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Sharon Wiles and Shantel Ragin were both selected All-Peach Belt Conference. It was the second straight season that Wiles was honored as All-Peach Belt, while this is Ragin’s first recognition. In addition, third-year Clayton State head coach Dennis Cox was honored as the Peach Belt Coach of the Year.
“I am extremely pleased that Sharon Wiles is recognized again this year for her play in the Peach Belt Conference. She spearheads our defensive attack, and we will have our work cut out for us for sure to replace her next year,” said Cox. “Shantel Ragin is also very deserving, as she has probably been our most complete player this year, doing so many things on the court to help us win.”
Arguably one of the top defensive players in the Peach Belt, Wiles led the Lakers in scoring this season, averaging 13 points and four rebounds a game. In addition, the 5-foot-9 senior wing from Kingston, Jamaica, is also shooting 51 percent from the field, 71 percent from the free throw line and has dished out a team-leading 83 assists.
Wiles reached double-figures in scoring in 18 of the 26 games she played, including five in which she scored 20 or more points. Wiles scored a career-high 24 points against Armstrong Atlantic, plus 22 points against Lander, 21 points against Elizabeth City State and 20 points each against Flagler and Valdosta State.
However, it’s on the defensive end where Wiles has made her mark. After setting the Clayton State and Peach Belt single-season record for steals last season with 113, Wiles is well on her way to eclipsing that mark this season. She’s currently at 104 steals on the season, ranking her fourth in the nation in that category.
This season, she set the Clayton State career steals mark, and became the first ever Laker player to eclipse 200 steals for a career.
Ragin, a 5-10 junior forward from Pembroke Pines, Fla., transferred to Clayton State this season from Florida Community College-Jacksonville, and fit in immediately to the Laker system. She’s currently averaging 11 points a game and is leading the Lakers in rebounding, averaging 6.4 rebounds a contest. In addition, she is second on the team in steals behind Wiles with 79.
Ragin reached double-figures in 15 games this season with two double-doubles. She scored a career-high 21 points against Elizabeth City State in the Heritage Bank Holiday Classic.
“I am most flattered to be recognized this year,” Cox said. “This year, the Peach Belt has been the most competitive that it has been since I've been here, and this league is filled with great, great coaches. To be lauded for my efforts by this prestigious and experienced group, many of whom I have admired for many years, is truly an honor.”
Clayton
State plays in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals on
Thursday in Greenwood, S.C. The Lakers will meet the winner of
Wednesday’s play-in game between Armstrong Atlantic and USC-Upstate
at 3 p.m. |
Cox
earns his first PBC Coach of the Year award after pacing Clayton
State to its second Peach Belt regular season championship in the
last three seasons. He’s currently 72-18 at Clayton State, and led
the Lakers to a 22-5 overall record and 12-4 mark in the Peach Belt
this season. In addition, Clayton State has been the only team in
the Peach Belt to crack the USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 poll
this season, reaching as high as 10th in the nation.