Smith, Conner and Tevis earn ACAC honours

LLOYDMINSTER, ALTA, (Feb. 27, 2019) — A trio of SAIT Trojans men's basketball guards were rewarded for their fine seasons on Wednesday night.

At the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Men's Basketball Championship awards banquet, hosted by Lakeland College in Lloydminster, Alta., John Smith (4th year, Lacey, Wash., Business Administration), Charlie Conner (2nd year, Lacey, Wash., Business Administration) and Ian Tevis (5th year, Kent, Wash., Office Professional) were all named to the league's All-Conference Teams.

Smith and Conner were named South Division All-Conference First Team selections, while Tevis was named a Second Team member.

The talented guards helped SAIT to a league-best 20-1 record, setting a new SAIT record for wins in a season. They enter the ACAC Championship not only as the two-time defending champs, but as the South Division's No. 1 seed, and will meet host Lakeland College (North Division No. 4) on Thursday night at 6pm.

For Smith, this is his second All-Conference First Team selection in three seasons, also being named in 2017.

His 23.9 points per game average was good for second in the ACAC, while his 502 points scored ranked third. Smith re-wrote the league's record books, setting a new mark for three-pointers made in a season with 92. The old mark of 90 was set in 2006 by Lakeland College's Mike Page.

Smith was also named the South Division's Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian selection.

Conner made the jump to the First Team after being named a Second Team selection in his rookie season last year. 

Possibly the most underrated player in the league, Conner does a bit of everything for the Trojans - finishing the year with a solid 15 points per game average, while leading his team with 151 rebounds grabbed, placing second in assists (83) and third in steals (38) and blocks (seven).

Tevis came back to the ACAC after taking last season off, and didn't miss a beat after earning the league's Player of the Year and First Team honours in 2017 as a member of the Red Deer College Kings.

The veteran guard led the ACAC in steals (60), while averaging just under 19 points per game for the Trojans.