Jones’ POY & NOY Awards Top Extensive List of All-Heart Winners
William Penn’s #0 Torren Jone prepares to grab the rebound against Central Methodist.
Oskaloosa–Torren Jones (Sr., Chandler, Ariz., Sociology) was the best player on the hardwood a majority of the time this winter and he was rewarded for his domination as the all-Heart of America Athletic Conference men’s basketball teams were announced by the league office Monday.
Jones was named the Heart’s Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, guiding five all-Heart honorees from a Statesmen men’s basketball team that is #2 in the nation, owns a 27-3 record (23-3 Heart), and won the regular-season conference crown by five games.
WPU, which has already secured an automatic berth to the NAIA Division I National Championships, will be seeking to defend its Heart Tournament crown in the upcoming days.
Lionel Ellison (Sr., New Orleans, La., Kinesiology) joins Jones on the first squad, while Jarvis Haywood (Sr., Charlotte, N.C., Business Management) and Charles Knowles (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) have also been picked for second-team recognition.
Haywood is now a two-time recipient (honorable-mention last year), while the remainder of the quartet are all receiving their first laurels.
Head Coach John Henry was also tabbed by his peers as the Heart’s Coach of the Year. It is the third COY honor of his career.
A total of 33 student-athletes garnered accolades, including 10 on the first and second squads and 13 on the honorable-mention list.
Jones becomes the sixth Conference MVP in school history and the fourth since 2007. He is also the fourth-consecutive William Penn cager to earn Newcomer of the Year honors.
The senior is currently averaging 20.0 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Last Saturday, Jones broke the program’s single-season rebounding record (now with 354). He is shooting 55.1% from the field (31.7% 3-PT) and 73.1% from the free-throw line. He has also tallied 33 assists, 25 steals, and a team-high 20 blocks.
As of Monday, Jones leads the Heart in double-doubles (23), field-goal percentage, and all pertinent rebounding categories. He is also second in scoring and ninth in blocks per game (0.7). The senior has three of the top-20 highest-scoring games in the league this year (high of 35) and six of the top-seven rebounding efforts (high of 19).
Ellison has been tremendous at the point, averaging 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He also has 19 blocks to his credit. The senior is shooting 43.1% from the floor (39.4% 3-PT) and 72.5% at the charity stripe. He scored a season-best 29 points back in January.
Ellison is topping the conference in steals (62) and steals per game, is third in assists (142) and assists per game, is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (2.45-to-1), and is 10th in blocks per game (0.6).
Haywood owns a 20.4 scoring average with 5.0 rebounds per contest. The 54.0% field-goal shooter (44.8% 3-PT) is also making 83.7% at the line, and has managed 43 assists, 21 steals, and seven blocks as well. He has scored over 30 points twice, including a high of 34 points.
Knowles enters the league tournament at 11.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game; he has also recorded 30 assists, 17 steals, and 13 blocks. The senior has made 50.0% of his shots so far (40.5% 3-PT) and is 78.0% at the stripe. Knowles is coming off a season-high 28 points last Saturday.
The senior ranks fourth in the Heart in three-point percentage.
Heart Defensive POY of the Year honors were given to Justin Randall of MidAmerica Nazarene, while Clarke’s Zack Fields was named Freshman of the Year.
For the complete 2016-207 all-Heart men’s basketball teams, go to http://www.heartofamericaconference.com/d/2016-17/2017_MBB_All_Conference_1.pdf
