Reigning Player of the Year Jones Leads Men’s Basketball Preseason All-SAC Team

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Anderson guard Denzail Jones, the reigning SAC Player of the Year, headlines the 12-member 2012-13 SAC men's basketball preseason All-Conference Team, which was announced on Wednesday.

Jones averaged 17.5 points, 3.33 assists and 2.30 steals last season, leading his Anderson team to a regular-season SAC championship, a runner-up finish at the SAC Tournament and a trip to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship regional final. He was also named to the 2011-12 Daktronics All-Southeast Region Team.

Joining Jones on the preseason All-SAC First Team is a pair of Carson-Newman juniors in guard Ishmael Sanders and forward Antoine Davis. Both were second-team All-SAC picks in 2011-12.

Sanders and Davis averaged an identical 16.8 points per game last season for Carson-Newman, which is the only team to place multiple players on the preseason All-SAC First Team.

2012-13 SAC favorite Wingate is represented on the Preseason All-Conference First Team by forward Odell Turner, who averaged 11.3 points and 7.2 rebounds last season for the SAC Tournament champion Bulldogs.

[RELATED: Wingate tops SAC men's basketball preseason coaches' poll]

Lincoln Memorial forward Vincent Bailey is on the preseason All-SAC First Team as well after averaging 10.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season. He was a member of last year's All-SAC Second Team.

Rounding out the preseason All-SAC First Team is Newberry forward Dondray Walker, the league's Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-Conference selection in 2011-12. Walker averaged 16.8 points per game last season.

The 2012-13 All-SAC Second Team is made up of Lenoir-Rhyne's Allan Jones, Newberry's Quayshun Hawkins, Anderson's Chandler Hash, LMU's Jake Troyli, Wingate's Paidrick Matilus and Catawba's Tyrece Little, a member of last season's SAC All-Freshman Team.

The preseason All-Conference team was voted on by the league's media relations directors.

2012-13 SAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team

First Team

Denzail Jones, Anderson*

Vincent Bailey, Lincoln Memorial^

Antoine Davis, Carson-Newman^

Ishmael Sanders, Carson-Newman^

Dondray Walker, Newberry^+

Odell Turner, Wingate

Second Team

Allan Jones, Lenoir-Rhyne

Tyrece Little, Catawba+

Quayshun Hawkins, Newberry

Chandler Hash, Anderson

Jake Troyli, Lincoln Memorial

Paidrick Matilus, Wingate

* 2011-12 All-SAC First Team

^ 2011-12 All-SAC Second Team

+ 2011-12 SAC All-Freshman Team