PBC Announces Men's Basketball All-Conference Team

AUGUSTA, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference has released the 2007-08 men’s basketball All-Conference team on the eve of the PBC Tournament. For the first time in 17 years, the PBC had co-Players of the Year as USC Aiken’s Chris Commons and Augusta State’s Tyrekus ‘AJ’ Bowman share the award. Francis Marion’s Simel Boyd was named the Freshman of the Year while USCA’s Vince Alexander the Coach of the Year.

Bowman becomes the fourth player in PBC history to repeat as Player of the Year. The senior from Tignall, Ga., was third in the PBC in scoring with 18.9 points per game and second in rebounding with 7.5 per game. He was also fifth in the league in blocked shots. Currently, Bowman is fourth on the PBC’s all-time scoring list with more than 1,600 points.

USC Aiken’s Chris Commons burst onto the scene to lead the PBC in scoring in 2007-08 with 22.1 points per game. The junior forward from Toledo, Ohio, is also seventh in rebounding with 6.3 per game. Commons, a five-time PBC player of the week, has led the Pacers to a #5 national ranking and the 2007-08 PBC regular-season championship.

Simel Boyd started the final 11 games for the Francis Marion Patriots and averaged 10.1 ppg on 50% shooting from the floor in that span. The freshman from Ridgeville, S.C., was second on the team in rebounding with 4.1 per game. Boyd becomes the first Patriot to earn Freshman of the Year honors since Charles Sullivan in 1999-2000.

Vince Alexander has been at the helm of a remarkable turnaround as the Pacers, winners of nine games last season, have won 25 games this year and claimed their first PBC regular-season championship since the 1992-93 season. Now in his third season as head coach, Alexander has his team seeded #1 and ranked #5 in the nation as they prepare to host the PBC Tournament. Alexander becomes the first USCA head coach to be named Coach of the Year since Larry Epperly in 1992-93.

Below is the 2007-08 PBC men’s basketball All-Conference team as selected by the league’s head coaches. The team was originally to have 11 members, but has 12 due to a tie in the final spot. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players. The last PBC co-Players of the Year were USC Upstate’s Ulysses Hackett and Willie Murdaugh in 1990-91, the PBC’s first season of basketball.

2008 Peach Belt Conference
Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team
Tyrekus ‘AJ’ Bowman, Augusta State
Aaron Clark, GCSU
Chris Commons, USC Aiken
Jeremy Fears, USC Aiken
William Kane, Armstrong Atlantic State
Shaun Keaton, GCSU
Ben Madgen, Augusta State
Andre Morgan, North Georgia
Nick Pope, North Georgia
Anthony Sargent, Georgia Southwestern State
Garret Siler, Augsuta State
Michael Sloan, Clayton State

Co-Players of theYear: Tyrekus ‘AJ’ Bowman, Augusta State
Chris Commons, USC Aiken
Freshman of the Year: Simel Boyd, Francis Marion
Coach of the Year: Vince Alexander, USC Aiken