Troy University Athletics
Trojans Have Two Named to Preseason All-Conference Team
10/19/2016 10:01:00 AM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Alabama – The Troy men's basketball team had two players selected to the Preseason All-Conference team while the team was selected to finish ninth in the conference.
Wesley Person was named Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference and Jordon Varnado was named Third Team All-SBC.
The Trojans accompanied Georgia Southern and UT Arlington as the only teams in the conference to have multiple players named to the Preseason All-Conference team.
The ninth place finish would be a two spot improvement from where Troy finished the season last year. The conference expanded to 12 teams with the addition of Coastal Carolina.
"If the coaches could see what we see in practice every day, there would be a different number by our name," head coach Phil Cunningham said. "Most of the coaches in the league have never even heard of Alex Hicks, much less have any idea of how good a player he is, but they will soon find out. The Sun Belt has been one of the best mid-major basketball leagues in the country lately. The conference champion has won a first round NCAA Tournament game two years in a row, and our league has seen a player drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft two of the last three years. Our next step at Troy is to move up the ladder in the conference standings. That preseason poll means nothing when the ball gets tossed up next month, but it's time for us to take that next step."
Person enters his junior season coming off a campaign in which he led the Trojans in most statistical categories. Person was named Second Team All-SBC last season after he had 16.8 points per game and continued his NCAA streak of most consecutive games with a made 3-pointer.
"Wesley Person has been a model of consistency regarding effort and attitude since the day he stepped on our campus," Cunningham said. "He is definitely a much better player today than he was a year ago. As crazy as that may sound, it doesn't always turn out that way--especially with players who find success early in their career. The fact that Wesley has improved so much and expanded his skill set is a testament to his off-season work ethic and commitment to being a special player."
Varnado is coming off a freshman season that saw him become a force on both ends of the court. The forward averaged 13.2 points per game and was fourth in the conference in blocks at 37 and eighth in rebounds at 215.
"Jordon Varnado showed glimpses of just how good he can be last season, especially during the non-conference portion of the schedule," Cunningham said. "Our challenge to Jordon is for him to take the next step in terms of consistent effort and toughness. He's still a very young man. He's got plenty of time to figure it out, but the quicker, the better for him individually and for us as a team. When he does figure out the importance of playing hard and physical on every possession, the teams in our league will have a hard time dealing with him.
"It's exciting for us as a coaching staff to see how the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team shows that our program is heading in the right direction. When we took over at Troy, 12 of 13 scholarship players were junior college transfers. We've changed to a more traditional style of balancing high school recruits with transfers. When you make that big of a change, you better sign some quality high school prospects. The fact that we're one of only three Sun Belt teams to have two players named to the team proves that we're recruiting really good players. The best thing about it is that both of those guys are still underclassmen."
Preseason Coaches' Poll
Preseason First Team All-Conference
Devin Carter (Arkansas State, Senior, Guard, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Tookie Brown (Georgia Southern, Sophomore, Guard, Sport Management)
Marcus Johnson Jr. (Little Rock, Senior, Guard, Criminal Justice)
Kevin Hervey (UT Arlington, Junior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Erick Neal (UT Arlington, Junior, Guard, Communication Broadcasting)
Preseason Second Team All-Conference
Elijah Wilson (Coastal Carolina, Freshman, Guard)
Mike Hughes (Georgia Southern, Junior, Guard, Sport Management)
Jeremy Hollowell (Georgia State, Senior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Ken Williams (South Alabama, Senior, Guard, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Wesley Person (Troy, Junior, Guard, Global Business)
Preseason Third Team All-Conference
Ronshad Shabazz (Appalachian State, Sophomore, Guard, Undecided)
Jay Wright (UL Lafayette, Senior, Guard, General Studies)
Nick Coppola (UL Monroe, Senior, Guard, Risk Management and Insurance)
Kavin Gilder-Tilbury (Texas State, Senior, Forward, General Studies)
Jordon Varnado (Troy, Sophomore, Forward, Global Business)
Preseason Player of the Year
Kevin Hervey (UT Arlington, Junior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
The Trojans start the season with an exhibition game against AUM on Nov. 3 with the first game of the season coming Nov. 11 against Toccoa Falls.
For more information on Troy men's basketball, visit TroyTrojans.com or follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyMensHoops.
Wesley Person was named Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference and Jordon Varnado was named Third Team All-SBC.
The Trojans accompanied Georgia Southern and UT Arlington as the only teams in the conference to have multiple players named to the Preseason All-Conference team.
The ninth place finish would be a two spot improvement from where Troy finished the season last year. The conference expanded to 12 teams with the addition of Coastal Carolina.
"If the coaches could see what we see in practice every day, there would be a different number by our name," head coach Phil Cunningham said. "Most of the coaches in the league have never even heard of Alex Hicks, much less have any idea of how good a player he is, but they will soon find out. The Sun Belt has been one of the best mid-major basketball leagues in the country lately. The conference champion has won a first round NCAA Tournament game two years in a row, and our league has seen a player drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft two of the last three years. Our next step at Troy is to move up the ladder in the conference standings. That preseason poll means nothing when the ball gets tossed up next month, but it's time for us to take that next step."
Person enters his junior season coming off a campaign in which he led the Trojans in most statistical categories. Person was named Second Team All-SBC last season after he had 16.8 points per game and continued his NCAA streak of most consecutive games with a made 3-pointer.
"Wesley Person has been a model of consistency regarding effort and attitude since the day he stepped on our campus," Cunningham said. "He is definitely a much better player today than he was a year ago. As crazy as that may sound, it doesn't always turn out that way--especially with players who find success early in their career. The fact that Wesley has improved so much and expanded his skill set is a testament to his off-season work ethic and commitment to being a special player."
Varnado is coming off a freshman season that saw him become a force on both ends of the court. The forward averaged 13.2 points per game and was fourth in the conference in blocks at 37 and eighth in rebounds at 215.
"Jordon Varnado showed glimpses of just how good he can be last season, especially during the non-conference portion of the schedule," Cunningham said. "Our challenge to Jordon is for him to take the next step in terms of consistent effort and toughness. He's still a very young man. He's got plenty of time to figure it out, but the quicker, the better for him individually and for us as a team. When he does figure out the importance of playing hard and physical on every possession, the teams in our league will have a hard time dealing with him.
"It's exciting for us as a coaching staff to see how the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team shows that our program is heading in the right direction. When we took over at Troy, 12 of 13 scholarship players were junior college transfers. We've changed to a more traditional style of balancing high school recruits with transfers. When you make that big of a change, you better sign some quality high school prospects. The fact that we're one of only three Sun Belt teams to have two players named to the team proves that we're recruiting really good players. The best thing about it is that both of those guys are still underclassmen."
Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank | Team | Points (first-place votes) | |
| 1 | UT Arlington | 140 (10) | |
| 2 | Little Rock | 124 (1) | |
| 3 | Georgia State | 114 (1) | |
| 4 | Georgia Southern | 111 | |
| 5 | Coastal Carolina | 88 | |
| 6 | South Alabama | 75 | |
| 7 | UL Lafayette | 70 | |
| 8 | UL Monroe | 59 | |
| 9 | Troy | 54 | |
| 10 | Arkansas State | 46 | |
| 11 | Appalachian State | 28 | |
| 12 | Texas State | 27 | |
Preseason First Team All-Conference
Devin Carter (Arkansas State, Senior, Guard, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Tookie Brown (Georgia Southern, Sophomore, Guard, Sport Management)
Marcus Johnson Jr. (Little Rock, Senior, Guard, Criminal Justice)
Kevin Hervey (UT Arlington, Junior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Erick Neal (UT Arlington, Junior, Guard, Communication Broadcasting)
Preseason Second Team All-Conference
Elijah Wilson (Coastal Carolina, Freshman, Guard)
Mike Hughes (Georgia Southern, Junior, Guard, Sport Management)
Jeremy Hollowell (Georgia State, Senior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Ken Williams (South Alabama, Senior, Guard, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Wesley Person (Troy, Junior, Guard, Global Business)
Preseason Third Team All-Conference
Ronshad Shabazz (Appalachian State, Sophomore, Guard, Undecided)
Jay Wright (UL Lafayette, Senior, Guard, General Studies)
Nick Coppola (UL Monroe, Senior, Guard, Risk Management and Insurance)
Kavin Gilder-Tilbury (Texas State, Senior, Forward, General Studies)
Jordon Varnado (Troy, Sophomore, Forward, Global Business)
Preseason Player of the Year
Kevin Hervey (UT Arlington, Junior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
The Trojans start the season with an exhibition game against AUM on Nov. 3 with the first game of the season coming Nov. 11 against Toccoa Falls.
For more information on Troy men's basketball, visit TroyTrojans.com or follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyMensHoops.
Players Mentioned
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