APSU Sports Information
Nashville, TN – Austin Peay State University star senior center Chris Horton, who led the Govs to an improbable Ohio Valley Conference tourney title and NCAA tournament appearance, was voted the Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for the 2015-16 season, as announced by the organization Thursday.
In addition, Lincoln Memorial’s Josh Schertz was named the organization’s Coach of the Year.
Schertz and Horton will be honored at the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Convention Awards Luncheon on Friday, July 8th, at the TSSAA headquarters in Hermitage.
Horton averaged 18.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.75 blocks per game for the Governors, helping APSU to an unlikely OVC Tournament championship–the Govs were the No. 8 seed–and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Decatur, GA, native earned First Team All-OVC and NABC All-District 19 accolades, becoming just the 13th player in Division I history to accumulate 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 blocks during a career.
The senior center led the nation in offensive rebounds per game (4.92), ranked fourth in double-doubles (25) and finished fifth in total rebounding. Horton led the OVC in scoring – the first Gov to do so since 1980-81 – and rebounding, becoming the first APSU player to lead the conference in that category in consecutive seasons.
He netted 90 points with 57 rebounds in four games to garner OVC Tournament MVP honors, helping the Governors become the first No. 8 seed to win the league tourney. Horton netted 37 points with 21 rebounds versus Tennessee Tech and added 30 points and 16 boards against Belmont.
Schertz led the Railsplitters to a 34-3 overall mark and a national runner-up finish in NCAA Division II. LMU won its fourth straight South Atlantic Conference title and captured the Southeast Region championship for the first time in program history.
The Railsplitters were the first men’s basketball team in SAC and program history to advance to the national championship game. Lincoln Memorial finished a perfect 22-0 in conference play and set the SAC and program record for longest winning streak with 24 straight victories. Schertz received the Clarence Gaines Division II National Coach of the Year award.
LMU ranked second in the nation in scoring offense and scoring margin, posting 96.2 points per game and winning by an average of 18.8 points per outing. The Railsplitters finished second in the nation in 3-pointers made with 412 and did so while leading the nation in 3-point field goal percentage with a 44.6 percent clip. The club also ranked second nationally in overall field goal percentage (51.8).
