Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball freshman center Elijah Hutchins-Everett has been named Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, the conference office announced Tuesday.
Hutchins-Everett becomes the seventh player in school history to be named OVC Freshman of the Year and the first since Jordyn Adams in 2019-20. The Govs have claimed the Freshman of the Year honor in three of the last five seasons.
It’s the seventh straight year Austin Peay State University has had at least one representative on the all-conference team and the first time since 2019-20 the Govs have held a spot on the all-newcomer team. During the season, Hutchins-Everett collected a league-high six OVC Freshman of the Week honors.
Hutchins-Everett led the Govs in scoring at 12.5 points per game and rebounding at 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 51.6 percent from the field. The Orange, NJ, native scored in double figures in 21 of the Govs’ 28 regular-season contests with three 20-point performances. Hutchins-Everett also amassed a team-high six double-doubles, the fourth most in the OVC.
The freshman center ranks 12th in the conference in scoring and fifth in rebounding while ranking ninth in the league with a .516 field goal percentage. On the glass, Hutchins-Everett ranks fifth in the OVC at 2.4 offensive rebounds per game and ninth with 4.4 defensive rebounds per game. This season, Hutchins-Everett has registered 11 games as the Gov’s leading scorer and 14 games as the team’s leading rebounder.
Hutchins-Everett’s breakout performance came on the road at Dayton, registering a double-double with a career-high 25 points and 14 rebounds in an 87-81 victory. Hutchins-Everett against the Flyers was 6-of-13 from the field and a staggering 13-of-16 from the free-throw line. The freshman center ended the regular season with back-to-back double-doubles and has scored in double figures in five of the last six contests.
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