High Point’s John Brown named Big South Preseason Player of the Year
For the second straight season, High Point’s John Brown is the Big South Preseason Player of the Year.
The redshirt-junior received the honor at the league’s annual media day in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday, receiving 26 of 29 available first place votes and also earned a spot on the All-Conference first team.
He also won player of the year honors last season, and freshman of the year the season before.
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Brown will look to become the first Big South player to win league player of the year honors since Radford’s Art Parahouski in 2009 and 2010.
He averaged 19.5 points and 7.7 rebounds while also shooting over 50 percent from the field. Brown also totaled up seven double-doubles last year.
Fellow High Point player Kaylah Keys was awarded with Preseason Player of the Year honors on the women’s side coming off her Freshman of the Year campaign.
The Panthers are the league’s defending regular season champions, but were ousted in the Big South quarterfinals on a last-minute shot by Winthrop.
The team was ranked second in this year’s Big South preseason poll, just behind defending tournament champion Coastal Carolina by four votes. The Panthers received 12 first-place votes.
The High Point women also ranked second in their poll, trailing top-ranked Liberty by just three votes.
Here are the full rankings for both men’s and women’s basketball preseason polls.
Men’s Poll
| Team (first-place votes) | Total Points |
| 1. Coastal Carolina (14) | 297 |
| 2. High Point (12) | 293 |
| 3. Radford (1) | 233 |
| 4. Winthrop | 221 |
| 5. Charleston Southern (1) | 199 |
| 6. UNC Asheville (1) | 191 |
| 7. Gardner-Webb | 168 |
| 8. Campbell | 113 |
| 9. Liberty | 85 |
| 10. Presbyterian | 67 |
| 11. Longwood | 47 |
All-Conference Teams
First-Team
John Brown, High Point – R-Jr. – F
Javonte Green, Radford – Sr. – F
Andrew Rowsey, UNC Asheville – Soph. – G
Warren Gillis, Coastal Carolina – Sr. – G
Saah Nimley, Charleston Southern – Sr. – G
Second-Team
Jordan Downing, Presbyterian College – R-Sr. – G/F
Jerome Hill, Gardner-Webb – Jr. – F
Keon Moore, Winthrop – R-Sr. – G
Elijah Wilson, Coastal Carolina – Soph. – G.
Arlon Harper, Charleston Southern – Sr.- G
Women’s Poll
| Team (first-place votes) | Total Points |
| 1. Liberty (5) | 113 |
| 2. High Point (3) | 110 |
| 3. Winthrop (3) | 104 |
| 4. Campbell | 89 |
| 5. Coastal Carolina | 64 |
| 6. Gardner-Webb | 56 |
| 7. UNC Asheville | 55 |
| 8. Presbyterian College | 54 |
| 9. Radford | 35 |
| 10. Longwood | 30 |
| 11. Charleston Southern | 16 |
All-Conference Teams
First-Team
Kaylah Keys, High Point – Soph. – G
Stacia Robertson, High Point – R-Sr – F
AJ Jordan, Coastal Carolina – Sr. – G
Ashley Rininger, Liberty – R-Jr. – F/C
Erica Williams, Winthrop – Soph. – G/F
Second-Team
Kiera Gaines, Campbell – Sr. – G
Daeisha Brown, Longwood – Jr. – G
Schaquilla Nunn, Winthrop – R-Jr. – F/C
Paige Love, UNC Asheville – Jr. – G
Ayana Avery, Radford – Sr. – G