ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team put three student-athletes on the 2015 All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division teams released Wednesday afternoon. In addition, senior
A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) was named PSAC Western Division Defensive Player of the Year.
Seniors
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) and
Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton (Ill.) Academy) landed a spot on the first team while senior
Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) earned a second-team nod.
Porter became the second consecutive Golden Knight to be named PSAC Western Division Defensive Player of the Year after
C.J. Oldham earned the honor last year. Porter has been the inside anchor to a Gannon defense that allows 56 points per game, leading the PSAC and ranking second nationally. In addition to his 27 steals and 10 blocked shots, Porter has consistently locked down the high-scoring post players throughout the league. Offensively, he averages 6.6 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Blazek earned All-PSAC honors for the third time in his career, including back-to-back first-team selections. The senior guard is averaging 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals through 29 games. He ranks No. 1 among PSAC players in minutes per game (37:49), second in steals per game, fifth in free throw percentage (83.7), eighth in assists per game and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.84).
The Erie, Pa., native was named PSAC Western Division Player of the Year as a junior and PSAC Western Division Freshman of the Year in 2012. Blazek is Gannon's all-time steals leader with 235. He ranks fourth all-time at Gannon in three-pointers (187), seventh in assists (363) and eighth in points (1,510).
Smith picked up his first all-conference award as a first-team honoree. The senior guard is Gannon's leading scorer with a 14.4 scoring average to go along with 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one steal per game. He is shooting a team-best 42.8 percent (59-138) from three-point range and 83.1 percent (69-83) from the free throw line.
The Nassau, Bahamas, native has been Gannon's leading scorer 13 times while reaching double digits in scoring 25 times. Smith ranks eighth among PSAC players in field goal percentage and ninth in three-point field goals per game (1.96).
Thomas-Edwards landed a spot on the All-PSAC second team for the second consecutive season. The senior forward has been a double-double machine, piling up eight double dips this season and 12 during his two seasons at Gannon. He averages 9.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game.
The Leicester, England, native ranks fourth among PSAC players in offensive rebounds per game (3.04), sixth in total rebounds per game and 11th in defensive rebounds per game (4.75). Thomas-Edwards sits 41st among all NCAA Division II players in offensive rebounds per game and 89th in total rebounds per game. He has reached double digits in scoring 14 times and rebounding 11 times.
Gannon (21-8) opened the PSAC Tournament with a convincing 71-45 victory against Slippery Rock Tuesday night in the conference quarterfinals at the Hammermill Center. It represented the largest postseason scoring margin in the program's 71-year history.
The Golden Knights will host the PSAC Final Four Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8 at the Hammermill Center. Indiana (Pa.) will battle tonight's East Stroudsburg-Millersville winner during Saturday's first semifinal at 1 p.m. Gannon and Kutztown will lock horns during the second semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Sunday's championship is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and can be seen live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN).
