Men's Basketball All-Conference and Major Award Winners Announced
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Carson-Newman's Jack Browder was voted the 2025-26 South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year as the SAC announced its All-Conference teams and major award winners. Anderson's Rashawn Inglemon earned the Freshman of the Year award, while Lenoir-Rhyne's Akili Evans was named the Newcomer of the Year. Anderson's AJ Wright Jr. earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, and his coach, Jimmie Williams, was named Coach of the Year.
Browder, a senior from Kingsport, Tenn., becomes the fourth player in Carson-Newman history to earn SAC Player of the Year honors and the first since Charles Clark in 2017. Browder averaged six more points per game than any other player in the league, scoring 24.8 per contest. He led the league in minutes played, free throws made and rebounding, and ranked second in the conference in free-throw percentage and field goals made. He narrowly missed averaging a double-double, pulling down 9.6 rebounds per game. A three-time All-Conference selection, Browder was recently named a finalist for the Hudgins Award. His 2,068 career points rank among the top five in SAC history.
Inglemon, a freshman from Sacramento, Calif., led the Trojans in scoring at 17.6 points per game while helping guide Anderson to the regular season crown. He hit a jump shot in overtime to clinch the league title and finished that game with 22 points. Inglemon recorded 13 games with 20 or more points, highlighted by a season-best 36-point performance against Tampa in which he went 10-of-14 from 3-point range. He ranked fourth in the conference in scoring as a rookie.
Evans, a senior from Waterbury, Conn., gives the Bears back-to-back Newcomer of the Year honors, joining Ziare Wells from a season ago. Evans joined Lenoir-Rhyne after a season at Austin Peay and made an immediate impact in Hickory. He averaged 13.4 points per game, shot 53.6 percent from the field and added 4.8 rebounds per contest. Evans finished third on the high-powered LR squad in both steals and assists.
Wright, a junior from Clearwater, Fla., paced the conference in steals with 74 for the conference-leading Trojans. His defensive efforts helped Anderson become the stingiest team in the league, allowing just 68.1 points per game while holding opponents to 42.8 percent shooting from the field and 30.2 percent from 3-point range.
Williams guided the Trojans to their second SAC title in program history and had his squad nationally ranked for the majority of the season, climbing as high as No. 4 in the nation. Anderson is the top-ranked team in the region and sits at 26-2 overall. Williams' squad opened the season with 15 straight victories.
The First Team All-Conference selections consisted of Browder and Inglemon, along with Osmar Garcia-Araujo of Anderson; Conrad Luczynski of Lenoir-Rhyne; Drake Downs of Newberry; and Evan Ramsey of UVA Wise.
2025-26 South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball All-Conference
First Team
Jack Browder, Carson-Newman
Osmar Garcia-Araujo, Anderson
Conrad Luczynski, Lenoir-Rhyne
Rashawn Inglemon, Anderson
Evan Ramsey, UVA Wise
Drake Downs, Newberry
Second Team
Justin Banks, Catawba
AJ Wright Jr., Anderson
Korbin Dixon, Emory & Henry
Yoro Diallo, UVA Wise
Akili Evans, Lenoir-Rhyne
Walter Campbell, Lincoln Memorial
Third Team
Matt Bilbrey, Carson-Newman
Ibra Athie, Catawba
Jordan Simpson, Catawba
Julian Dozier, Lenoir-Rhyne
Kam Roberts, UVA Wise
Jackson Crawford, Emory & Henry
All-Freshman
Rashawn Inglemon, Anderson
Isaiah Vick, Wingate
Cy Hardy, UVA Wise
Jordan Attia, Tusculum
Melchior Hughes, Emory & Henry
Player of the Year
Jack Browder, Carson-Newman
Newcomer of the Year
Akili Evans, Lenoir-Rhyne
Freshman of the Year
Rashawn Inglemon, Anderson
Defensive Player of the Year
AJ Wright Jr., Anderson
Coach of the Year
Jimmie Williams, Anderson
- #MakeSACYours -