VIDEO: Jack Browder Interview
ROCK HILL, S.C. – For a second consecutive year, Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) is the SAC Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.
Browder becomes the eighth SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year from C-N men's basketball and the league's 10th repeat winner. He joins Colin Martin as repeat winners from C-N. Carson-Newman's eight scholar athlete honorees are the most in league history. Mars Hill and Newberry have both had five players recognized.
"I'm not surprised," C-N head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "That dude is one smart fella. I'm thrilled for Jack, he's diligent in his studies and always gives more than expected in all facets of life, whether that's on the basketball court, in the classroom or the community. I love getting to interact with him on a daily basis and am so thankful he's an Eagle."
The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the Conference's championship sports and is voted on by the SAC's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service, and leadership.
"Growing up, my mom really instilled in me the importance of education," Browder said. "I've continued to carry that over through college and always try my best both in the classroom and on the basketball court."
The Kingsport, Tennessee native holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average while studying business administration. Browder has collected a variety of academic accolades over his three seasons with the Eagles. He is a three-time Carson-Newman Dean's List Member, a three-time Platinum Eagle Scholar, a three-time Hope Scholar, a three-time Presidential Scholar and a two-time CSC Academic All-District team member. Last year he earned first team Academic All-America honors and was selected as Carson-Newman's first male recipient of the SAC's President's Award as well as the D2CCA Regional Scholar Athlete of the Year. He was recognized this season at the SAC men's basketball championships in Rock Hill as the Elite 23 winner, as the student athlete competing at the finals site with the highest GPA.
Browder led C-N with 19.7 points per game. He also averaged a team-best 8.8 rebounds per game. He has produced 30 double-digit scoring efforts this season, including 15, 20-point efforts. He led the conference with 14 double-double games this season, and was the only player in the league in the top four in scoring and rebounding.
A four-time SAC Player of the Week honoree, Browder was named NABC National Player of the Week on Dec. 10.
The junior turned in back-to-back 30-point games, and is the first Eagle this century to score 30 points in three straight games.
He has scored 99 points in a three-game stretch – the fifth time this century a player has scored more than 90 in a three-game span for C-N. Browder's 99 are second only to Charles Clark's 110 during the stretch where he had his 54-point triple-double and earned his second national player of the week award.
For the week, Browder averaged 33 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks per game. He made 75 percent of his shots, 88.9 percent of his threes and all 16 of his free throws.
He started his week with a career-night in an 87-81 loss to UVA Wise. He scored 36 points and grabbed 16 boards – both career days. The 16 rebounds are the tied for the seventh-most in school history and the third-most in the NCAA Division II era.
Off the court, Browder is extremely involved in his community. He volunteers with the First Broad Street United Methodist Church, the Funfest Family Basketball Experience, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and with Kingsport area middle school players for one-on-one skill building during the summer. Browder also takes on roles as a speaker at the Boys & Girls Club of Kingsport, a Leadership Council member for Carson-Newman's men's basketball program, a mentor for elementary school students in and around his hometown of Kingsport, and as a participant in Carson-Newman's annual Operation INASMUCH. He helped this past year with Hurricane cleanup efforts for Erwin, Tenn., and Unicoi County.
