Johnson State men's basketball players Rahim Bunch, Gregory Davis, Asim Khan and head coach Miles Smith were all recognized with North Atlantic Conference (NAC) All-Conference honors. Davis earned Senior Scholar Athlete of the year award while Coach Smith was voted NAC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. Bunch and Khan both earned spots on the NAC Second Team All-Conference squad. NAC All-Conference selections are determined by a vote of the conference coaches.
Husson senior forward Trevon Butler has been selected as the NAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, while Colby-Sawyer senior center Peter Donato was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year and Lyndon freshman center Kevin Love earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Davis, a Philadelphia, Pa. native, has been selected as the NAC's first men's basketball Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year. He is being recognized for excelling both academically and athletically throughout his undergraduate experience. The Health and Exercise Science major is a leading example of what it means to be a Division III student-athlete by making the most out of his undergraduate experience. In the classroom, Davis has made both the Dean's List and the President's List at Johnson State and was named the Johnson State Academic Student Athlete of the Year in 2015. Davis has been heavily involved on campus and when he is not in the classroom, practicing or studying he works in the admissions department as the Head Tour Guide and a Junior Admissions Counselor. He currently serves as the Johnson Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President and was a participant at the NCAA Leadership Conference in Providence, R.I. Davis has worked several basketball camps and clinics at Johnson and he has been involved in several community service events including the JSC Special Olympics Basketball Tournament and as a coordinator for the JSC Relay for Life. Impressively, Davis has been a part of four other athletic programs at Johnson including men's cross-country, men's golf, men's soccer, and men's tennis, while serving as the captain in both basketball and tennis.
Smith, who is in his first season at the helm of the Johnson State squad, led his team to its best overall record since the 2008-2009 season and improved the team's league record by six wins from last year. Impressively this season, the Badgers earned their highest tournament seed, No. 3, hosted their first home tournament game and earned their first tournament win since joining the NAC. In conference games, Johnson finished the regular season as the leader in steals per game (8.9) and held opponents to a league low 31.9 three-point percentage. The Badgers also ranked third in assists per game (15.6) and field goals made (526), while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (44.2%). Notably, Johnson ended a five-game winning streak for the No. 1 seeded Husson, as the Badgers claimed a 101-95 win on the road against the Eagles on February 6.
Joining Butler and Donato on the All-NAC First Team were Husson junior guard Raheem Anderson (Miramar, Fla.), New England College senior guard Dezron Wilson (Nashua, N.H.), and Thomas senior guard Levi Barnes (Skowhegan, Maine).
Second team selections included Colby-Sawyer senior guard Wol Majong (Manchester, N.H.), Green Mountain senior forward Cameron Anderson(Charlottesville, Va.) and junior guard Thomas Brown (Charlottesville, Va.), and Johnson State senior guards Rahim Bunch (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) andAsim Khan (Torrance, Calif.).
New to the conference this season is the selection of a Sportsmanship Team which is reserved for those who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees are individuals who have positively affected the men's basketball culture and game environment and whose behavior clearly demonstrates sportsmanship and integrity that go beyond the playing rules and etiquette. The following ten individuals have been selected to the NAC Men's Basketball Sportsmanship Team, Castleton senior Casey McGraw (Delmar, N.Y.), Colby-Sawyer's Majong, UMaine- Farmington senior Logan Nichols (Minot, Maine), Green Mountain sophomore Cameron Gaudette (White River Junction, Vt.), Husson junior Eli Itkin(Pawtucket, R.I.), Johnson State's Davis, Lyndon freshman Gabriel Torres (Woodland, Calif.), Maine Maritime junior Dylan Price (Madison, Maine), New England College junior Ariya Nozary (Hillsboro, N.H.), and Thomas senior Adam Carlsen (Rockport, Maine).
2016 Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams
To view a PDF list of the All-Conference team click HERE.
First Team
G - Raheem Anderson, Junior, Husson
G - Levi Barnes, Senior, Thomas
F - Trevon Butler, Senior, Husson
C - Peter Donato, Senior, Colby-Sawyer
G - Dezron Wilson, Senior, New England College
Second Team
F - Cameron Anderson, Senior, Green Mountain
G - Thomas Brown, Junior, Green Mountain
G - Rahim Bunch, Senior, Johnson State
G - Asim Khan, Senior, Johnson State
G - Wol Majong, Senior, Colby-Sawyer
Player of the Year - Trevon Butler, Senior, Husson
Defensive Player of the Year - Peter Donato, Senior, Colby-Sawyer
Rookie of the Year - Kevin Love, Freshman, Lyndon
Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year - Greg Davis, Senior, Johnson State
Coach of the Year - Miles Smith, First Season, Johnson State
Sportsmanship Team
Adam Carlsen, Senior, Thomas
Greg Davis, Senior, Johnson State
Cameron Gaudette, Sophomore, Green Mountain
Eli Itkin, Junior, Husson
Wol Majong, Senior, Colby-Sawyer
Casey McGraw, Senior, Castleton
Logan Nichols, Senior, UMaine-Farmington
Ariya Nozary, Junior, New England College
Dylan Price, Junior, Maine Maritime
Gabriel Torres, Freshman, Lyndon