SPARTANBURG, S.C. (SoCon Sports)– Furman fifth-year senior forward Jalen Slawson was named the consensus Southern Conference Player of the Year as the league announced its 2022-23 men’s basketball postseason awards Wednesday. Selections include the coaches’ all-conference teams and specialty awards in addition to the Southern Conference Sports Media Association all-conference teams and awards.
Wofford guard Jackson Paveletzke was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year by both the coaches and the media. UNCG’s Mike Jones was named the SoCon Coach of the Year by his peers, while the media selected Samford’s Bucky McMillan as the Anton Foy Coach of the Year for the second straight season. UNCG’s Kobe Langley was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches.
The 2023 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship begins Friday at 5 p.m. at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina, and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Saturday’s quarterfinals will appear on ESPN+ as well as select Nexstar affiliates, while Sunday first semifinal will air live on ESPNU followed by the second on ESPNEWS. The championship game is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
Coaches All-Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Teams
Player of the Year
Jalen Slawson, 5th, F, FUR
Freshman of the Year
Jackson Paveletzke, G, WOF
Defensive Player of the Year
Kobe Langley, Sr., G, UNCG
Coach of the Year
Mike Jones, UNCG
First team
Mike Bothwell, 5th, G, Furman
Jalen Slawson, 5th, F, Furman
Keyshaun Langley, Sr., G, UNCG
Logan Dye, Sr., F, Samford
B.J. Mack, Sr., F/C, Wofford
Second team
Stephen Clark, Sr., F, The Citadel
Ques Glover, Jr., G, Samford
Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Tre Jackson, Jr., G, Western Carolina
Vonterius Woolbright, Jr., G, Western Carolina
Third team
Jalen Haynes, So., F/C, ETSU
Jordan King, Jr., G, ETSU
Jalyn McCreary, Jr., F, Mercer
Keondre Kennedy, Gr., G/F, UNCG
Jermaine Marshall, Jr., F, Samford
All-freshman team
Ben VanderWal, F, Furman
Jah Quinones, G, Mercer
Sam Alexis, F/C, Chattanooga
Asher Woods, G, VMI
Jackson Paveletzke, Fr., G, Wofford
SoCon Sports Media Association
Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year
Jalen Slawson, 5th, F, FUR
Freshman of the Year
Jackson Paveletzke, G, WOF
Anton Foy Coach of the Year
Bucky McMillan, Samford
First team
Mike Bothwell, 5th, G, Furman
Jalen Slawson, 5th, F, Furman
Keyshaun Langley, Sr., G, UNCG
Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
B.J. Mack, Sr., F/C, Wofford
Second team
Stephen Clark, Sr., F, The Citadel
Logan Dye, Sr., F, Samford
Jermaine Marshall, Jr., F, Samford
Tre Jackson, Jr., G, Western Carolina
Vonterius Woolbright, Jr., G, Western Carolina
Third team
Jordan King, Jr., G, ETSU
Jalyn McCreary, Jr., F, Mercer
Ques Glover, Jr., G, Samford
Tyzhaun Claude, Jr., F, Western Carolina
Jackson Paveletzke, Fr., G, Wofford
All-freshman team
Madison Durr, G, The Citadel
Jah Quinones, G, Mercer
Asher Woods, G, VMI
Tyler Houser, C, VMI
Jackson Paveletzke, Fr., G, Wofford
Notes
– Jalen Slawson is Furman’s first player of the year since Devin Sibley was honored by both the coaches and media in 2016-17. He is the Paladins’ third selection overall from the coaches (since 1989-90) and 13th from the media (since 1951-52). Slawson is fifth in the SoCon in scoring this season at 15.7 points per game, fourth in rebounding (7.3 per game), fourth in field-goal percentage (.554), sixth in assists per game (3.4), fifth in steals (1.6 per game) and second in blocked shots (1.5).
– Slawson has helped the Paladins to a 24-7 overall record and a 15-3 league mark to share the league’s regular-season title. Furman is the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship for the first time since 1991.
– Slawson was the SoCon Player of the Month for January and the SoCon Player of the Week on Feb. 6.
– Four SoCon players earned first-team all-conference honors from both the coaches and media – Slawson, Furman’s Mike Boothwell, UNCG’s Keyshaun Langley and Wofford’s B.J. Mack. The coaches also had Samford’s Logan Dye on their first team and the media had Chattanooga’s Jake Stephens on theirs.
– Senior guard Kobe Langley is UNCG’s fifth defensive player of the year in the last six seasons, a streak interrupted only by Slawson’s award win last season. With 56 total steals and 1.8 per game, Kobe Langley is second in the SoCon only to his twin brother, Keyshaun Langley, who has 57 total. Kobe Langley also leads the SoCon and ranks 28th in NCAA Division I with a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
– Jackson Paveletzke is Wofford’s first SoCon Freshman of the Year since Fletcher Magee earned the honor from both the coaches and media in 2015-16. He is the fourth Wofford selection overall from both the coaches (since 1992-93) and the media (since 1978-79).
– Mike Jones is UNCG’s second coach of the year selection by the coaches and first since Wes Miller in 2017-18. Jones, in his second year at the helm for the Spartans, has led his squad to a 20-11 overall record and a 14-4 SoCon record. UNCG, which is the No. 3 seed entering the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship, leads the league and ranks 33rd in DI in scoring defense at 64.4 points per game. The Spartans also pace the SoCon in rebounding margin (3.7), rebounds per game (37.0) and field-goal percentage defense (.403).
– Samford’s Bucky McMillan became the first to be named the Anton Foy Coach of the Year in consecutive seasons since Davidson’s Bob McKillop in 2006-07 and 2007-08. McMillan, who last season became the first Bulldog coach to be named SoCon Coach of the Year by either the coaches or the media, has guided Samford to a 21-10 overall record and a 15-3 league mark for a share of the program’s first-ever SoCon men’s basketball regular-season championship. The Bulldogs enter the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship as the No. 2 seed, their highest ever.
– Between the coaches and media all-conference and all-freshman teams, all 10 league squads had at least one selection.
– The coaches’ and media’s all-freshman teams share three common selections: Paveletzke, Mercer’s Jah Quinones and VMI’s Asher Woods.
