Saah Nimley named Big South Conference Player of the Year
3/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charleston Southern senior guard Saah Nimley has been named the Big South Conference Player of the Year, the league office announced Monday. Nimley, the nation's fourth leading scorer, posted one of the best seasons in CSU history to lead the Bucs to a second regular season championship in three years.
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Nimley scored over 30 points for the seventh time in CSU's last 14 games on Saturday, tallying 36 of his 38 after halftime in an instant classic 97-93 triple overtime win over Big South Co-Champion, High Point. The 5-8 senior from Lawrenceville, Ga. averaged 21.5 points per game overall and took his game to another level in league play, averaging 25.6 points per game.
Nimley has set a CSU record for made three-pointers in a season (102) and ranks fifth nationally with 3.52 threes per game. His 623 points are the third highest total in a single-season in Charleston Southern history. Nimley ranks among the Big South's top-ten in scoring (1st), made threes per game (1st), minutes played (2nd), assists (3rd), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th), free-throw percentage (5th), three-point percentage (6th) and field goal percentage (9th).
CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh is delighted to see the program's third all-time leading scorer earn the Big South's top individual honor.
"I am so happy for Saah," Radebaugh said. "He is very much deserving of being named Big South Player of the Year. Saah has been one of the most productive players in the entire country this season. Saah is everything we want out of our athletes at CSU and in the Big South. He is an elite player, a terrific student, has tremendous character and is an inspiring leader. It has been an honor to coach Saah for four years."
Nimley earned a spot on the Big South All-Freshman Team in 2011-12 and was runner-up for Big South Player of the Year honors in 2012-13, leading the Bucs to an NIT berth in the latter season. He missed the final six games of the 2013-14 campaign due to a knee injury, but bounced back to post a banner senior year and cement his place as one of the top players in program history.
Fellow seniors Will Saunders and Arlon Harper also received recognition from the league office on Monday. Saunders was picked to the All-Conference Second-Team, while Harper earned Honorable Mention accolades. Classmate Paul Gombwer earned a spot on the Big South's All-Academic Team. Radebaugh was named Big South Coach of the Year for the second time in four years.
"It is very important that everyone knows that Saah, Will and Arlon will be the first to tell you that this year has been about our entire team," Radebaugh said. "This has been a team effort for sure. Every player on our team has played a major role in our success. I am so proud of each player and appreciate their intense effort, focus and unselfishness. We are truly a basketball family."
Nimley tied Ed O'Neil (2000-04) as the program's all-time assists leader with three against High Point Saturday, and now has 504 for his career. He is the third Buc ever to score over 1,800 points (1,826) and ranks first in CSU history in made free throws (480) and second in made threes (280).
Nimley matched a single-game program record – for the second time in as many weeks – with eight treys in the victory over High Point. He connected on three or more triples in 17 different games this season to pace a CSU squad that ranks 10th nationally in made threes per game (9.3).
Nimley was named Big South Player of the Week twice (Jan. 26 and Feb. 23) and earned Lou Henson National Player of the Week honors on January 27 following one of the best weeks of any player in the country. Nimley led CSU to victories over UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb with 31 and 37-point outings, shooting 53 percent from the floor and 48 percent (11-of-23) from three. Those two performances gave Nimley four consecutive 30-point games. No other player in the country has done that this season.
Nimley sparked the Bucs' second five-game conference winning streak of the season with a career-high 39-point night in a win at Radford, pulling CSU into a seven-way tie for first place in the conference standings. He scored 23 of his 39 in the second half of that game to lead CSU back from a four-point halftime deficit.
CSU enters the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Basketball Championships as the No. 1 seed. The Bucs begin play at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C. on Friday at noon, meeting No. 9 Longwood.
