No. 9 Nighthawks Picked Third In PBC Preseason Poll, White Named Preseason All-Conference
DAHLONEGA – The No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team was voted to finish in third place by the coaches of the Peach Belt Conference as announced in the league's preseason poll Wednesday afternoon.
Despite winning the PBC Tournament and the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship for the first time in program history last year, the Nighthawks were picked third with 62 points and one first place vote behind Lander (75 points, four first place votes) and Augusta (68 points, two first place votes)
USC Aiken (two) and Columbus State (one) followed respectively and were the only other schools to earn a first place vote. The preseason predictions were rounded out by Flagler, GCSU, Georgia Southwestern, Clayton State and USC Beaufort.
UNG junior guard AJ White was one of five players selected to the PBC Preseason All-Conference Team. The PBC All-Conference First Team and NABC All-District First Team selection last year returns to the Nighthawk lineup after surpassing 1,000 career points last season.
A season ago, White ranked second in the league in field goals (188) and free throws made (138) and led the conference in total points (583) and ranked fourth in points per game (17.1).
The Nighthawks also return some key names from last year in 2024 Southeast Regional Most Outstanding Player Cayden Charles, three-point sharpshooting senior Hunter Shedenhelm and junior big man Colin Turner.
Charles averaged 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds last season and exploded with three double figure scoring outings in the final five games of the season.
Shedenhelm was second on the team in three-point shooting a season ago at 40 percent from downtown. In seven of his 16 games last season, Shedenhelm knocked down two or more threes which included five times in the last eight games.
Turner came alive down the stretch for UNG last year. He had not played more than 17 minutes in the first 24 games of the season but averaged 20-plus minutes in the final eight games. In that same span, he dropped 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds while shooting 76.9 percent from the floor.
The Nighthawks open the season in the premier preseason college basketball national event as they head to Lakeland, Fla. for the 2024 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. UNG will face St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. to open the season.
That contest will follow with a showdown against National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) preseason No. 1 and defending National Champions Minnesota State. The Nighthawks and Mavericks will tip off on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.
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