Clemente Martin named to All-SAC second team, while Kendrick Johnson earns all-freshman team honors

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Newberry College's Clemente Martin and Kendrick Johnson were named to the all-South Atlantic Conference second team and all-freshman team, respectively, the league announced today.

Martin, a redshirt sophomore forward from Freeport, Bahamas, led the Indians in scoring this year at 13.3 points per game while averaging 6.1 rebounds per game. Martin led the team in scoring in 13 of the team’s 26 games, and scored over 20 points in four games, including a career high of 26 points against Allen on Nov. 21, as well as 25 points in conference opener against Wingate on Jan. 3.

Johnson, a redshirt freshman from Orangeburg, S.C., broke Newberry's single season record for blocked shots, despite missing the opening seven games of the season. In just the second game of his collegiate career, Johnson tied Newberry's single game blocked shots record for the first of three times this season, as he tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots in the conference opening win over Wingate. Johnson tied that block record twice more over the following two weeks against Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne.

In other conference honors, Wingate University junior guard Sean Barnette, who led the conference in scoring at 21 points per game and ranked in the top 10 in seven other statistical categories, was named the 2006-07 South Atlantic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.

Barnette led the SAC in scoring at 21.0 points per game, and ranked among the league top 10 leaders in rebounding, assists, free-throw percentage, 3-point percentage, 3-pointers made, blocked shots and defensive rebounds.

Joining Barnette on the men’s All-Conference First Team are Brian Graves and Chris Wooldridge from Catawba, who helped lead the Catawba Indians to the SAC regular-season title; Reggie Bratton from Lenoir-Rhyne; Sean Dixon from Presbyterian; Chris Poore from Tusculum and Justin Baker from Wingate. A tie in the voting expanded the first team to seven members.

The men’s All-Conference Second Team consists Kente Hart from Carson-Newman; Josh Kindred from Lenoir-Rhyne; Clemente Martin from Newberry; Grant Herren from Presbyterian and Bryan Grier from Wingate.

Catawba’s Antonio Houston, a freshman from Charlotte, N.C. (East Mecklenburg HS) who played a big part in the Indians’ championship, was named Freshman of the Year. He averaged 16.4 points, third best in the conference, and was fifth in the league in 3-pointers made per game. He was joined on the All-Freshman Team by Jordan Dixon of Carson-Newman; Beau Brown of Lincoln Memorial; Stoney Polite from Mars Hill and Kendrick Johnson from Newberry.

Catawba coach Jim Baker, who guided the Indians to the regular-season championship, was named men’s Coach of the Year. He wins this award for the fifth time in his career.

Newberry plays at archrival Presbyterian in the quarterfinals of the Food Lion SAC Tournament on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

MEN'S TEAMS
ALL-SAC FIRST TEAM
Brian Graves, Catawba
Chris Wooldridge, Catawba
Reggie Bratton, Lenoir-Rhyne
Sean Dixon, Presbyterian
Chris Poore, Tusculum
Sean Barnette, Wingate
Justin Baker, Wingate

ALL-SAC SECOND TEAM
Kente Hart, Carson-Newman
Josh Kindred, Lenoir-Rhyne
Clemente Martin, Newberry
Grant Herren, Presbyterian
Bryan Grier, Wingate

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Jordan Dixon, Carson-Newman
Antonio Houston, Catawba
Beau Brown, Lincoln Memorial
Stoney Polite, Mars Hill
Kendrick Johnson, Newberry

COACH OF THE YEAR:
Jim Baker, Catawba
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Sean Barnette, Wingate
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
Antonio Houston, Catawba
SAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE:
Chris Poore, Tusculum

MEN’S BASKETBALL STATISTICAL CHAMPIONS
The SAC Statistical Champion Award recognizes those individuals and teams that have finished the regular season as SAC leaders in various overall statistical categories. Individual leaders must have participated in 75 percent of the team’s games.

MEN’S BASKETBALL
Individual Scoring – Sean Barnette, Wingate, 21.0
Individual Rebounds Per Game – Bryan Grier, Wingate, 7.9
Individual Field Goal Percentage – Bryan Grier, Wingate, .672
Individual Assists Per Game – Brian Graves, Catawba, 6.41
Individual Steals Per Game – Beau Brown, Lincoln Memorial; Kai Wells, Lincoln Memorial, 2.37
Individual 3-Point Field Goal Percentage – Jordan Lear, Tusculum, .477
Individual 3-Pointers Per Game – David Lopez, Lincoln Memorial, 3.12
Individual Blocked Shots Per Game – Bryan Grier, Wingate, 3.26
Individual Free Throw Percentage – Bill Smith, Wingate, .881
Individual Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Tyler White, Tusculum, 2.31
Team Scoring Offense – Wingate, 84.4
Team Field Goal Percentage – Lenoir-Rhyne, .494
Team Field Goal Percentage Defense – Tusculum, .409
Team 3-Point Field Goal Percentage – Presbyterian, .393
Team Assists – Catawba 16.63
Team Steals – Lincoln Memorial, 9.37
Team Scoring Defense – Presbyterian, 62.6
Team Rebounding – Wingate, 41.6
Team Free Throw Percentage – Carson-Newman, .750
Team Blocked Shots – Wingate, 6.67
Team Scoring Margin – Lenoir-Rhyne, +6.5
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Catawba, 1.11