By: Kyle Piercy, Director of Athletics Communications
ATLANTA – Centre senior
Jacob Bates has been named the Southern Athletic Association Player of the Year, the league announced Monday.
Perry Ayers,
Art Walker and
Bailey Rakes each garnered All-SAA honors, as well.
Bates brought home the SAA's highest honor after a prolific senior campaign, averaging 19.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game throughout the regular season. He shot 57.6% overall from the floor, and also led the conference with nine double-doubles.
Also named to the All-SAA First Team, Bates had 11 outings with 20 or more points during the regular season, including a career-high 43 in the season-opening victory over Greenville. His best mark in conference came on a 37-point effort at Millsaps (Jan. 5), when he hit five 3-pointers and 16 free throws.
Ayers was named to the All-SAA Second Team, completing a career of four consecutive all-conference selections. He averaged 12.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game throughout the regular season, but went on a tear during the second half of the season.
Beginning with a Jan. 24 win at Hendrix, Ayers averaged 19 points per game while shooting a blistering 48.3% (28-58) from 3-point range. He was named the SAA Tournament MVP after leading Centre to its first conference tournament title since 2014, scoring more than 23 points per game during the run (although the SAA Tournament is not included for All-SAA consideration).
Walker was likewise named to the All-SAA Second Team, finishing with 11.3 points and 4.5 boards per game during the regular season. He led Centre with 46 3-pointers made, hitting a triple in all but four games.
His best outing of the season came back on Jan. 12, when Centre throttled Oglethorpe by an 81-63 score. Walker connected on 6 of 11 from long range for a season-high 28 points.
Rakes was named All-SAA Honorable Mention for the second time in his career, finishing with 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists throughout the regular season while typically checking the opponent's best perimeter player on defense.
An efficient scorer, Rakes shot above 43% overall and from 3-point range. He matched a career-high 18 points twice, including in a Jan. 10 victory over Berry in which he also pulled in eight rebounds.
Coming off Sunday's SAA Tournament championship, the Colonels will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first since 2014. The selection show will air at 12:30 p.m. later today and reveal Centre's NCAA fate.
