Atlanta, GA – Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball earned three Atlantic Sun Conference postseason honors, with Sai Witt named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year, DeMarcus Sharp a Third Team All-ASUN recipient, and Dez White tabbed to the All-Freshman Team, the league announced Monday. All three of the honors are the first for the program as a member of the ASUN Conference.
The three postseason honors are tied for the third-most in program history and mark the most since having four selections during the 2017-18 Ohio Valley Conference season.
After averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game at a 52.8% mark from the field, Witt earned the first Sixth Man of the Year honor in program history.
A Kansas City, Missouri native, Witt came off the bench 14-of-30 games this season, and earned his first start for the Red and White in the Govs’ 2023 SoCal Challenge finale against Sacramento State on November 22nd, in which he posted his first of four double-doubles with a 21-point, 11-rebound, 3-block performance against the Hornets.
After three-straight games in the starting lineup Witt finished nonconference play averaging 14.3 minutes per game in the APSU Govs’ rotation, before returning to the starting group for the Govs’ first two games of league play.
After scoring in double figures in two of the APSU Govs’ first four games of ASUN action, the 6-8 forward had his best game off the bench during the Govs’ 94-71 win against Central Arkansas, on January 20th, with 27 points and eight rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting from the field in just 24 minutes. That game marked the second of four-straight games the big-man would score in double figures.
Witt began a season-ending stretch of eight-straight games with at least 10 points in a career day against North Florida, February 3rd. His career-high 30 points against the Ospreys led APSU to a thrilling, double-overtime win.
Witt averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 61.7% from the field in Austin Peay State University’s final eight games of the regular season – of which it won seven – scoring in double figures in each of those contests with four 20-point performances and three double-doubles. He also scored at least 23 points in each of the Govs’ final three games, and at least 10 points in 12 of the final 13 games of the ASUN slate.
Sharp is the 100th All-Conference selection in program history and finished the regular season tied for a team-best 417 points, while leading the Governors in rebounds (167), assists (110), steals (52), made field goals (181), and attempted field goals (409).
The Charleston, Missouri native began his Austin Peay career with three-straight double-doubles and 14-straight double-figure scoring performances.
Sharp notched his first of 10 20-point games in a 23-point, 13-rebound, 4-steal game at George Mason, November 10th, and followed the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists on no turnovers against Fisk.
Sharp’s seven assists against the Bulldogs was his second of five games with as many dimes, as he would have at least double the number of assists to turnovers 13 times across his 25 appearances, and have a positive assist-turnover ratio in all but three games.
The point guard scored a season-high 33 points in the Govs’ win against Sacramento State, making 10-of-15 shots from the field and 13-of-17 from the stripe. The performance against the Hornets began a stretch of three-straight games with at least 20 points, and six-straight with at least 18.
Early in ASUN play, Sharp became the first Governor since Terry Taylor in 2021 to log four-straight 20-point outings, accomplishing such January 6th-20th.
Defensively, Sharp led the ASUN and finished 37th nationally with 2.1 steals per game, tallying multiple steals 15 times and at least four six times.
White broke the freshman three-point record with his 61st three-pointer in the regular-season finale against Bellarmine, March 1st, and is the Governors first All-Freshman Team selection since Rick Yudt, 1991-92.
In addition to breaking the freshman three-pointer record, White’s 61 triples are the eighth-most by a freshman in Division I and led all ASUN freshmen.
The Jefferson City, Missouri native knocked down multiple triples 17 times, and tied the freshmen record with seven against Fisk in a career-high 26-point game.
White connected on at least one three in nine of the APSU Govs’ last 10 games of the regular season. He was one of three players to appear in all 31 games his season and finished second on the team with 30 starts during his rookie campaign.
Witt, Sharp, White, and the Governors look ahead to the program’s first ASUN Men’s Basketball Championship game and the first-ever postseason game at F&M Bank Arena in the Govs’ Tuesday 7:00pm contest against North Florida on Gary Mathews Court.
ASUN Postseason Honors
Player of the Year: Isaiah Cozart, EKU
Unanimous Defensive Player of the Year: Isaiah Cozart, EKU
Newcomer of the Year: Deyton Albury, Queens
Sixth Man of the Year: Sai Witt, Austin Peay
Freshman of the Year: Tucker Anderson, Central Arkansas
Coach of the Year: A.W. Hamilton, EKU
Scholar Athlete of the Year: Derrin Boyd, Lipscomb
First Team All-ASUN
^Isaiah Cozart EKU
Leland Walker EKU
Jacari Lane North Alabama
Chaz Lanier North Florida
Jalen Blackmon Stetson
Second Team All-ASUN
Terrell Burden** Kennesaw State
Derrin Boyd Lipscomb
Will Pruitt Lipscomb
AJ McKee** Queens
Stephan Swenson** Stetson
Third Team All-ASUN
DeMarcus Sharp Austin Peay
Devontae Blanton** EKU
Zach Anderson FGCU
Robert McCray V Jacksonville
Deyton Albury Queens
* denotes number of career All-ASUN honors
^ denotes a unanimous selection to the First Team
All- Freshman Team
^Tucker Anderson Central Arkansas
^Bryce Cash Queens
Dez White Austin Peay
Rahmir Barno FGCU
RJ Johnson Kennesaw State
Cody Head Lipscomb
Jaylen Smith North Florida
Academic All-ASUN Team
Derrin Boyd Lipscomb
^Damian Forrest North Alabama
Langdon Hatton Bellarmine
Michael Moreno EKU
Will Pruitt Lipscomb
Dorian James North Florida
Chaz Lanier North Florida
BJ McLaurin, Queens
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