Former Gents Kirkendoll and Sapp Highlight 30th Anniversary Men's Basketball Team

*Release courtesy of the SCAC*

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – A pair of former Centenary College standouts – Travion Kirkendoll and James Sapp – highlight an impressive list of student-athletes named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference's 30th Anniversary men's basketball team. Complete Release 

Centenary and Colorado College led the way with four selections each to the exclusive team. Schreiner University and Texas Lutheran University each had one representative. Former league members Centre College, DePauw University, Hendrix College, Millsaps College and Oglethorpe University also placed one honoree each on the all-anniversary team.

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will be announcing 30th Anniversary teams in 19 sports throughout the 2020-21 academic year. The league selected 15th Anniversary teams during the 2005-06 academic year – those selections can be found here.

The SCAC's 30th Anniversary teams were selected through balloting by present coaches in each sport as well as administrators. Athletes who participated in conference competition between the fall of 2005 through the spring of 2020 and had been named to at least two All-SCAC teams and/or were a selected as a Player-of-the-Year in their respective sport were eligible for selection.

SCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL – 30TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM

Travion Kirkendoll, Centenary College
James Sapp, Centenary College
Keenan Gumbs, Schreiner University
Sterling Holmes, Texas Lutheran University
CooXooEii Black, Colorado College
Ryan Milne, Colorado College
Matt Nestheide, Centre College
Jonathan Blount, Centenary College
Mike Moore, DePauw University
Nick Rose, Colorado College
Cedric Harris, Centenary College
Chris Lesnansky, Colorado College
Todd Ward, Oglethorpe University
Andrew King, Hendrix College
Edrick Montgomery, Millsaps College

Kirkendoll is the league's all-time leading scorer, amassing 1,919 career points over his four years at Centenary. A four-time All-SCAC performer – three times recognized as First Team – and Co-Newcomer-of-the-Year in 2014-15, Kirkendoll was the first player in league history (and remains one of only two players) to earn First Team all-conference honors as a freshman. His career scoring average of 18.10 points per game is third in league history and he also finished with 622 rebounds, 313 assists and 199 steals (sixth all-time in SCAC history). A two-time SCAC All-Tournament honoree, his 19.86 points per game scoring average in conference tournament play is the second-best in league history among those who have played in five or more games. Kirkendoll earned D3hoops.com All-South Region honors in both 2015-16 and 2017-18.

A three-time All-SCAC First Team selection and two-time Player-of-the-Year (2014-15 and 2016-17), Sapp finished his career at Centenary as the league's all-time leading rebounder, pulling down 953 rebounds – almost 100 more than the next-closest league total. He also had 1,551 career points (12th all-time in SCAC history) and his 8.9 rebounds per game average is fourth on the league charts. A two-time SCAC All-Tournament honoree, Sapp holds every SCAC tournament rebounding record – including most in a game (20), a single tournament (39) and a career (94). He was twice a D3hoops.com All-South Region Second Team designee in 2014-15 and 2016-17 and earned Honorable Mention recognition from DIII News those same seasons. He capped his career with NABC Third Team All-America honors in 2016-17.

Schreiner's Gumbs played three years in the conference, culminating with the 2017-18 season when he earned SCAC Player-of-the-Year honors and led his team to its first and only conference tournament title. Gumbs, who completed his collegiate playing career as a graduate student-athlete at Liberty University, scored 1,131 career points while at Schreiner and earned SCAC All-Tournament honors twice, including the 2018 championship when was named the event's Most Valuable Player. Following that same postseason, Gumbs was named First Team All-South Region by D3hoops.com and earned All-America recognition from both DIII News (Fifth Team) and the NABC (Third Team).

Texas Lutheran's Holmes was a huge reason the Bulldogs won three straight SCAC tournament titles from 2015 to 2017, earning all-tournament recognition each year including Most Valuable Player honors at the 2016 championship. He was also the Player-of-the-Year in the conference that season, averaging 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Holmes earned All-SCAC honors all three years while in Seguin, including First Team recognition in 2015-16 and 2016-17, and finished his career with 1,230 points, 439 rebounds and 280 assists. A two-time D3hoops.com All-South Region selection (First Team in 2015-16; Second Team in 2016-17), Holmes earned All-America recognition from two different organizations in 2015-16 – the NABC selected him to the Second Team and DIII News recognized him as an Honorable Mention selection.

Colorado Colleges' Black was a three-time All-SCAC honoree and finished his career ranked in the top fifteen in conference history for both points scored (1,625 – ninth) and rebounds (724 – 15th). He is one of just five players in conference history to record 1,500 or more career points and 700 or more career rebounds. Black led the league in scoring as a senior, averaging 21.3 points per game, and added 8.8 rebounds (fourth in the SCAC) per contest while shooting 54.3 percent from the field (second in the SCAC) to earn D3hoops.com Second Team All-South Region honors. 

A four-time All-SCAC honoree, and one of just 11 players in conference history to earn First Team honors three times in a career, Milne finished his time at Colorado College with 1,575 points (11th all-time in the SCAC) and 458 assists (fourth all-time in the SCAC) – the second-highest combined total of points and assists of any player in league history. He is the only player in league history to lead the league in assists four straight years. Milne, the league's Newcomer-of-the-Year in 2010-11, was a three-time D3hoops.com All-West Region selection, including Second Team nods in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Centre's Nestheide earned All-SCAC honors four straight seasons, including First Team accolades in 2006-07 and 2007-08. He was the league's Newcomer-of-the-Year in 2004-05 and the Player-of-the-Year in 2006-07 and finished his career with 1,486 points, 358 rebounds and 361 assists. He is the league's all-time leading scorer in SCAC Tournament play with 177 points in 11 tournament games, earning All-Tournament honors three times in his career – one of just four players to do so – including MVP honors his junior season when he led his Colonels to the 2007 tournament title. He also earned DIII News Second Team All-America honors that season.

Despite being in the SCAC for only two seasons, Blount made his mark in the league's history book. Arriving when Centenary joined the conference prior to the 2012-13 season, Blount earned SCAC Player-of-the-Year honors both his junior and senior season. He led the league in scoring both years and his 24.4 points per game in his final year remains the highest single season scoring mark in conference history. He scored 1,123 of his 1,573 career points while in the SCAC and his career scoring average over those final two seasons is the highest in league history (22.92 points per game).

DePauw's Moore was a three-time All-SCAC honoree for the Tigers, culminating with a First Team nod and Player-of-the-Year honors as a senior in 2008-09. He is the league's all-time leader in assists (545) and is the only player in league history to finish his career with 1,500+ points (1,505 – 17th in SCAC history) and 500+ assists. Moore is also the league's all-time leader in assists in conference tournament play, charting 43 helpers in seven tournament games (6.14 per game). He received numerous postseason accolades following his senior season, including All-Region recognition from D3hoops.com (First Team) and All-America honors from NABC (Second Team) and DIII News (Third Team).

Rose was a two-time All-SCAC First Team recipient, capping his career with Player-of-the-Year honors in 2010-11. He finished his career at Colorado College with 1,494 points (18th all-time in the SCAC), 407 rebounds and 172 steals (10th in SCAC history). He is one of just six players to lead the league in scoring (points per game) in consecutive years and one of just three to average 20.0+ both of those seasons. Rose was a two-time D3hoops.com All-South Region selection (Third Team in 2009-10; Second Team in 2010-11) and earned Second Team All-America honors from DIII News in 2020-11.

In 2019-20, Centenary's Harris became the fourth men's player in league history to cap his season with a SCAC Player-of-the-Year honor, a tournament MVP selection and a conference championship – joining fellow all-anniversary honorees Matt Nestheide, Sterling Holmes, and Keenan Gumbs. The championship was the first for the Gents since joining the conference prior to the 2012-13 season. Harris finished his career with 1,539 points (14th all-time in SCAC history) and 660 rebounds and earned D3hoops.com All-South Region First Team honors following the Gents' championship season and first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III national tournament.

Colorado College's Lesnansky was a three-time All-SCAC First Team selection, one of just 11 players in league history to achieve that distinction. The 2011-12 Newcomer-of-the-Year, he finished his career with 1,487 points (19th all-time in the SCAC) and 643 rebounds – totals that were good for eighth and fifth in CC program history, respectively, at the time he graduated.

Oglethorpe's Ward is another three-time All-SCAC First Team selection and earned the league's Newcomer-of-the-Year honor the only year he was not a first-team selection (2007-08). The versatile Ward finished his career with 1,416 points (26th all-time in SCAC history) and 860 rebounds (second in SCAC history) and earned D3hoops.com All-South Region recognition in both 2008-09 (First Team) and 2010-11 (Second Team).

When Hendrix's King wrapped up his career following the 2008-09 season, he was ranked sixth all-time in scoring (1,638 points) and third in rebounding (837), numbers now good for seventh and fifth, respectively, on the league's all-time charts. The 2005-06 Newcomer-of-the-Year, King was a three-time First Team All-SCAC honoree, and as a junior in 2007-08, he led the league in both scoring (18.6 points per game) and rebounding (10.8 rebounds per game) – making him one of just four players in league history to pull the rare double-double. That same season, he earned D3hoops.com All-South Region Second Team accolades.

Montgomery earned All-SCAC First Team honors in both 2006-07 and 2007-08, finishing runner-up in the Player-of-the-Year voting both years. He ended his career with 1,383 points (33rd in SCAC history), the second-highest scoring total among players who spent three or fewer years in the league. He also had 761 rebounds (tied for seventh in SCAC history). Montgomery was selected 2008 SCAC Tournament MVP when he led his team to the conference title, a trip to the NCAA Tournament, and an appearance in the Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Washington (Mo.). He was a two-time D3hoops.com All-South Region selection in 2006-07 (Second Team) and 2007-08 (First Team) and earned D3hoosp.com Second Team All-America honors in 2007-08.

The SCAC was formed in 1991 after a reorganization of its predecessor, the College Athletic Conference (CAC). The CAC dates to 1962 with four charter members: Centre College, Southwestern @ Memphis (now Rhodes College), Sewanee-The University of the South, and Washington & Lee (Va.) University. Washington (Mo.) University joined the CAC later that same year.

The SCAC was formed to provide an association through which the member institutions may encourage organized competition in intercollegiate sports among teams representative of their respective student bodies. Members of this conference share a commitment to priority of the overall quality of academic standards and quality educational experiences.