Clarksville, Ark.-Three men's basketball players received American Southwest Conference honors, which were voted upon by the league's 16 head coaches and announced by the league office on Monday.
Senior guard Brent Johnson was named to the ASC All-East Division second team. Junior guard Josh Joyner and freshman center Habeeb Kareem were named honorable mention All-East division. Kareem also earned a spot on the All-East division freshman team. Johnson of Ozark finished twelfth in the conference in scoring (15.8), sixth in steals (1.9) and sixth in three-pointers (68). Johnson, 6-1, led the squad in scoring in 14 games and scored 20 or more points in eight games. He led the team in scoring, three-pointers, free throws (70) and was second in steals. He earned All-East division first team honors last season and was an honorable mention choice his sophomore year. He finished his career with 1,100 points and hit 149 three-pointers. Johnson’s best game of the season came at LeTourneau when he hit 6-of-12 three-pointers and scored 25 points in a 101-98 victory. Joyner of Little Rock finished sixth in the conference in rebounding (6.4) and fifteenth in scoring (14.4). Joyner, 6-2, was one of two players to start in all 26 games for Ozarks and led the team rebounding while finishing tied for second in scoring. Joyner also finished second on the team in assists (2.7) and third in free throw percentage (73.9). Joyner recorded three double-doubles and scored in double figures in 21 contests this year. Jonyer’s highest scoring game came against LeTourneau when he pumped in 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor. Kareem of Richmond, Texas, finished second in the conference in field goal percentage (60.3) and fifteenth in scoring (14.4). His 60.3 field goal percentage ranked him in the top 30 in NCAA III. Kareem, 6-5, tied for second on the team in scoring and rebounding (5.7). Kareem scored in double-digits in 23 games while leading the team in scoring in four games. "All three players were a big part of our team," said head U of O men’s coach Matt O’Connor. "I’m glad to see Brent receive recognition. I think he had a career where he dealt with a lot of injuries, but he persevered and played hard night in and night out. We will miss Brent and all of the things he brought to the program. Josh is one of our steadiest and most consistent players and I expect him to be an important contributor next season. I think most years Habeeb would have been conference freshman of the year, but the kid at Mississippi College had a great year, too. Habeeb got off to a great start and had a strong finish. We hope he continues to get better and better. We have a lot of experienced players coming back next season and both Habeeb and Josh will be major factors." The Eagles (12-14, 10-13) finished fifth in the conference and made the ASC championship playoffs for the second time in the past four years.
Topics: Athletics