FRISCO — Senior guard Devin Gibson, freshman forward Jeromie Hill and sophomore guard Melvin Johnson III each earned Southland Conference postseason accolades as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Gibson was named to the first team, while Hill was tabbed the Southland Freshman of the Year and he joined Johnson III as an honorable mention pick.
Gibson was one of five players chosen to the first team, the fourth all-conference certificate for the 2008 Southland Freshman of the Year. He leads the league in assists (5.5), steals (2.8) and minutes (34.6) per game and ranks fourth in scoring (16.3 ppg), ninth in free-throw percentage (.794) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) in addition to being 20th in rebounding (5.1 rpg). He has registered eight 20-point games and five double-doubles this season, including just the second triple-double ever recorded by a Roadrunner with 17 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds against Samford (Dec. 20).
The 2010 Southland Student-Athlete of the Year has broken the league's career record for steals (312) and UTSA marks for free throws (607) and starts (106) and will tie the school standard for games played (115) on Wednesday in the team's first-round matchup with Northwestern State. Gibson also has 526 career assists, which is 10 shy of the program's all-time standard and he ranks third in scoring (1,578), fifth in free-throw percentage (.764) and seventh in rebounds (499) and field goals (444).
The Houston native is the only player in the NCAA averaging at least 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and 2.5 steals per game this season.
Gibson, who was a second-team all-conference pick in 2008 and 2010 and a third-team choice in 2009, is the seventh Roadrunner to be named first-team All-Southland, joining Marlon Anderson (1995-96), Devin Brown (2000-02), Ronnie Ellison (1992), Roderic Hall (1998), LeRoy Hurd (2004) and McEverett Powers (2002). Four Roadrunners earned first-team all-league accolades in the Trans America Athletic Conference era (Frank Hampton/1988, Keith Horne/1991, Bruce Wheatley/1990, Ellison/1991).
Hill is the third Roadrunner in the past four seasons to be named Southland Freshman of the Year, joining Gibson (2008) and Johnson III (2010) and it marks the first time a league school has had back-to-back winners since Lamar in 1984 (Jerry Everett) and 1985 (James Gulley).
The Cairns, Australia, native leads all Southland freshmen in scoring (13.0 ppg/12th overall), rebounding (6.8 rpg/10th overall), field-goal percentage (.462) and 3-point field-goal percentage (.372) and he ranks second in blocks (0.6).
Hill was the first Roadrunner to post a double-double in his debut with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Huston-Tillotson on Nov. 12 and he provided an encore with 27 points and 12 boards at Evansville five days later. He added his third double-double of the year with 12 points and 13 rebounds in the McNeese State victory on Feb. 16.
Johnson III followed last season’s Freshman of the Year award with honorable mention accolades this season.
The Dallas native ranks second on the team and 10th in the circuit in scoring at 14.7 points per game. He has drained a team-high 72 3-pointers this season, which is tied for sixth on the school’s single-season list, and his average of 2.5 makes per contest sits third in the league. Johnson III is shooting 89.7 percent from the free-throw line and is pitching in with 3.4 rebounds per contest. Since cracking the starting lineup 16 games ago, he is scoring 15.9 points per game and has turned in six of his seven 20-point outings.
Johnson III was named Southland Player of the Week on March 6 after averaging 20.5 points and shooting 54.5 percent, including 6-of-10 from downtown, and a perfect 11-for-11 at the charity stripe in victories against Central Arkansas and UT Arlington last week. He registered his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 boards against Texas State on Jan. 22 and currently has topped 20 points in three consecutive games, a stretch that has seen him make 12-of-19 from beyond the arc.
Sam Houston State senior forward Gilberto Clavell was tabbed the Southland Player of the Year and he was joined on the first team by Gibson, McNeese State junior guard Patrick Richard, Nicholls senior guard Anatoly Bose and Stephen F. Austin junior center Jereal Scott. UT Arlington's Bo Ingram and McNeese State's Dave Simmons were voted the league’s Newcomer and Coach of the Year, respectively.
