene defense that ranked second in the country in scoring defense. Jackson averaged 15.4 points per game and ranked fifth among all DII freshmen in scoring. Bohac picked up the fourth Coach of the Year award of his career.
Hammond, Jr. became the Muleriders’ first Newcomer of the Year. He helped SAU earn the No. 2 seed for the upcoming GAC Championships by leading the team in scoring, 12.7 per game. He shot 40.5 percent from the 3-point arc and grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game.
McGhie, Jackson and Hammond, Jr. added All-GAC First Team honors. Harding’s Taylor Currie, Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Malik Parsons and Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Jett Sternberger filled out the First Team. Parsons led the GAC and ranked second in the country in scoring as he averaged 24.8 points per game. Currie ranked fifth in the nation, averaging 24.0 per game. He added a GAC-leading 9.7 rebounds per game and he led in field-goal percentage, converting on 61.1 percent of his shots. Sternberger ranked fourth in the league in scoring and shot 38.7 percent from the 3-point arc.
Davis headlined the All-GAC Second Team that also featured Arkansas Tech’s Taelon Peter, Arkansas-Monticello’s Isaac Jackson, Ouachita Baptist’s LaQuan Butler Jr. and Southeastern Oklahoma State’ s Brennen Burns.
The Honorable Mention All-GAC Team consisted of East Central’s Luke Harper, Quinton Johnson II and Keyon Thomas, Henderson State’s Franck Kamgain and Alvin Miles, Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Kamden Gipson and Ben Smith, Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Brian Free, Oklahoma Baptist’s DJ Freeman and Southern Arkansas’ LaTreavin Black.
A total of six student-athletes earned the Distinguished Scholar Athlete award in East Central’s Romello Wilbert and Bryce Woolridge, Southern Arkansas’ Logan Bradley and Brock Schreiner, Henderson State’s Franck Kamgain and Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Max Chenault.