Buccaneer duo named third team all-SoCon by the coaches; King placed on third team by media

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (March 1, 2023) – ETSU’s Jordan King (Albany, N.Y.) and Jalen Haynes (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) earned Southern Conference honors as the league office announced its postseason awards for the 2022-23 men’s basketball season on Wednesday.

The Buccaneer duo were named third team all-conference by the coaches, while King also landed a spot on the third team by the media.

King received third team honors for the second straight year after averaging 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31 games (30 starts) for the Blue & Gold. The Buccaneer guard also registered 168 made field goals and 66 made three pointers, while shooting 86 percent at the free throw line. King ranked sixth in the SoCon in scoring, eighth in assists, second in free throw percentage, sixth in three-pointers made per game (2.1) and second in minutes played (35.7). King scored in double figures 23 times, which included a historical night back on Jan. 11 at The Citadel where he netted a career-high 42 points, becoming only the sixth Buccaneer to score at least 40 points in a game. In the win over the Bulldogs, King made 14 field goals (eight threes) and recorded seven steals. King closed the season scoring in double figures six straight times and he finished the season second in SoCon play with 308 points. The Albany, N.Y. native ranked second in league games at 17.1 points per game.

Haynes was stellar in his first season with the Bucs as he averaged 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 31 games (30 starts). The Virginia Tech transfer shot 57 percent from the field and led ETSU in field goals made (169) and free throws made (102). Haynes totaled three double-doubles this season, while scoring in double figures 21 times and posting seven games with at least 20 points. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native scored a career-high 27 points at Mercer and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in the win at Chattanooga on Jan. 21. To go with the 13 boards, Haynes poured in 23 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Haynes finished the season scoring in double figures in 11 of the final 12 games for the Blue & Gold. Haynes ranks second in the SoCon in field goal percentage (.571), eighth in blocked shots (0.7), ninth in rebounding and 13th in scoring.  

Furman’s Jalen Slawson was named Player of the Year by the coaches and media, while they also tabbed Wofford’s Jackson Paveletzke Freshman of the Year. UNCG’s Kobe Langley was selected Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches, while UNCG’s Mike Jones was named Coach of the Year by his peers. Samford’s Bucky McMillan was selected Coach of the Year by the media.

ETSU opens SoCon Tournament play on Saturday when the fifth-seeded Bucs take on the fourth-seeded Western Carolina Catamounts at 2:30 p.m. inside Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville. For tickets, call the ETSU Ticket Office at 423-439-3878 or visit ETSUTickets.com.

For more information on Buccaneer men’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s basketball page.