Carson-Newman’s Dixon Garners Second Team All-SAC Honors

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Carson-Newman senior guard Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) has been named second team All-South Atlantic Conference, league officials announced today.

Dixon ranks 12th in the conference in scoring with 12.8 points per game and is 10th in assists with an average of 2.96 assists per contest. Dixon, who also averages 3.4 rebounds per game, has helped lead the Eagles to Saturday’s Food Lion SAC Tournament semifinals.

The selection marks the third time in his career Dixon has been named All-SAC. During his first year in Mossy Creek, Dixon garnered All-Freshman honors. As a sophomore, he was named second team All-SAC.

Tusculum senior guard Kyle Moore, who led the conference in scoring at 24.9 points per game, was named the 2009-10 SAC Men's Basketball Players of the Year.

Moore wins the award for the second year in a row. He helped lead the Pioneers to a tie for second place in the league standings at 10-6 and a 16-12 overall record. He led the conference for the second year in a row with 112 made 3-pointers, breaking the conference record he had previously set last year. He finishes as the SAC's all-time leader in made 3-pointers with 306. His scoring average of 24.9 points per game ranks second nationally and ranks second in SAC history.

Wingate’s Odell Turner, who averaged 11.9 points and was fifth in the league in rebounding with seven rebounds per game, was named the SAC Men's Freshman of the Year.

Brevard’s Mike Jones, who guided the Tornados from a ninth-place finish last season to a second-place finish this year, was named the SAC Men's Coach of the Year.

Mars Hill's Jarred Pickering was named SAC Scholar-Athlete for men's basketball.

Joining Moore on the men's All-Conference first team are: Jonathan Whitson, Brevard; Antonio Houston, Catawba College; D.J. Blackmon, Lenoir-Rhyne; D'Mario Curry, Lincoln Memorial University; and Danny Sanders, Mars Hill College.

The men's All-Conference second team consists of: Josh Roper, Brevard; Dixon, Carson-Newman College; Rob Fields, Catawba; Donald Rutherford, Catawba; Stoney Polite, Mars Hill; and Jamie Vaughn, Wingate.

Joining Turner on the men's All-Freshman Team are: Stephen Coles, Catawba; Ryan Barnes, Newberry; Paidrick Matilus, Wingate; and Quan Alexander, Wingate.

The 2010 Food Lion SAC men's semifinals are Saturday at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C. The men's award winners will be recognized after the first contest between Catawba and Lincoln Memorial. The seventh-seeded Eagles are set to face third-seeded Brevard at 2:30 p.m.

The championship game is set for Sunday, with the winner receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament.

2010 ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS AND AWARD RECIPIENTS

ALL-SAC FIRST TEAM
Jonathan Whitson, Brevard
Antonio Houston, Catawba
D.J. Blackmon , Lenoir-Rhyne
D'Mario Curry, Lincoln Memorial
Danny Sanders, Mars Hill
Kyle Moore, Tusculum

ALL-SAC SECOND TEAM
Josh Roper, Brevard
Jordan Dixon, Carson-Newman
Rob Fields, Catawba
Donald Rutherford, Catawba
Stoney Polite, Mars Hill
Jamie Vaughn, Wingate

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Stephen Coles, Catawba
Ryan Barnes, Newberry
Quan Alexander, Wingate
Paidrick Matilus, Wingate
Odell Turner, Wingate

COACH OF THE YEAR: Mike Jones, Brevard
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kyle Moore, Tusculum
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Odell Turner, Wingate
SAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE: Jarred Pickering, Mars Hill