SHREVEPORT, La. - The Gents are not even to their first practice of the season, but preseason accolades have already started for the defending Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference champions. Announced Monday, October 5, Centenary College men's basketball junior James Sapp has been named Preseason All-American by DIII News.
Sapp is one of only 24 players in the nation to receive this honor.
"We are obviously very excited for this recognition for James," said head coach Adam Walsh. "It was an honor this past season to watch him grow not only on the court, but also in the classroom. This honor will continue to push and motivate James and the rest of the team."
"I could not be more proud of him and am excited about the upcoming season. But practice has not even started, and there is a lot of work to be done," added Walsh.
Last season, Sapp earned numerous awards for his play. He became the third consecutive Gent to garner Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year accolades, and was only the second sophomore in conference history to receive this honor - the first in 23 years.
Other honors for the junior include Honorable Mention All-American laurels from DIII News, All-South Region honors from D3hoops.com, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District accolades, and was also the only non-Division I men's basketball player named to the All-Louisiana Team.
Sapp was also named the Donnie Wilhite Most Valuable Athlete of Award from Centenary as the most outstanding student-athlete for the 2014-15 academic year.
In just two seasons with the Gents, Sapp has etched his name in the Centenary and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Record Books. The SCAC Player of the Year averaged a conference-leading 16.3 points per game. He also grabbed 8.0 rebounds per game, which ranked second, and shot 52.1 percent from the floor, which was fourth in the conference. He scored in double figures in 23 contests with 20-plus in 20 outings, including a career-high 33 at Trinity on Jan. 23. He also posted seven double-doubles, with a season-high 15 rebounds against Austin College in a 72-68 win.
He also earned SCAC Player of the Week honors five times in 2014-15, helping the Gents capture the regular season SCAC Championship and finish runners-up in the Conference Tournament.
The Maroon and White begin the 2015-16 campaign on November 14 at UT-Dallas.
