2023-24: Zhao has been recognized by both the D2CCA and NABC with second-team all-region honors.  He, LMU center Martez Brown and Wingate guard Donnell Nixon are the only players from the South Atlantic Conference to appear on both D2CCA and NABC all-region squads.   Zhao is C-N's first all-region honoree since Charles Clark earned a third all-region honor in 2017-18.  Carson-Newman produced an all-region honoree every year from 2013-18. Zhao nets the eighth regional accolade for head coach Chuck Benson.  The Sevier County product joins Charles Clark (three times), Antoine Davis (twice), Ish Sanders and Carson Brooks as Eagles to have earned all-region honors under Benson's guidance.  Zhao turned in the most efficient effort in the SAC this season.  He finished fifth in the league in scoring at 19.1 points per game while averaging 61.5 percent shooting from the field and 52.5 percent shooting from three. He ranks 10^th nationally in efficiency and second in the league, while topping the conference in three-point efficiency. Zhao leads the nation in three-point efficiency.  He resets the program's single-season record for three-point efficiency with his 52.5 percent mark.  Zhao finishes the year with 84 threes made tied for the sixth-most in a single season in school history. He is one of four players in NCAA Division II history to shoot 52 percent or better from three for a season with at least 80 triples made in a year. He tallied five weekly honors on the year, two from the league and three from the Tennessee Sportswriters Association.  Zhao won honors from the TSWA on Feb. 13, Jan. 29 and Dec. 18.  Over a six-game stretch following a loss to Wingate on Jan. 20, Zhao averaged 27.33 points per game. That camee with some stupefying efficiency.  He had a 67.9/61.3/84.4 slash line.  He was 27-of-44 from deep in that stretch, an average of 4.5 threes per game. He had his  first-career double-double, with a 23-point, 10-rebound night in the win at Mars Hill on Feb. 9. Zhao has scored in double digits in 26 games this season with 16, 20-point efforts and five, 30-point games. He has the most 30-point games in a season by an Eagle since Charles Clarks' six in his SAC Player of the Year campaign in 2016-17. 

HONORS

• CSC Academic All-America Second Team 
• D2CCA All-Region Second Team 
• NABC All-Region Second Team 
• CSC Academic All-District
• NABC Honors Court 
• D2ADA Academic Achievement Award 
• SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll
• All-SAC Second Team 
• SAC Player of the Week (12/18, 1/30)
• TSWA Player of the Week (12/18, 1/30)

2022-23: A CSC Academic All-District selection, Zhao has continued his sharp-shooting ways from his freshman campaign, averaging 6.6 points per game while knocking down 40 threes this season. He is shooting 37 percent from deep. Zhao has a pair of 20-point games this season and seven double-digit scoring efforts. He went off for 20 against Southern Wesleyan on the strength of four threes on Nov. 19 and a career-high 21 against Mars Hill on Dec. 14 behind 5-of-10 shooting from three.  He averaged 1.9 rebounds per game.  He had six games this season where he converted at least three triples.  

HONORS

• CSC Academic All-District

2021-22: A reserve small forward in his freshman season at Carson-Newman, John Zhao established himself as a three-point marksman early.  Zhao connectd on 27-of-65 triples on the year (41.5 percent).  He made a splash in his third career game, exploding for 18 against No. 11 Queens (11/20) in a tight loss.  he canned 6-of-8 triples against the Royals.  Zhao also produced a double-digit scoring effort against Anderson (12/4) when he scored 10 against the Trojans.   He also had a career-best four rebounds against the Trojans (1/24) on the road.  He dished out three assists against Wingate (11/27).  

HIGH SCHOOL: A 6-4, 180-pound guard who played for Ken Wright at Sevier County High School. Zhao was a member of the 2020 All-District and All-Tournament teams.  He helped the Smoky Bears to a pair of district tournament titles as well as a regional and sub-state title in 2019.  He was named the District 2-AAA Player of the Year and the IMAC Player of the Year as a senior. He earned 5Star Preps Player of the Week honors after scoring 40 points on eight made threes in a win over Fulton. Zhao averaged 23.5 points per game as a senior to go along with six boards, three assists and two steals per game.  He finished his high school career 20 points shy of 1,000.  He was selected to the BCAT All-Star Game.  He also ran track and field for the Smoky Bears and completed his high school career with a 4.0 GPA. 

PERSONAL: The son of Richard May and Mary Zhao, he plans to study finance at Carson-Newman.