Rock Hill, S.C. – The annual Big South Conference men's basketball awards were announced Tuesday afternoon as Winthrop garnered five honors.
Kelton Talford was named First Team All-Conference for a third straight year while
K.J. Doucet and
Kasen Harrison were voted Honorable Mention All-Conference. Paul Jones II was voted to the All-Freshman Team while
Ryan Jolly was named to the All-Academic Team.
Talford led the Eagles in scoring at 15.8 ppg and ranked 4
th in the Big South. Talford led the conference in field goal percentage (.644) and was third in rebounding (7.7). His .644 field goal percentage ranks 6
th in the nation. This season he became just the second Eagle in program history to amass 1,800 career points and 900 career rebounds. Talford is currently third all-time in scoring and third in rebounds in program history.
Doucet is second on the team in scoring at 14.0 ppg and most recently posted his highest point total as an Eagle with 30 in the win over UNC Asheville on Mar. 1. Doucet was a 2024-25 Big South Preseason All-Conference selection. This season Doucet was in double-figures in 24 games and his scoring average ranked 14
th in the league and was 10
th in rebounding. This year Doucet surpassed 1,700 career points and 600 career rebounds.
Harrison was third on the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg and led the Eagles in assists per game (3.9). His assists per game average of 3.9 ranked 4
th in the Big South. Twice this season he dished out a career-high nine assists and had 26 games in double-figures. Harrison reached 1,500 career points and 500 career assists. He also reached 1,000 career points in an Eagle uniform, becoming the 29
th player in program history to reach the milestone.
Jones III appeared in all 31 games and made 17 starts through the course of the season. He averaged 7.7 ppg, which was 5
th best on the team. He is currently second in made threes with 52, which are the second-most by any Winthrop freshman in a single-season. On Nov. 27, 2024 Jones III scored a career-high 25 points vs. Averett as he finished the game 6-of-8 from three. Against Longwood on Jan. 11 he connected on six threes again and finished with 23 points.
The final honor for the Eagles is Jolly being named to the All-Academic Team. Jolly is going to graduate with his MBA this spring. On the year Jolly saw action in 27 games with six starts.
This is the first time since the 2020-21 season the Eagles had three players earn all-conference honors in a season. Jones III is the first Eagle to be named to the all-freshman team since D.J. Burns Jr. in 2019-20.
Winthrop is seeded third for the Big South Conference Tournament and will take on 6
th-seeded Longwood on Friday, Mar. 7 at 8:30 p.m.
2024-25 MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE
First-Team All-Conference
Taje' Kelly, Charleston Southern
Jordan Marsh, UNC Asheville
Kelton Talford, Winthrop
Kezza Giffa, High Point
Kimani Hamilton, High Point
Second-Team All-Conference
Kobe Stewart, Presbyterian
Toyaz Solomon, UNC Asheville
D'Maurian Williams, High Point
Darryl Simmons II, Gardner-Webb
Juslin Bodo Bodo, High Point
Honorable Mention All-Conference
Kory Mincy, Presbyterian
Josh Banks, UNC Asheville
KJ Doucet, Winthrop
Jarvis Moss, Radford
Kasen Harrison, Winthrop
All-Freshman Team
Mister Dean, USC Upstate
Kameron Taylor, UNC Asheville
Paul Jones III, Winthrop
Carmelo Adkins, USC Upstate
Iverson King, Presbyterian
All-Academic Team
RJ Johnson, Charleston Southern
Shahar Lazar, Gardner-Webb
Simon Hildebrandt, High Point
Trey Hicks, Longwood
Kaleb Scott, Presbyterian
Jarvis Moss, Radford
Fletcher Abee, UNC Asheville
Karmani Gregory, USC Upstate
Ryan Jolly, Winthrop
Player of the Year
Taje' Kelly, Charleston Southern
Freshman of the Year
Mister Dean, USC Upstate
Defensive Player of the Year
Juslin Bodo Bodo, High Point
Newcomer of the Year
Jordan Marsh, UNC Asheville
Coach of the Year
Alan Huss, High Point
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Fletcher Abee, UNC Asheville
