Thomas More’s King named PAC Player of the Year; TMC’s Cooper voted PAC Coach of the Year

NKyTribune staff

Thomas More College men’s basketball standout Damion King was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Player of the Year on Tuesday afternoon.

The all-conference teams and yearly award winners were determined by a vote from the league’s 10 head coaches.

King, a junior guard from Winchester and a graduate of George Rogers Clark High School, has dished out a PAC-leading 120 assists this season. He is seventh in the PAC in scoring average (15.4) and 13th in rebounding (5.9). King also netted his 1,000th career point on Feb. 10 in a 65-50 victory over Waynesburg.

In nine career PAC Tournament games, King has averaged 16.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per while shooting 47.9 percent (58-for-121) from the floor. He totaled 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in last Saturday’s 78-73 win over Bethany (W.Va.) in the PAC championship game.

Thomas More junior guard/forward Brandon Horne was named honorable mention All-PAC. Horne is averaging 10.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Horne, a native of Louisville and a Male High School graduate, has also collected a team-leading 37 steals and is shooting 55.5 percent from the field.

Thomas More’s Drew Cooper was selected as the PAC’s Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Cooper guided top-seeded Thomas More to its third PAC Tournament title and has led the program to the league’s title game in four of the last five years.

The Saints are currently 23-5 and finished 16-2 in the PAC, including a 9-0 record against conference foes at the Connor Convocation Center.

Thomas More travels to University Heights, Ohio, on Friday night to face John Carroll (23-5) in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

PAC Player of the Year: Damion King (Thomas More)
PAC Coach of the Year: Drew Cooper (Thomas More)

2017-18 All-PAC Men’s Basketball Teams
First Team
Name, School, Pos., Yr., Hometown | High School
Calique Jones, Bethany, G, Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa. | Obama Academy
Ethan Moose, Geneva, G/F, So., New Castle, Pa. | Neshannock
Tom Kromka, Saint Vincent, F, Sr., Monroeville, Pa. | Gateway
Damion King, Thomas More, G, Jr., Winchester, Ky. | George Rogers Clark
Jon Knab, Waynesburg, F, Sr., Beaver Falls, Pa. | Beaver County Christian

Second Team
Name, School, Pos., Yr., Hometown | High School
Liam Davis, Bethany, C, Sr., Orlando, Fla. | Orlando Christian Prep.
Cory Huff, Grove City, C, Sr., Kersey, Pa. | Elk County Catholic
Cameron Kane-Johnson, Westminster, G, So. Niles, Ohio | Niles
Deontay Scott, Westminster, G/F, Sr., Youngstown, Ohio | East
Jarret Vrabel, Westminster, F, Sr., Canfield, Ohio | Canfield

Honorable Mentions
Name, School, Pos., Yr., Hometown | High School
Chaice Truex, Bethany, F, So., Wheeling, W.Va. | St. John Central (Ohio)
Alex Schoppen, Chatham, G/F, Jr., Gibsonia, Pa. | Central Catholic
Jimmy Leichliter, Geneva, G/F, Sr., Connellsville, Pa. | Connellsville
Andrew Beckman, Grove City, F, Sr., Shelby, Mich. | Shelby
Brandon Horne, Thomas More, G/F, Jr., Louisville, Ky. | Male
Matt Popeck, Waynesburg, G, Fr., Washington, Pa. | Washington