BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball senior Taiwo Badmus has been selected to the All-Atlantic Region second team. Badmus is the first UVa-Wise men's basketball player to earn NCAA Division II All-Region honors since the school became a NCAA Division II institution.
This season Badmus averaged a double-double of 21.9 points and 10.4 rebounds, ranking him third in scoring and second in rebounding in the Mountain East Conference. The London, England native shot 47 percent from the field and averaged 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocks.
Badmus earned the MEC Player of the Week award on three separate occasions and was named to the All-MEC First Team at the conclusion of the regular season. The 6-foot-7 forward posted 14 double-doubles this season as he led the Cavaliers in scoring and rebounding.
Badmus compiled 1,265 points in just two seasons with UVa-Wise men's basketball, ranking him 14th on the all-time scoring list for men's basketball.
Wheeling Jesuit's Haywood Highsmith has been named the Atlantic Region Player of the Year and headlines the 2017-18 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Atlantic Region Men's Basketball Team.
Highsmith, the Mountain East Conference Player of the Year, led the country with 28 double-doubles this season. The leading rebounder in the Atlantic Region at 12.5 per game, Highsmith also ranked fourth in the region in scoring at 22.0 points per game. He shot 55 percent from the field and also averaged 1.67 blocks per game. Highsmith was the MVP of the MEC Tournament and led Wheeling Jesuit to a third-straight NCAA Tournament berth.
Joining Highsmith on the All-Atlantic Region first team are Tommy Bolte (Concord), Dan Monteroso (West Liberty), Dustin Sleva (Shippensburg) and Micah Till (Slippery Rock). Monteroso and Sleva are repeat first team selections from last season. First team all-region selections are eligible for All-America recognition.
The second team consists of Taiwo Badmus (UVa-Wise), Robert Davis (Johnson C. Smith), Anthony Glover (IUP), Anthony Lee (Kutztown) and Keshawn Liggins (Edinboro).
Sports information directors from NCAA Division II Atlantic Region schools and conferences selected the two all-region teams. The process concludes with All-American selections announced later in the month. The Atlantic Region consists of schools from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Mountain East Conference (MEC) and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), along with independents Bluefield State and Salem.
The team is sponsored by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.
2017-18 Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Atlantic Region Team
FIRST TEAM
Name School Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
Tommy Bolte Concord G 6-1 185 Jr. Chillicothe, Ohio
Haywood Highsmith** Wheeling Jesuit F 6-7 220 Sr. Baltimore, Md.
Dan Monteroso West Liberty G/F 6-3 195 Sr. St. Clairsville, Ohio
Dustin Sleva Shippensburg F 6-8 220 Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa.
Micah Till Slippery Rock F 6-7 250 So. Upper Marlboro, Md.
** Atlantic Region Player of the Year
SECOND TEAM
Name School Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
Taiwo Badmus UVa-Wise F 6-7 205 Sr. London, England
Robert Davis Johnson C. Smith G 6-1 170 Sr. West Friendship, Md.
Anthony Glover IUP G 6-1 180 Sr. Toledo, Ohio
Anthony Lee Kutztown G 6-2 190 Jr. Willow Grove, Pa.
Keshawn Liggins Edinboro G/F 6-5 205 Sr. Middleton, Ohio
