Lexington, Ky. – Transylvania men’s basketball sophomore guard Michael Jefferson has been selected to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s 2019 All-HCAC First Team, the conference announced Wednesday.
Jefferson, a sophomore from Berea, Kentucky (Madison Southern HS), earned the first postseason conference selection of his career as one of six players in the HCAC named to the All-HCAC First Team.
Other Pioneers earning conference recognition for the 2018-19 season are junior guard Gabe Schmitt, named to the All-HCAC Second Team, and senior guard Cooper Theobald, selected as an All-HCAC Honorable Mention. Senior forward Bo Schuh was selected to the Christopher M. Ragsdale All-Sportsmanship Team.
Jefferson stepped into the spotlight for the Pioneers this season, leading them to a 17-10 record and a 13-5 record in the HCAC as Transylvania took second place, its highest finish in the standings since the 2012-2013 season.
The sophomore led the Pioneers in scoring with 12.8 points per game and ranked sixth in the HCAC in assists with 3.8 per game. Jefferson posted a terrific year in scoring efficiency, ranking fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage with a 61 percent clip, the second-best percentage among all HCAC guards. Jefferson finished the year third in total field goals with 144 buckets.
Jefferson recorded a career-high 11 assists on February 9 in an 87-67 win over Defiance, also notching a double-double with 14 points in the game. Jefferson scored in double-digits in 17 games this season, including a career-high 32 points on February 23 in the HCAC semifinals against Franklin College on a career-best 14-for-16 field goals. His heroics led the Pioneers into their first HCAC Tournament Championship game appearance in seven years.
Schmitt, a junior from Louisville, Kentucky (Trinity HS), earned his second All-HCAC award after being named an Honorable Mention in 2017-2018. Schmitt averaged 12 points per game this season for the Pioneers, shooting 47 percent from the field and 43 percent from behind the arc, ranking fourth in the latter category. Schmitt sank 42 three-pointers on the year, eighth-most among HCAC players.
Schmitt appeared in 23 games, making 16 starts and scored in double figures 15 times. The junior scored a season-high 22 points on January 26 against Rose-Hulman in an 81-70 win, hitting on 6 of 7 three-point attempts. Another highlight of Schmitt’s season came on February 2 as he sank a 3-point buzzer-beater to beat Manchester, 74-73.
Theobald, a senior from Fort Mitchell, Kentucky (Covington Catholic HS), wrapped up an irrepressible career at Transylvania as one of the greatest rebounding guards in the history of the program. The senior led the team in rebounding with 5.1 rebounds per game and in free throws made and attempted, hitting 75 of 108 free throws.
Theobald shot over 52 percent from the field in his final campaign with the Pioneers to average 9.6 points per game while also averaging 2.4 assists per game. The senior scored in double-digits 12 times during the 2018-2019 season. Theobald finished his time at Transylvania with 1,355 career points, the 23rd-most by a Pioneer; he is one of 48 members of the Transylvania men’s basketball 1,000-point club.
Schuh appeared in all 27 games this season, starting in 15 and averaging 14 minutes a game. The senior finished off his career with a sharpshooting campaign, shooting 47 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range.
Under 18th-year head coach Brian Lane, the Pioneers finished the 2018-19 campaign as the HCAC tournament runner-up in both regular season and tournament play, winning seven of their final nine games.
For the full list of All-HCAC award winners, CLICK HERE
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