HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point University redshirt junior forward John Brown has been named the preseason Big South Player of the Year for the second-straight season, the league office announced Monday.
Brown is one of four HPU student-athletes to be named Big South Preseason Player of the Year in program history. The quartet includes Brown, Danny Gathings, Arizona Reid and Nick Barbour.
Brown earned AP All-America honors after putting together an outstanding redshirt sophomore campaign for the Panthers in 2013-14. He also took home Big South Player of the Year, NABC All-District first team and NCCSIA All-State accolades. Brown led High Point with 19.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He also averaged 1.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game and shot 54.5 percent from the floor and 74.5 percent from the free-throw line.
He became the first player in Big South history to score 1,000 points before the end of his sophomore season, scoring 27 points to surpass the milestone in HPU’s win over VMI on Feb. 26. Through two seasons, Brown has 1,063 points in 59 games, an average of 18.0 per game.
In 2014-15, Brown already has been named a preseason mid-major All-American by NBCSports.com and Mid-Major Madness.
He is joined on the Big South preseason all-conference first team by Javonte Green (Radford), Andrew Rowsey (UNC Asheville), Warren Gilliis (Coastal Carolina) and Saah Nimley (Charleston Southern).
2014-15 Big South Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
First-Team
John Brown, High Point (Preseason Player of the Year)
Javonte Green, Radford
Andrew Rowsey, UNC Asheville
Warren Gillis, Coastal Carolina
Saah Nimley, Charleston Southern
Second Team
Jordan Downing, Presbyterian College
Jerome Hill, Gardner-Webb
Keon Moore, Winthrop
Elijah Wilson, Coastal Carolina
Arlon Harper, Charleston Southern
About the Panthers: High Point University men’s basketball is a rising Division I mid-major program and a member of the Big South Conference. Over the past two seasons, HPU has captured two Big South regular season titles, a Big South-leading 24 league victories and is the only conference program to earn a berth in back-to-back post-season tournaments. HPU also is one of just 44 programs nationwide to post a conference winning percentage of .750 or better over the past two campaigns.