NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Carson-Newman senior forward EJ Bush has been named the Tennessee Sportswriters Association State Player of the Week, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.
Bush, named the MVP of the Pilot/Flying J South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Championship on Sunday, becomes the fourth player to be lauded with TSWA honors following Ren Dyer, Tripp Davis and Luke Brenegan.
The Oak Ridge, Tenn., native netted 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four boards, two assists and four steals versus Wingate in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament. The senior followed that with 23 points (11-of-18 field goals), five rebounds and three assists at Tusculum for his fourth 20-point game of the season.
Bush collected 15 points and four boards in the championship game at Queens, helping Carson-Newman win its first SAC Tournament title since 2015.
The senior averaged 17.3 points per game for the week while shooting 56 percent from the field.
The award is the first weekly honor of Bush's career.
He and the rest of the Eagles will be on display in the opening round of the NCAA tournament Saturday at 6 p.m. against Tusculum. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 5:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
