Five members of the NCAA Tournament-bound Emory University men's basketball squad have been selected to the All-University Athletic Association Team. The all-league picks were chosen by the conference coaches. The Eagles saw two members of the program earn first-team status, one garner second-team acclaim and two land honorable-mention recognition.
Senior Alex Foster (Portland, OR) highlighted the Eagles' first-team honorees with his selection as the conference's Player of the Year award, the first Emory player to earn that distinction since Tim Garrett in 1990. The 6-foot-8 Foster leads the UAA in overall scoring average with a 20.2 per-game mark, good for 32nd place in the Division III ranks. Foster has scored in double figures on 23 occasions and has produced 13 contests of 20 or more points. Emory's top scorer in 17 games during the campaign, Foster racked up a career-best 38 points in the team's season-opening win over Oglethorpe with that mark the third-highest individual game total in school history. In a 77-64 decision over then No. 8-ranked Virginia Wesleyan, Foster finished with 35 points, the seventh-highest game output ever by an Emory player. Named the league's Player of the Week on three occasions, he was chosen to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week twice. His 505 points is the third-highest seasonal mark in school history as his scoring average. One of the league's most dangerous outside shooters, he has knocked down 64 three-point field goals, sixth on the school's seasonal list, and he stands second on the conference chart in treys per game (2.6 tpg) and eighth in three-point percentage (.403). In addition to his offensive totals, Foster paces the team and ranks fourth in the UAA in overall rebound average (8.0 rpg). Foster has either led or shared for team rebounding honors in 13 games.
Senior point guard Michael Florin brought home a first-team berth after being chosen as an honorable-mention pick the previous two seasons. Florin has directed the high-powered Emory offense, which is averaging a league-best 80.2 points per game, doling out 5.8 assists per game, good for the No. 2 spot on the league chart and 13th among all D-III performers. He holds down the No. 2 spot in the conference and is 18th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.77). His 144 assists this year is sixth on the program's seasonal list, and he has registered a pair of double-figure assists performances including a school-record 14 against New York University (Feb. 1). In addition to his assists numbers, Florin has boosted his offensive totals this year, averaging a career-best 11.3 points per game that places him 15th in the conference. He closed out the regular season by registering double-digit scoring in his last 12 games, giving him 18 on the year. Defensively, he is second on the team with 40 steals and his 1.6 per-game average in that category is fifth among league players.
Junior Will Trawick (Bedford, NY) was Emory's lone representative on the second team. The 6-foot-5 Trawick has started all 25 games and is second on the team and 13th in the UAA with an 11.3 points-per-game scoring mark. A double-figure scorer in 15 contests, Trawick has provided the Eagles with some scoring punch from long range with his 52 three-point field goals second on the team and tied for 15th on the Eagles' seasonal list. He has averaged 2.1 treys per outing, sixth among UAA players, and his 37.4 percent conversion rate (52-of-139) from beyond the arc is 14th. The team's top scorer on four occasions this season, Trawick has a pair of 20-point plus efforts to his credit, including a career-high 27 points vs. LaGrange College (Nov. 29).
Senior Josh Schattie (Jupiter, FL) was named the UAA's Defensive Player of the Year while earning an honorable-mention berth on the all-league team. The 6-foot-1 Schattie has been an unsung contributor to the team's success with his tenacious play on the glass and on the defensive end of the floor figuring significantly in numerous games. No. 2 on the team and 13th in the league in rebounding (5.2 rpg), Schattie has compiled 12 games of six or more boards, and his 2.0 per-game showing in offensive rebounds is 10th on the UAA ladder. Schattie tops the team with 49 steals, tying for 14th position on Emory's seasonal chart, and he paces the conference in steals average (2.0 spg). As the team enters postseason play, Schattie has recorded 14 contests of two or more thefts.
Sophomore Jonathan Terry (Greensboro, NC) landed honorable mention kudos on the All-UAA Team after seeing action as a reserve in all 25 contests and scoring at an 8.6 per-game clip, good for fifth place on the team and 26th in the league. Terry tossed in 10.2 points in conference affairs, with that average slotting him 22nd. A double-figure scorer in a total of eight games, including four of his last five, he is tied for third place on the team with 38 triples, and his 38.8 percent mark from three-point range is 11th in the league. In addition, he is pulling down an average of 5.0 rebounds per contest, third on the squad and 14th on the league ladder. He has paced Emory in rebounding in six contests this year.
Finally, head coach Jason Zimmerman, along with assistants Chris McHugh, Pete Zaharis and Chad Hixon, were selected as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year. It is the third time during Zimmerman's eight-years at Emory (2012-13 & 2009-10-co) that he and his staff have been chosen for that honor.
Emory, 20-5 overall and ranked No. 11 by D3hoops.com, will serve as the host site for NCAA Tournament First and Second Round games this weekend (Mar. 6-7). The Eagles will battle Spalding on Friday beginning at 7:30 pm, with LaGrange College and Whitworth University getting things started with a 5:30 pm contest.