VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (14-11, 10-9 South Atlantic Conference) will celebrate the two members of its senior class, Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Josh Rogers (Bristol, United Kingdom) Saturday at 4 p.m. when the Eagles tangle with Wingate (18-7, 14-5 SAC).
The Bulldogs are ranked fourth in the NCAA's Southeast Region Rankings and are receiving votes in the D2SIDA media poll.
Brooks was a first team All-SAC selection and second team all-region pick as a junior. With 1,166 points, he ranks 20th all-time at Carson-Newman. Brooks is a lifetime 59 percent shooter from the field and has 590 career rebounds.
"He came in here and from the time he got here, he's be an integral part of our team," head coach Chuck Benson said. "He's been a part of a lot of success, and if we can capture one more win, he'll have four straight winning seasons in college. The accolades are big, but at the end of the day, he's been about winning and losing. We're thrilled for him and that he'll graduate with his degree in May."
His top performance came in his junior year against Queens when he scored 28 points. He holds the Carson-Newman and South Atlantic Conference single-game record for shooting efficiency by going 12-for-12 from the field to open up his junior season against Barton. At one point, he started 67 consecutive games. He has 90 career starts.
Rogers has tallied 660 points and 498 rebounds in his career. He has grown from a role player into one of Carson-Newman's star forwards and has started the last 35 games in which he has appeared. Lifetime, he's a 54 percent shooter, but Bristol, UK-native has connected on 60 percent of his shots as an upper classman.
"By the time he hit his junior season, he really came into his own," Benson said. "This year he's been an outstanding leader who has performed consistently. He came from outside the country to perform consistently, hopefully going out with four straight winning seasons."
His top performance came in the NCAA tournament last season against Montevallo when he scored 19 points against Montevallo. Rogers has 10 double-doubles, including five in his senior campaign.
Rogers has led Carson-Newman in blocked shots in 42 games in his career.
Carson-Newman will also honor four-year student manager Joshua Leatherwood. Affectionately known as "Little Leather," Leatherwood has served the men's basketball program in an incomparable behind the scenes capacity.
"A lot of times guys in those staff roles go unnoticed," Benson said. "But we as players and coaches really value what he did. He did work that some people don't take much pride in. Not Josh. He always gave more than was expected of him and took great pride in everything he did for the men's basketball program."
From washing jerseys to mopping up perspiration from a fallen player, the Nashville, Tenn.-native was always there with a helping hand and always with a smile on his face no matter the task. He was an invaluable part of the Carson-Newman men's basketball program and graduated with his degree in December.
Wingate hasn't swept Carson-Newman since the 2011-12 season. The Eagles had won four straight in the series prior to this season's 71-48 loss at Cuddy Arena. Wingate has spoiled one other senior day for Carson-Newman. The Eagles lost to the Bulldogs 63-52 in the final home game of the 2012-13 season in Colin Crane and Marcellous Perez' last regular season games in Holt Fieldhouse.
The Eagles have lost back-to-back games for a fourth time this season. However, C-N hasn't lost three in a row since the 2010-11 season.
The Bulldogs enter the game off a 58-55 win at Coker. The Bulldogs hit a season low 17 field goals and still managed to win despite 21 turnovers. In part, it was because Wingate clamped down on Coker and held the Cobras to 28 percent shooting.
Carson-Newman continues to lead the country with its 52.4 field goal percentage. No other team in the top 10 for that category has more than six losses with the exception of UC-Colorado Springs (6th), who is 16-10.
Wingate is ninth in the country and first in the SAC with 5.0 blocked shots per game. The Bulldogs hit that average in the first meeting this season led by three from Keith Griffin.
At 14.3 points per game, Isiah Cureton leads the Bulldogs in scoring. He has the lowest scoring average in the South Atlantic Conference of any team's leading scorer. Xavier Holmes of Newberry is next closest in that regard with 15.5 points per game.
Cureton has produced four double-doubles on the season, most recently with a 12-point, 11-rebound effort in a loss at Newberry. He also went for 28-10 in a home win over Lenoir-Rhyne.
Carson-Newman comes in off a 108-100 overtime loss to Tusculum. The Pioneers drilled 17 threes on 37 attempts. Both marks are season highs for Tusculum as well as Carson-Newman for threes made by an opponent
In fact, it's the second most threes a team has made against C-N since the turn of the century. King knocked down 18 in 40 attempts in a 79- 71 win over Carson-Newman on Dec. 19, 2011. The game marked the fifth time this year an opponent has knocked down at least 15 threes over the Eagles vaunted matchup zone.
Carson-Newman saw five teams knock down at least 15 threes five times from 2000-2014, and never more than once in a single season. Four of the Eagles' last seven opponents have hit at least 15 threes.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Bulldogs is set for 4 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
