For Immediate Release
March 5 , 2008

Piedmont's Baldwin selected as GABCA Division III player of the year
The Georgia Basketball Coaches Association has released its inaugural NCAA Division-III All-State awards. The GABCA is in its first year of existence as an association of college basketball coaches with the intent of promoting small college basketball in the Peach state.

The Division-III All-State awards are highlighted by an All-State team of five players, an honorable mention of players, an All-State Academic team, as well as Player, Coach, and Freshman of the Year awards.

Garnering All-State status on the Division-III level was Piedmont College's Jake Baldwin and Jake Green. Baldwin was named the Great South Athletic Conference's Player of the Year after leading the nation in scoring for the majority of the year. The career 2,000 point scorer is one of 10 finalists for the Josten's Award. Green led both PC and the GSAC in assists with 154 on the season. The point guard totaled 624 career assists and finished in the top-20 nationally in assists in three of his four seasons. By receiving the most votes from the association's membership, Baldwin also garnered the GABCA's Division-III Player of the Year award.

Oglethorpe University's Ahmad Kareem Shaheed, LaGrange College's Demetris Render, and Emory University's Spiros Ferderigos were each voted to the All-State team as well. Shaheed was a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference 2nd team All-Conference selection for the second straight year. Render was a member of the GSAC's All-Conference team after leading LC in both scoring (21.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg). Ferderigos finished is distinguished career as EU's second all-time scorer after posting 17.7 per game this season.

OU rounded out the remainder of the year-end awards by sweeping the Freshman and Coach of the Year honors. The Stormy Petrels' Todd Ward was voted the Freshman of the year. After joining the team mid-semester Ward was voted the SCAC's Newcomer of the Year after averaging 13.2 ppg. Sixth-year head coach Philip Ponder was honored by his colleagues as the Coach of the Year. After being picked seventh in the SCAC
preseason poll, Ponder led the Petrels to a 16-10 record and 10-4 mark in conference which was good for a second seed in the east division.

Additionally, 29 student-athletes were honored as GABCA All-State Academic performers. The criteria for the award include a cumulative 3.0
career GPA or better.

For more information on the offerings of the GABCA explore the association's website at www.gabca.org.

2008 GABCA NCAA Division-III All-State Awards
Player of the Year - Jake Baldwin, Piedmont
Freshman of the Year - Todd Ward, Oglethorpe
Coach of the Year - Philip Ponder, Oglethorpe

All-State Team
Jake Baldwin (Piedmont), Spiros Ferderigos (Emory), Jake Green (Piedmont), Demetris Render (LaGrange), Ahmad Kareem Shaheed (Oglethorpe)

All-State Honorable Mention
Joe Cromwell (LaGrange), Anthony Fernandez (Emory), Craig Jackson (Oglethorpe), Michael Rubio (Piedmont), Caleb Smallwood (LaGrange), Todd Ward (Oglethorpe)

All-State Academic
Emory University (12) - Eric Aberg, Scott Azaroff, Daniel Curtin, Spiros Federigos, Anthony Fernandez, Brian Giometti, Ryan Kresse, John
Kresse, Claude Pardue, Marcus Patterson, David Smith, Levi Stewart
LaGrange College (5) - Deji Adako, Landon Baize, Joe Cromwell, Britt Gaylor, Demetris Render
Oglethorpe University (4) - David Allison, John Block, Joe Kennedy, Wade Weldon
Piedmont College (8) - Jake Baldwin, Sam Coppage, Daniel Lampl, Will Martin, Chuck McCoy, Wes Parker, Michael Rubio, Phillip Sloan

 

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