VIDEO: Charles Clark Interview
VIDEO: Carson Brooks Interview
Brooks lands on first team, Clark all-freshman team as SAC announces postseason laurels
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman junior forward Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.) made the South Atlantic Conference's all-league first team, while Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) landed on the league's freshman team, the conference office announced Wednesday morning.
"We are happy for both Carson and Charles," head coach Chuck Benson said. "They are both so very deserving of these accolades from the league office."
Brooks gives Carson-Newman its fifth first team all-conference honoree in the last three years. Antoine Davis and Ish Sanders were both two-time first team selection the previous two seasons.
Brooks is sixth in the league in scoring at 15.6 points per game. He owns the SAC statistical championship for made field goals this season with 178. Brooks also clocked in at fourth in the SAC with his 59.3 field goal percentage.
A South Atlantic Conference and TSWA Player of the Week honoree, Brooks set a SAC and Carson-Newman school record when he hit all 12 of his field goal attempts en route to 26 points against Barton in the Eagles' opener.
"Carson really came into his own this year and had moments where he looked unbelievably dominant," Benson said. "It goes back to us getting some kids who are talented and they make natural progression. Carson has made that progression for embracing what we're trying to do, playing with confidence and then delivering. He's stepped into the void left by Ish and Antoine."
Brooks also registers at second and third on Carson-Newman's single game field goal percentage marks by going 11-for-12 from the field against Queens and 10-for-11 against Anderson.
He scored double figures in 24 contests this season including 16 consecutive at one point – the longest double-digit scoring stream since Sanders collected 15 consecutive double-digit games his senior year.
Brooks reset his career high with 28 points against Queens. For the first time in his career, he dished out five assists in a game, doing so both against Queens at home and Newberry at home.
He has six, 20-point games this season, including three consecutive against Tusculum, Newberry and Anderson (that streak matches streaks of Davis and Sanders from their senior seasons for the longest 20-point scoring streaks for C-N under Benson).
Brooks put down his second career double-double with 23 points and 10 boards against Tusculum at home before doing it again four game slater with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the Eagles' win over top-ranked LMU in Harrogate.
Clark becomes Carson-Newman's first all-freshman team honoree since Sanders during the 2010-11 season. Clark was second in the league in scoring among first year players to Freshman Player of the Year award winner Jerrin Morrison from Catawba.
"Charles second half performance has been superb," Benson said. "The light bulb seemed to really come on for him at LMU. That's the first time I think where he felt he was capable of doing something statistically at least. He's had other games where he played well, but that was definitely his break out performance."
Clark has been transcendent at times in his first goaround at Mossy Creek. His most impressive game, and career high came when he led the Eagles to an 87-72 win at No. 1 Lincoln Memorial. That night he had 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting. He earned South Atlantic Conference player of the week honors for that performance and became the first freshman with a 30-point game for Carson-Newman since Ish Sanders set a then SAC and still school record with 51 points against Mars Hill in 2011.
At the start of the season, Clark struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 27 percent from three following the Johnson C. Smith game. He has successfully added a deep ball to his arsenal since Christmas and has connected on 23-of-56 threes in the second semester, a 50 percent clip.
He has 12 double-digit games this season and five, 20-point efforts. He had his first career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds against Brevard in Holt Fieldhouse.
Clark has led C-N in scoring five times, rebounding four times and assists on six occasions. The SAC's third best thief, Clark has forced 48 steals this season and has led C-N for the stat 13 times, including a career best five swipes at Tusculum. He dished out six assists at home against Anderson for his season high there.
Clark and Brooks will be on display Wednesday night when Carson-Newman takes on Coker in the two-versus-seven matchup in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Championships at 7 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse. Coverage will be available on the Eagle Sports Network starting with the Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tipoff at 6:45 on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
First Team
Lorenza Ross, Lincoln Memorial
Demarkus Smith, Newberry
K.J. Arrington, Catawba
Carson Brooks, Carson-Newman
Luquon Choice, Lincoln Memorial
Darius Moose, Brevard
Second Team
Errick Bethel, Coker
Ryan Daye, Wingate
Rob Lewis, Queens
Sean Morgan, Queens
Chase Mounce, Tusculum
Keenan Peterson, Lincoln Memorial
Honorable Mention
Isaiah Cutherbertson, Mars Hill
Jerrin Morrison, Catawba
Will Perry, Lenoir-Rhyne
Chris Ross, Anderson
Donte Samuels, Coker
Myson Jones, Anderson
All-Freshman
Jerrin Morrison, Catawba
Charles Clark, Carson-Newman
Dorian Pinson, Lincoln Memorial
Jameel Taylor, Catawba
Maurice Howard, Anderson (tie)
James Stepp, Newberry (tie)
Player of the Year
Lorenza Ross, Lincoln Memorial
Freshman of the Year
Jerrin Morrison, Catawba
Coach of the Year
Josh Schertz, Lincoln Memorial
Statistical Champions
Points Per Game - Errick Bethel, Coker, 19.9
Three Pointers Per Game - Javon Price, Tusculum, 3.50
Rebounds Per Game - Matt Shown, Tusculum, 8.9
Blocked Shots Per Game - Chase Mounce, Tusculum, 2.04
Field Goal Percentage - Sean Morgan, Queens, 59.8
Assists Per Game - Lorenza Ross, Lincoln Memorial, 5.6
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - Valentine Bauer, Mars Hill, 2.76
Steals Per Game - Trey Marshall, Coker, 2.38
Three Point Field Goal Percentage - Luquon Choice, Lincoln Memorial, 43.7
Free Throw Percentage - Myson Jones, Anderson (SC), 92.1
Team Scoring Offense - Newberry, 90.5
Team Steals - Newberry, 267
Team Field Goal Percentage -Lincoln Memorial, 50.3
Team FG Percentage Defense - Lincoln Memorial, 37.0
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Team Assists - Newberry, 500
Team Rebounding - Lincoln Memorial, 1,201
Team Blocked Shots - Lincoln Memorial, 128
Team Three Point FG Percentage - Lincoln Memorial, 42.0
Team Scoring Defense - Lincoln Memorial, 62.5
Team Free Throw Percentage - Carson-Newman, 73
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - Lincoln Memorial, 1.37