Culver MVP, Harrelson Coach of Year in SAC

SAC Press Release
 
Wayland Baptist's J.J. Culver was selected Sooner Athletic Conference men's basketball Player of the Year and Ty Harrelson was voted Coach of the Year. Additionally, Wayland's Trevonta Robertson joined Culver on the first team while Jack Nobles and Josh Throns were honorable mention all-conference selections.
 
Harrelson, Culver, Robertson, Nobles and Throns led the Pioneers – who before the season were picked fourth in the SAC – to the program's first-ever SAC regular-season championship, compiling a 19-3 record to finish four games ahead of runner-up John Brown, Ark. Wayland has forged a 24-7 record and moved up from 20^th in the NAIA Preseason Poll to No. 5, the program's highest ranking in at least the last 25 years.
 
Culver has spearheaded Wayland's success. As one of only two Pioneers (Rokas Mazionis is the other) to start all 31 games, Culver leads the team and is in the top five in the SAC in scoring (17.8 ppg), rebounds (6.7), assists (2.9) and steals (1.6), and is second with 10 blocks. The 6-foot-4 junior guard from Lubbock ranks 23^rd in the NAIA in defensive rebounds per game (6.0) and is third in the conference in scoring (17.8).
 
Wayland's only other conference MVP was Kendall Webb, the program's all-time leading scorer, in 2007.
 
Robertson, a 6-2 senior guard from New Orleans and second-year transfer from Collin College, is second on the team and fourth in the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg). The team leader in minutes per game at 32.8 who also averages 4.4 rebounds, Robertson was all-conference honorable mention as a junior.
 
A 6-6 junior forward from Trophy Club, Texas, Nobles is in his first season at Wayland after also transferring from Collin College. Nobles, who averages 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds, is second on the team in field goal percentage (53.3 percent, 97-of-182).
 
Throns is a 6-5 senior guard from Perth, Australia, who is the Pioneers' third-leading scorer (12.9 ppg). He ranks 13^th in the NAIA in 3-point shooting percentage (46.9) and would rank fourth in free throw percentage (88.9, 72-of-81) but falls just short of the makes-per-game minimum. After transferring from Biola University, Throns has scored 1,119 points in three seasons at Wayland.
 
Harrelson is Wayland's first-ever SAC Coach of the Year in men's basketball. In his fourth season at the helm of the Pioneers, Harrelson led his team to a 24-7 record, including 19-3 in the league, and the program's first-ever conference regular-season crown. The coach's previous teams finished third in the conference last season, tied for fifth in 2016-17, and fourth in 2015-16.
 
A two-time all-SAC player including a first-team pick and NAIA All-American first-teamer in 2003, Harrelson owns an 88-42 record (.667) at Wayland.
 

The Pioneers earned an automatic bid into the NAIA National Championships as a result of winning the conference regular-season title. That event begins March 20 in Kansas City, Mo. The national tournament bracket will be announced at 5 p.m. March 13 via the NAIA's Facebook page.

2018-19 All-Sooner Athletic Conference

		FIRST TEAM
Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
G	J.J. Culver	Wayland Baptist	Jr.	Lubbock, Texas
G	Jake Caudle	John Brown	Sr.	Bentonville, Ark.
G	Chris Williams	Oklahoma City	Sr.	Denver
F	Dedrian Parmer	USAO	Jr.	Oklahoma City
G	Trevonta Robertson	Wayland Baptist	Sr.	New Orleans
		SECOND TEAM
F	Jorori Coleman	Langston	Sr.	Mobile, Ala.
F	Josh Bowling	John Brown	Sr.	Detroit
G	Nykolas Mason	SW Assemblies of God	Fr.	Frisco, Texas
G	Breiman Alexander	Panhandle State	Sr.	Del City, Okla.
C	Geno Artison	USAO	Sr.	Seattle
		THIRD TEAM
G	Anthony Black	Mid-America Christian	Sr.	Little Rock, Ark.
F	Anthony Davis	Oklahoma City	Jr.	Lewisville, Texas
G	Steve Kuminga	Central Christian	Sr.	Keller, Texas
G	Joshua Kashila	SW Assemblies of God	So.	Euless, Texas
G	Cameron Hines	USAO	So.	Fort Cobb, Okla.
G	Peyton Sallee	Texas Wesleyan	Fr.	Fort Worth, Texas
		HONORABLE MENTION
G	Tyrone Killings Jr.	Langston	Jr.	Bridgeport, Conn.
G	Khallid Edwards	Panhandle State	Jr.	Des Moines, Iowa
F	Justin Bogle	Mid-America Christian	Sr.	Brooklyn, N.Y.
F	Jericho Avery	SW Christian	Jr.	Sacramento, Calif.
F	Jack Nobles	Wayland Baptist	Jr.	Trophy Club, Texas
F	Baris Ulker	Panhandle State	Jr.	Istanbul, Turkey
G	Charles Beauregard Jr.	Mid-America Christian	Sr.	Dallas
F	Elijah Christman	Oklahoma City	Sr.	Justin, Texas
F	Jubril Osagie	Central Christian	Sr.	Houston
G	Darius Madkin	SW Christian	Jr.	Fort Worth, Texas
G	Alan Hodge Jr.	Panhandle State	Sr.	Mesquite, Texas
G	Josh Throns	Wayland Baptist	Sr.	Perth, Australia
G	Cameron Hill	SW Assemblies of God	So.	Houston
C	Eric McCollum	Oklahoma City	Sr.	Newburgh, N.Y.

 
Player of the Year: J.J. Culver, Wayland Baptist
Newcomer of the Year: Chris Williams, Oklahoma City
Freshman of the Year: Nykolas Mason, SW Assemblies of God
Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Black, Mid-America Christian
Sportsmanship Award: Jake Caudle, John Brown
John Hudson Coach of the Year: Ty Harrelson, Wayland Baptist