Four 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 had two players tabbed to the first team, and two to the second team. In addition, Jason Zimmerman and assistants Kevin Sullivan and Charlie Copp were selected as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
After garnering second-team acclaim in 2018, sophomore Romin Williams (Harvey, LA) captured a first-team nod this year. The 5-foot-9 Williams tops the UAA in scoring with a 17.3 points-per-game average and has racked up 22 performances of double-figure scoring. Williams has scored 20 or more points a team-high tying nine times this year and ranked as the Eagles' leading scorer in eight games. He was selected as UAA Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week after averaging 29 points and shooting 51.2 percent (21-of-41) from the floor, including 44 percent (11-of-25) from beyond the arc, in games vs. Washington University (Feb. 8) and the University of Chicago (Feb. 10). Williams tops the UAA with an average of 2.96 three-point field goals per game, draining three or more triples in seven of his last 12 and in a total of 13 contests this year. He has tied the school's single-game record of eight treys twice this season, vs. Keuka (Nov. 17) and East Texas Baptist (Dec. 30). In addition, he is second on the team and seventh in the league in assists average (3.4 apg), having doled out five or more in seven games. In conference action only, he finished second in the league in scoring (17.1 ppg), eighth in assists (3.1 apg), fifth in free throw percentage (.800) and third in three-pointers per game (2.6 tpg).
Sophomore Matt Schner, 6-foot-4, landed first-team recognition after establishing himself as one of the conference's top all-around players. A starter in 24 of 25 games, he is second on the team and 11th among UAA players with a 13.4 points-per-game average. Schner enters NCAA Tourney action on Friday with double-figure scoring to his credit in 10 of the last 11 and in a total of 19 contests this year, with one of those performances season-high 30 points in a win at home over Carnegie Mellon (Jan.20). His 57.6 percent mark from the field is first on the club and slots him fifth among league performers. He has shot 50 percent or better from the floor on 16 occasions. He stands No. 2 on the team and seventh on the conference list with a 7.0 per-game rebound average, leading or sharing for team honors in that department on eight occasions. Schner has chalked up 14 outings with seven or more boards with three of double-figure performances to his credit. He was selected as the UAA Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week after pacing the team with 24 points in a 96-87 win over LaGrange (Dec. 5).
Matt Davet, 6-foot-7, was chosen to the second team with his 16.5 points-per-game scoring average No. 2 on the team and third in the league. He has paced the team's scoring efforts on nine occasions this year, most recently against Carnegie Mellon (Feb. 17) when he tallied a game-high 23 points, hitting a career-high 10 field goals in 17 attempts including a pair of treys. A double-figure scorer on 18 occasions this season, he is deadlocked with Romin Williams for the team lead with nine performances of 20 or more points. He is second on the team with 50 three-point field goals and his average of 2.0 treys per contest is ninth in the conference. He holds down the No. 12 position among UAA players with a mark of 36.8 percent (50-of-136) from beyond the arc and is seventh with a showing of 78.6 percent (81-of-103) from the foul line. He checks in with an average of 5.4 rebounds per contest, third on the team and 13th in the league, and has finished as the Eagles' top board man on seven occasions. In league play, Davet placed fourth on the conference ladder at 16.7 points per game, 12th in field goal percentage (.500, 77-of-154) and 10th in three-point field goal shooting (.408, 29-of-71).
6-foot-5 sophomore Lawrence Rowley brought home a second-team selection with his 14.5 per-game scoring average third on the club and ninth on the UAA chart. A double-figure scorer in 22 games, he has led the team in scoring in four games, most recently against Rochester last Saturday with a 19-point afternoon. He was selected as the league's Men's Basketball Player of the Week after lead the squad in both scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (12.0 rpg) in games vs. Case Western (Feb. 15) and Carnegie Mellon (Feb. 17). He sets the pace for Emory in rebounding at 8.0 boards per outing, fourth among league players, and has topped the team in that category on 13 occasions. He has produced a team-high five double-doubles including a 17-point, 15-rebound outing against Case Western Reserve (Feb. 15). Rowley shot 50 percent or better in 11 of the team's 14 conference games (.586, 75-of-128) and in a total of 18 contests this year, with seven efforts of 70 percent or higher.
For head coach Jason Zimmerman, it is the fifth time (2019, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2010 (co)) in his 12 years at Emory that he has his assistants have been chosen by their peers as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year. Zimmerman has directed the Eagles to an overall record of 20-5 and captured the program's sixth-ever conference title and fourth under his watch with a mark of 11-3 This year's trip to the NCAA Tournament is the program's seventh straight appearance in the postseason.
No. 18-ranked Emory takes on No. 17 Wittenberg in a NCAA Tournament opening-round contest on Friday (Mar. 1) starting at 5:30 pm. The game will be played in Greensboro, North Carolina, and on the campus of Guilford College. The winner advances to Saturday's second round.