2023-24 SoCon Awards Predictions
Matt gives his thoughts and predictions regarding the Southern Conference's upcoming awards
After another hectic year of Southern Conference play, it’s time to dish out some awards. We’re on our way to a crazy weekend in Asheville, so let’s take a beat and speculate the honors of the SoCon, as well as some honorable mentions.
Player of the Year
Vonterius Woolbright, Guard, Western Carolina
Honorable Mentions: Mikeal Brown-Jones, Achor Achor
There’s no true debate here. Woolbright has far and away been the best player in the league all season long–first in points and rebounds per game and second in assists per game. While the Catamounts didn’t necessarily live up to expectations, it’s not because of Woolbright. He’s accounted for a league-leading 26 double-doubles and a nation-leading five triple-doubles while not scoring in single digits all season. While our honorable mentions were also great all season, this is Woolbright’s award.
Freshman of the Year
Jake Davis, Forward, Mercer
Honorable Mentions: David Thomas, Tyran Cook
When looking for your 2024 SoCon Freshman of the Year, you don’t need to look much further than the Mercer Bears. Arguments can be made for both Davis and Thomas, but Davis gets the nod for his longevity. Just eight games into his career, Davis became too valuable to be brought off the bench, starting the rest of the season. He’s averaged 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds and has come up big in some huge spots for Greg Gary. Thomas is special, too, and if Mercer can keep both of them around, it could be good for a while.
Defensive Player of the Year
Kobe Langley, Guard, UNCG
Honorable Mentions: Jadyn Parker, Sam Alexis
The narrative for DPOY right now seems to be circling Jadyn Parker, but virtually every metric will tell you Langley deserves the award again. He’s averaging 2.3 steals per game, over half a steal more than second place (A.J. Staton-McCray), his defensive rating is 100.2 and his defensive box plus-minus is 3.1. While Sam Alexis dominated the early season narrative and Parker has come on strong as of late, Langley has been the lynchpin in UNCG’s defense all season, putting him in line to repeat as the winner.
Coach of the Year
Bucky McMillan, Samford
Honorable Mentions: Mike Jones, Dan Earl
There shouldn’t be a question about this one either. In a league full of talented, young coaches, Bucky McMillan stands above them all this year. Not only did he lead Samford to a 26-win season and back-to-back regular-season titles, he dealt with injuries all season long. Jermaine Marshall was a preseason POY pick and McMillan orchestrated a 17-game win streak without him. A.J Staton-McCray and Achor Achor missed time late and Samford still picked up huge wins down the stretch. McMillan’s style of play is the main reason Samford has been successful all year, so he deserves this award.
First Team
Vonterius Woolbright, Guard, Western Carolina
Mikeal Brown-Jones, Forward, UNCG
Achor Achor, Forward, Samford
JP Pegues, Guard, Furman
Honor Huff, Guard, Chattanooga
Second Team
Marcus Foster, Forward, Furman
Trey Bonham, Guard, Chattanooga
Jalyn McCreary, Forward, Mercer
Corey Tripp, Guard, Wofford
Keyshaun Langley, Guard, UNCG
Third Team
Russell Jones, Jr., Guard, Western Carolina
A.J. Staton-McCray, Guard, Samford
Sam Alexis, Forward, Chattanooga
Rylan Jones, Guard, Samford
Kobe Langley, Guard, UNCG
Honorable Mentions:
Alex Williams, Forward, Furman
Tre Jackson, Guard, Western Carolina
AJ Smith, Guard, The Citadel
Elijah Morgan, Guard, The Citadel
Jaden Campbell, Guard, Samford
DJ Campbell, Guard, Western Carolina
Jadyn Parker, Forward, ETSU
Jaden Seymour, Forward, ETSU
All-Freshman team
Jake Davis, Forward, Mercer
David Thomas, Guard, Mercer
Tyran Cook, Guard, VMI
Myles Che, Guard, Chattanooga
Cooper Bowser, Forward, Furman