FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Ten student-athletes, representing eight institutions, make up the fourth annual North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) College Division All-State men’s basketball teams released Tuesday.
Guilford College senior Ben Strong, the team’s lone unanimous selection, joins Wingate University’s Sean Barnette and junior Anthony Hilliard of Elizabeth City State University as repeat first-team all-state honorees. Wingate and fellow NCAA Division II Tournament participant Mount Olive College both had two students honored.
The squads consist of student-athletes from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA colleges and universities throughout the state. North Carolina sports information professionals submitted nominees and NCCSIA members selected the teams. The all-state basketball units consist of the top 10 vote-getters and include students involved in ties.
Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina’s NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information.
NCCSIA selects all-state teams in the university (NCAA Division I) and college (Division II, III, NAIA, NCCAA) divisions for women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and baseball. Over 500 student-athletes have been recognized on all-state teams since 2003.
NCCSIA’s all-state university division men’s basketball teams were also released Tuesday. The organization announced its fourth annual all-state women’s basketball squads March 24 and will publish all-state baseball and softball teams in May.
North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association / 2007-08 College Division All-State Men’s Basketball Teams
First Team
Pos. Name Class School Hometown
F Sean Barnette*# Sr. Wingate Rock Hill, S.C.
G Anthony Hilliard# Jr. Elizabeth City State Fayetteville, N.C.
G Adam Nicholson Sr. Greensboro Landover, Md.
F Brandon Streeter Sr. Mount Olive Jacksonville, N.C.
C Ben Strong*# Sr. Guilford Chapel Hill, N.C.
Second Team
Pos. Name Class School Hometown
G Kendrick Easley So. Mount Olive Norfolk, Va.
C Bryan Grier Sr. Wingate Charlotte, N.C.
G Lenny Hall+ Sr. N.C. Wesleyan Wilmington, N.C.
G Antonio Houston So. Catawba Charlotte, N.C.
F Jonathan Whitson So. Brevard Clyde, N.C.
# – 2006-07 NCCSIA College Division All-State First Team
+ – 2006-07 NCCSIA College Division All-State Second Team
* – 2005-06 NCCSIA College Division All-State Second Team
The first-team selections include four seniors and a junior with three students helping their teams to national tournament play this season.
Sean Barnette of Wingate was a First Team Daktronics All-South Atlantic Region selection and named the 2008 Daktronics Co-Player of the Year. The senior averaged 21.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, both team highs. Barnette was named the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and became the league’s all-time leading scorer with 2,324 career points.
Anthony Hilliard averaged 19.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game to lead Elizabeth City State to its first 20-win season in nine years. A Second Team Daktronics All-American, Hilliard was named the Daktronics 2008 South Atlantic Region Co-Player of the Year as well as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Player of the Year.
Greensboro College’s Adam Nicholson paced the Pride with 21.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season and earned First Team USA South Athletic Conference honors. He led the conference in scoring and took Greensboro to the USA South Tournament final earlier this month.
Brandon Streeter of Mount Olive was named the 2008 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and leads the league with 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He earned First Team Daktronics All-East Region and First Team National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-East honors. Streeter ranks third among NCAA Division II field-goal percentage (.675) leaders.
Guilford’s Strong captured First Team All-America honors for the second straight season from the NABC and D3hoops.com. He also won both organizations’ South Region Player of the Year Awards for the second straight season. The two-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year led the league in scoring (25.8 ppg.), rebounding (10.8 rpg.), blocks (2.2 bpg.) and double-doubles (21). He helped the Quakers to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second year in a row.
The second-team all-state squad consists of Kendrick Easley of Mount Olive, Wingate’s Bryan Grier, Lenny Hall of North Carolina Wesleyan College, Antonio Houston of Catawba College and Brevard College’s Jonathan Whitson.