University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville Men’s Basketball Heavily Featured in 2017-18 Big South Men’s Basketball All-Conference Awards
02.26.2018 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Big South Conference regular-season champion UNC Asheville was heavily featured when the league office unveiled the 2017-18 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Awards on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018.
For the third time in the last four years, it was a UNC Asheville student-athlete that took home the prestigious Big South Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in Kevin Vannatta. Former teammate Giacomo Zilli also won the award in 2014-15 and 2016-17.
UNC Asheville's Ahmad Thomas was chosen as the Big South Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is the second Bulldog to win the award with Kenny George earning the honor in 2007-08. Thomas is just the fourth in Big South history to win the award twice.
In addition, for the second consecutive season UNC Asheville had two first-team selections with Thomas and MaCio Teague earning the honor.
"I'm very proud of what Ahmad, Kevin and MaCio have been able to accomplish this year, both on and off the floor," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "They all work very hard and are deserving of these postseason accolades."
Vannatta as an Accounting major at UNC Asheville presently owns a 3.93 grade-point average to go along with his 1,222 points and 563 rebounds in his career.
Vannatta represents UNC Asheville and the Big South Conference on the NCAA Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Vannatta was also named to the 2016-17 and 2017-18 College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District® 3 Men's Basketball first-team in addition to being tabbed as a DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete last season. He was also an official candidate for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award.
Thomas once again proved to be a terror for Bulldog opponents in the 2017-18 regular season. The now two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year captured a league second-best 1.8 steals per game during the regular season. He averaged the same 1.8 steals per game during league play. Thomas had a league-high tying five steals in a Bulldog home conference win over Longwood.
Thomas with 242 career steals is just six steals from tying and seven steals away from becoming the all-time steals leader at UNC Asheville. J.P. Primm (2008-12) is the current all-time leader with 248 career steals.
In claiming first-team honors, Teague was among the tops in the league in numerous categories. He averaged 16.4 points (seventh), 2.6 assists (15th) and 1.6 steals (third) per game during the regular season.
In conference play, Teague averaged 17.3 points (sixth). He led the way during league play in free throw percentage (.873) and three-point field goal percentage (.445). Teague also led the league in three-point field goal percentage during the regular season (.421)
Teague averaged a league-best 34.9 minutes per game.
Thomas was also among the best in the league in numerous categories. He averaged 16.8 points (fifth), 5.9 rebounds (sixth), 2.9 assists (11th) and 1.8 steals (second) per game during the regular season overall.
In league play, Thomas averaged 18.8 points (second), 5.9 rebounds (seventh), 3.4 assists (seventh) and 1.8 steals (second) per game. He was second in the league in field goal percentage (.511) overall during the regular season and in league play (.533).
The Bulldogs picked up their seventh Big South Conference regular-season title (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18) this season. Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt has been a part of six of the seven Big South Conference regular-season crowns either as a player, assistant coach or head coach (1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18).
UNC Asheville men's basketball earned the right to host the 2018 Big South Championship by claiming the league title outright.
Tickets for the 2018 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Championship at Kimmel Arena inside the Sherrill Center are officially on sale.
To purchase your tickets for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the championship, please visit HERE.
You can also purchase tickets by visiting the UNC Asheville box office at Kimmel Arena. You can call the UNC Asheville ticket office at 828-258-7900.
The Bulldogs as the No. 1 seed will host the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on March 1 and 2. The highest remaining seed will host the championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 4, on ESPN.
UNC Asheville will open play in the championship at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 1. The quarterfinal matchup will feature the top-seeded Bulldogs facing off against eighth-seeded Charleston Southern.
The Kimmel Arena box office will also be open 90 minutes prior to the start of quarterfinal one of the championship on Thursday, March 1. Tickets will be sold for two daily sessions on Thursday (includes two games per session). The building will be cleared between sessions.
Tickets for the quarterfinal and semifinal round of the Big South Men's Basketball Championship for adults are $20 per session and $15 for seniors who are 65 and older with valid ID. Groups of 10-plus will also be able to purchase tickets for $15 per session. Children and college students will be able to purchase tickets for just $5.
UNC Asheville fans and season ticket holders, please note that this is a Big South Championship event, meaning that new tickets will have to be purchased for the championship.
To learn more about the 2018 Big South Men's Basketball Championship, please visit the official championship website HERE.
For the third time in the last four years, it was a UNC Asheville student-athlete that took home the prestigious Big South Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in Kevin Vannatta. Former teammate Giacomo Zilli also won the award in 2014-15 and 2016-17.
UNC Asheville's Ahmad Thomas was chosen as the Big South Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is the second Bulldog to win the award with Kenny George earning the honor in 2007-08. Thomas is just the fourth in Big South history to win the award twice.
In addition, for the second consecutive season UNC Asheville had two first-team selections with Thomas and MaCio Teague earning the honor.
"I'm very proud of what Ahmad, Kevin and MaCio have been able to accomplish this year, both on and off the floor," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "They all work very hard and are deserving of these postseason accolades."
Vannatta as an Accounting major at UNC Asheville presently owns a 3.93 grade-point average to go along with his 1,222 points and 563 rebounds in his career.
Vannatta represents UNC Asheville and the Big South Conference on the NCAA Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Vannatta was also named to the 2016-17 and 2017-18 College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District® 3 Men's Basketball first-team in addition to being tabbed as a DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete last season. He was also an official candidate for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award.
Thomas once again proved to be a terror for Bulldog opponents in the 2017-18 regular season. The now two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year captured a league second-best 1.8 steals per game during the regular season. He averaged the same 1.8 steals per game during league play. Thomas had a league-high tying five steals in a Bulldog home conference win over Longwood.
Thomas with 242 career steals is just six steals from tying and seven steals away from becoming the all-time steals leader at UNC Asheville. J.P. Primm (2008-12) is the current all-time leader with 248 career steals.
In claiming first-team honors, Teague was among the tops in the league in numerous categories. He averaged 16.4 points (seventh), 2.6 assists (15th) and 1.6 steals (third) per game during the regular season.
In conference play, Teague averaged 17.3 points (sixth). He led the way during league play in free throw percentage (.873) and three-point field goal percentage (.445). Teague also led the league in three-point field goal percentage during the regular season (.421)
Teague averaged a league-best 34.9 minutes per game.
Thomas was also among the best in the league in numerous categories. He averaged 16.8 points (fifth), 5.9 rebounds (sixth), 2.9 assists (11th) and 1.8 steals (second) per game during the regular season overall.
In league play, Thomas averaged 18.8 points (second), 5.9 rebounds (seventh), 3.4 assists (seventh) and 1.8 steals (second) per game. He was second in the league in field goal percentage (.511) overall during the regular season and in league play (.533).
The Bulldogs picked up their seventh Big South Conference regular-season title (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18) this season. Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt has been a part of six of the seven Big South Conference regular-season crowns either as a player, assistant coach or head coach (1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18).
UNC Asheville men's basketball earned the right to host the 2018 Big South Championship by claiming the league title outright.
Tickets for the 2018 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Championship at Kimmel Arena inside the Sherrill Center are officially on sale.
To purchase your tickets for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the championship, please visit HERE.
You can also purchase tickets by visiting the UNC Asheville box office at Kimmel Arena. You can call the UNC Asheville ticket office at 828-258-7900.
The Bulldogs as the No. 1 seed will host the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on March 1 and 2. The highest remaining seed will host the championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 4, on ESPN.
UNC Asheville will open play in the championship at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 1. The quarterfinal matchup will feature the top-seeded Bulldogs facing off against eighth-seeded Charleston Southern.
The Kimmel Arena box office will also be open 90 minutes prior to the start of quarterfinal one of the championship on Thursday, March 1. Tickets will be sold for two daily sessions on Thursday (includes two games per session). The building will be cleared between sessions.
Tickets for the quarterfinal and semifinal round of the Big South Men's Basketball Championship for adults are $20 per session and $15 for seniors who are 65 and older with valid ID. Groups of 10-plus will also be able to purchase tickets for $15 per session. Children and college students will be able to purchase tickets for just $5.
UNC Asheville fans and season ticket holders, please note that this is a Big South Championship event, meaning that new tickets will have to be purchased for the championship.
To learn more about the 2018 Big South Men's Basketball Championship, please visit the official championship website HERE.
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