TCC dominates men’s Panhandle Conference awards

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (February 26, 2020) – To the victor go the spoils. That mantra certainly rang true when the Panhandle Conference men's basketball coaches announced its all-conference honors on Wednesday. 

Conference champion Tallahassee Community College dominated the all-conference teams, with a league-high seven players recognized, and swept the four individual awards. 

First-year head coach Zach Settembre received the Eddie Barnes Coach of the Year Award, named after the former head coach who won 274 games and two state championships during a 14-year stint with Tallahassee (2001-15). Settembre is the first Eagle to win the award since it was named for Barnes prior to his retirement in 2015. 

Settembre is also the first rookie head coach to guide his team to the conference championship since 2012 and just the fourth in the last 23 seasons (Paul Swanson, Pensacola State College, 1998; Chris Jans, Chipola College, 2004; Greg Heiar, Chipola, 2005; Steve Forbes, Northwest Florida State College, 2012). 

El Ellis, the Eagles' dynamic playmaker, was a double award winner, capturing Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. The Durham, N.C., native has played in all 30 games and leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and assists (4.6 apg) and has also pulled down 4.0 rebounds per game. 

He's shooting 49.5 percent from the field (41.4 percent from three) and 83.9 percent from the free throw line. 

Ellis is Tallahassee's first Player of the Year winner since Marcus Hatten in 2001 and fifth overall (Jason Cipolla, 1994; Kerry Thompson, 1996; Antwan Jones, 2000). He is also the fifth Eagle to claim top freshman honors, joining Hatten (2000), Cameron Echols (2001), Steve Cherry (2003) and David Simmons (2016). 

There's an even broader historical perspective to Ellis' top honor. He is just the fourth freshman since 1997 to be voted Player of the Year, joining Chris Porter (Chipola, 1997), Chris Jones (Northwest Florida State, 2012) and Sam Cassell, Jr. (Chipola, 2014). 

Ellis also garnered a spot of the all-conference first-team, where he was joined by sophomores Tariq Silver and Eric Hester. 

Silver was also named the conference's Newcomer of the Year. The Eastern Michigan University transfer and Clarksville, Tenn., native has played in all 30 games and is averaging 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He is also shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 46.4 percent from three and 82.2 percent from the free throw line. 

Hester, a native of Clearwater, Fla., has also played in all 30 games and is averaging 9.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He's shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 47.9 percent from three and 76.6 percent from the free throw line. 

Four players, all sophomores, were named to the all-conference second team – DeAndre Gholston, Kailex Stephens, Jordan Guest and Rifen Miguel. 

Gholston, a native of Gary, Ind., has played in all 30 games and is averaging 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists. 

Stephens, a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., has played in 23 games and is averaging 8.0 rebounds, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists. 

Guest, a native of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., has played in 29 games and is averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds. 

Miguel, a native of Luanda, Angola, has played in 21 games and is averaging 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist. 

2020 Panhandle Conference Postseason Honors 

All-Panhandle Conference First-team

El Ellis, Fr., Tallahassee; Cameron Holden, So., Gulf Coast State; Shawndarius Cowart, So., Pensacola State; Carlos Rosario, So., Pensacola State; Lat Mayen, So., Chipola; Tariq Silver, So., Tallahassee; Marceilles Caston, Fr., Northwest Florida State; Eric Hester, So., Tallahassee; Jacolbey Owens, So., Gulf Coast State; Bryce Waterman, Fr., Pensacola State; Seth Milner, So., Northwest Florida State; Marial Mading, Fr., Chipola. 

All-Panhandle Conference Second-team

Anthony Mason, So., Northwest Florida State; Maurice Gordon, So., Gulf Coast State; Christian Lorng, So., Chipola; DeAndre Gholston, So., Tallahassee; David Pierce, So., Chipola; Cheikh Faye, So., Chipola; Kailex Stephens, So., Tallahassee; Josh Williams, Fr., Pensacola State; Jordan Guest, So., Tallahassee; Rifen Miguel, So., Tallahassee; Jourdan Smith, Fr., Northwest Florida State; Rodney Smith, Fr., Pensacola State. 

Player of the Year: El Ellis, Tallahassee
Freshman of the Year: El Ellis, Tallahassee
Newcomer of the Year: Tariq Silver, Tallahassee
Eddie Barnes Coach of the Year Award: Zach Settembre, Tallahassee