Men's Basketball

CCS Announces 2025-26 Men’s Basketball Award Winners and All-Conference Selections

ATLANTA, Ga. (February 24, 2026) - The Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) has announced its 2025-26 Men’s Basketball All-Conference honorees, as selected by the league’s head coaches. Maryville’s Chase Morgan headlines the awards as Player of the Year, while Covenant’s Pierce Smith earned Defensive Player of the Year distinction. Belhaven’s Braylon Dame was recognized as Rookie of the Year, Huntingdon’s Jeremy Autin claimed Sixth Man of the Year honors, and for the third consecutive season, Raul Placeres was voted CCS Coach of the Year after leading Maryville to another regular-season title.

Player of the Year | Chase Morgan, Maryville
Chase Morgan delivered one of the most dominant offensive seasons in conference history, earning CCS Player of the Year honors after leading the league with 21.6 points per game. Starting all 25 regular-season contests and averaging 29.3 minutes per outing (sixth in the CCS), Morgan proved to be the focal point of Maryville’s success. The senior forward paired his scoring with 7.5 rebounds per game (fourth in the CCS) and 2.6 assists per contest (eighth), while shooting an efficient 55.9 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range, and 78.6 percent from the free-throw line. His production extended beyond the conference level, earning CCS Player of the Week honors as well as D3hoops Forward of the Week and TSWA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week recognition. Morgan also etched his name in program history, becoming the first player in Maryville history to surpass 1,500 career points, 500 rebounds, and 100 blocks.
 
Defensive Player of the Year | Pierce Smith, Covenant
Pierce Smith anchored Covenant’s defense with a season that ranked among the nation’s best. Smith set both the program and conference single-game record with 10 blocks against Belhaven and currently leads the CCS — and ranks fourth nationally — in blocks per game at 3.2. He has now recorded 80 blocks in a single season twice in his career, marking the highest single season totals in both Covenant and CCS history. Beyond his rim protection, Smith ranked second in the conference in rebounds per game (7.7) and first in defensive rebounds per contest (5.6).
 
Rookie of the Year | Braylon Dame, Belhaven
Braylon Dame made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season, earning Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 10.7 points per game — ranking among the top 20 scorers in the conference. The freshman guard finished third on his team in scoring and added 27 steals, also placing him among the league’s top 20 in that category.
 
Sixth Man of the Year | Jeremy Autin, Huntingdon
Jeremy Autin delivered a significant impact off the bench for Huntingdon, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors after emerging as one of the conference’s best players off the bench. Despite averaging just 17.4 minutes per game, the senior forward ranked fifth in the CCS in rebounds per contest (7.1). His week featuring a 20-rebound performance against Belhaven and a 13-rebound outing against Asbury highlighted his ability to control the glass. His 20-rebound effort tied for the single-game high in the CCS this season. Autin averaged 6.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game overall and recorded a double-double against Methodist, helping the Hawks to secure a No. 2 spot in the tournament.
 
Coach of the Year | Raul Placeres, Maryville
In his seventh season, Head Coach Raul Placeres continued to elevate the Maryville program, guiding the Scots to a 21-4 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in conference play. The regular-season title marks Placeres’ sixth consecutive regular season championship — a feat achieved by only four NCAA programs since 2000, with Maryville standing as the lone Division III institution on that list. Under his leadership, Maryville has sustained national relevance, while multiple players have earned both conference and national recognition throughout the season.
 
Huntingdon and Maryville led the league with four all-conference selections each. Belhaven and LaGrange followed with three apiece, while Asbury, Piedmont, and Covenant each earned two selections.
 
The 2025-26 CCS Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament begins today with quarterfinal matchups as No. 3 Belhaven hosts No. 6 Covenant and No. 4 LaGrange face No. 5 Asbury. The winners of these games will advance to the semifinals on Friday, where top-seeded Maryville and No. 2 Huntingdon await. Maryville College will host both the semifinals and the championship game, which will take place on Saturday, February 28, when this season’s CCS champion will be crowned.
 
2025-26 CCS MEN’S BASKETBALL SUPERLATIVE AWARDS
Player of the Year: Chase Morgan, Maryville
Defensive Player of the Year: Pierce Smith, Covenant
Rookie of the Year: Braylon Dame, Belhaven
Sixth Player of the Year: Jeremy Autin, Huntingdon
Coach of the Year: Raul Placeres, Maryville
 
2025-26 CCS MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First Team
Chase Morgan Maryville Senior Forward Lenoir City, Tenn.
Tyler Mallory Huntingdon Junior Guard Greenville, Ala
CJ Minton Belhaven Junior Guard Indianola, Miss.
Jackson Garner Maryville Senior Guard Knoxville, Tenn.
Dan Robinson Belhaven Junior Guard Milwaukee, Wisc.
Matthew Schneider Maryville Junior Forward Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Devin Dowell LaGrange Junior Guard LaGrange, Ga.
Pierce Smith Covenant Junior Forward Ooltewah, Tenn.
Jonathan Combs Asbury Junior Forward Taylorsville, Ky.
Fisher Darden Piedmont Senior Guard Murrells Inlet, S.C.
 
Second Team
Logan Patterson Covenant Senior Guard Section, Ala.
Marcus Townsend Huntingdon Senior Guard Montgomery, Ala.
Myles Murphy Huntingdon Senior Guard Mobile, Ala.
Jordan Lewis Asbury Junior Guard Belleville, I
Micah McAllister LaGrange Senior Guard Newnan, Ga.
Kani Rashied-Henry LaGrange Sophomore Forward Tyrone, Ga.
Jamal Ware Maryville Sophomore Guard Miami, Fla.
Israel Hall Piedmont Junior Guard Simpsonville, S.C.
Neal Terry Belhaven Senior Center Olive Branch, Miss.
Owen LaRocca Huntingdon Senior Guard Sugarland, Texas
 
2025-26 CCS MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Aaron Thompson Asbury
Benjamin Stewart Belhaven
Thomas Malcolm Covenant
A.J. Taylor Huntingdon
Ford Barnes LaGrange
Jaylon Green Maryville
Parker Renault Piedmont
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH (CCS)
The CCS is an NCAA Division III athletic conference that began play during the 2022-23 academic year. The conference features nine member institutions (Agnes Scott College, Asbury University, Belhaven University, Covenant College, Huntingdon College, LaGrange College, Maryville College, Piedmont University, and Wesleyan College) and sponsors championships across 14 sports. In addition to sharing the member institutions' geographic identity, the name 'Collegiate Conference of the South' is indicative of a shared commitment to academic excellence, which is commensurate with the NCAA Division III philosophy.