The annual Southern Conference season awards were announced today and the Chattanooga Mocs were well represented. First-year Head Coach Will Wade was named Anton Foy Coach of the Year, while senior Z. Mason (Nashville, Tenn.) earned the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Sophomore Casey Jones (New Orleans, La.) joined Mason in All-SoCon team mention.
Mason led the SoCon in blocks with 87 (3.0/game). That’s two off the school record held by Neil Ashby who swatted 89 shots in 2001-02. Mason’s 124 for his career is a mere eight short of Stanley Lawrence’s (1980-83) record of 132.
Mason was not only honored as Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches, he also was named to the All-SoCon squad joined by Jones. Mason made it clean sweep with first team media mention, while Jones was tabbed on the scribe’s third team.
Mason led the Mocs averaging 18.2 points and a SoCon-best 9.5 rebounds per game. Jones registered 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds shooting a team-high 54.1 percent from the floor. His numbers rose to 14.3 points and 7.1 boards per contest in league games.
The league’s media took notice of Wade’s leadership. The Mocs were picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll but ended up alone in second at 12-4. It was the first 12-win league slate since 2010-11. His squad clinched the first winning season at Chattanooga since 2008-09 (18-17) with an 18-13 mark heading into this weekend’s SoCon Championship.
It’s on to the SoCon Championship in Asheville, N.C. The tournament is March 7-10 with all 11 teams in attendance. Chattanooga is off until Saturday, March 8. As the No. 2 seed, they take on the winner of No. 7 Georgia Southern and No. 10 Furman at 6 p.m.
Listen to the game live on ESPN 105.1 FM the Zone in the Scenic City, or go to the men’s basketball schedule page on GoMocs.com for links to ESPN3.com broadcast, audio (free) and live stats. You can follow @GoMocsMBB on twitter for live updates as well.
2014 SoCon Men’s Basketball Awards
All-Conference Team
De’Mon Brooks, Davidson
Lucas Troutman, Elon
Stephen Croone, Furman
Jelani Hewitt, Georgia Southern
Kyle Cain, UNCG
Tim Williams, Samford
Casey Jones, Chattanooga
Z. Mason, Chattanooga
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina
Karl Cochran, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
Brian White, The Citadel
Jack Gibbs, Davidson
Tevon Saddler, UNCG
Isaiah Williams, Samford
Eric Garcia, Wofford
Player of the Year
De’Mon Brooks, Sr., F, Davidson
Defensive Player of the Year
Z. Mason, Sr., F, Chattanooga
Freshman of the Year
Tevon Saddler, G, UNCG
Coach of the Year
Mike Young, Wofford
2014 Men’s SoCon Sports Media Association Awards
All-Conference First Team
De’Mon Brooks, Davidson
Lucas Troutman, Elon
Z. Mason, Chattanooga
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina
Karl Cochran, Wofford
All-Conference Second Team
Brian Sullivan, Davidson
Stephen Croone, Furman
Jelani Hewitt, Georgia Southern
Kyle Cain, UNCG
Tim Williams, Samford
All-Conference Third Team
Tyler Kalinoski, Davidson
Sebastian Koch, Elon
Tre Bussey, Georgia Southern
Casey Jones, Chattanooga
Lee Skinner, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
Brian White, The Citadel
William Gates Jr., Furman
Tevon Saddler, UNCG
Isaiah Williams, Samford
Eric Garcia, Wofford
Anton Foy Coach of the Year
Will Wade, Chattanooga
Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year
De’Mon Brooks, Sr., F, Davidson
Freshman of the Year
Isaiah Williams, G, Samford