Greenville, S.C. – Freshman Alex Wilkins was named to the All-Southern Conference Second Team and Furman senior Ben Vander Wal was selected to the SoCon All-Defensive Team in voting by the league's 10 head men's basketball coaches, it was announced on Wednesday afternoon by the conference office.  
 
Wilkins, a native of Mattapan, Mass., paced the Paladins during the regular season averaging 17.3 points and 5.0 assists per game while starting all 31 games at point guard. He has scored 20 or more points in a game 12 times, including a career-high 33 points in a February 1 win at home versus Chattanooga. 
 
Entering the postseason, Wilkins' 17.3 points per game ranks as the second highest average ever by a Furman freshman. He has scored 536 points, which is only 25 short of Jonathan Moore's Furman freshman record of 561 points in 1976-77.
 
Vander Wal has led a Paladin defense that ranks first in the SoCon in field goal percentage defense (41.9%) and second in both scoring defense (70.3 ppg), and rebounding margin (+5.8). The Elmhurst, Ill., product has contributed 7.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while scoring in double figures 11 times. He enters the tournament ranked among the top five active SoCon players in career points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots.
 
Furman (19-12, 10-8 SoCon) opens play in the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday night when the sixth-seeded Paladins take on No. 3 seed Samford in quarterfinal round action. Tip-off at Harrah's Cherokee Center- Asheville in Asheville, N.C., is slated for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SCETV and streamed live on ESPN+.
 
All-Southern Conference Men's Basketball Teams
  
Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year
Jadin Booth, Gr., G, Samford
 
Newcomer of the Year
Jadin Booth, Gr., G, Samford
 
Sixth Man of the Year
Jaylen Smith, Jr., G, ETSU
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Cam Morris III, Gr., F, ETSU
Armani Mighty, R-Jr., F, Mercer

Anton Foy Coach of the Year
Brooks Savage, ETSU
 
First team
Baraka Okojie, Mercer 
Justin Neely, UNCG
Jadin Booth, Samford 
Dylan Faulkner, Samford
Kahmare Holmes, Wofford
 
Second team
Cam Morris III, ETSU 
Brian Taylor II, ETSU
Alex Wilkins, Furman
Armani Mighty, Mercer
Nils Machowski, Wofford
 
Third team
Blake Barkley, ETSU
Jordan Frison, Chattanooga
TJ Johnson, VMI 
Cord Stansberry, Western Carolina 
Cayden Vasko, Wofford
 
All-Defensive team
Cam Morris III, ETSU
Allen Strothers, ETSU 
Ben Vander Wal, Furman 
Armani Mighty, Mercer
Dylan Faulkner, Samford
 
 
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