Five Polk State Basketball Players Earn All-Conference Honors

POLK COUNTY, FL — With the 2022-23 season in the rear view, Polk State Basketball was well represented on the All-Central Conference Team.

Five Polk State players earned All-Conference recognition. Guard George Pridgett was selected to the first team. Guards Rod Jones and Dominick Nelson and forwards Ashton Howard and AJ Hamrick each earned second-team honors. Polk State finished the season with a record of 11-18.

A sophomore guard from Boston and a transfer from Jacksonville University, Pridgett ranked in the top five in the FCSAA in points per game (19.6) and 3-point percentage (.411). Pridgett also ranked ninth in the state, averaging 1.9 steals per game. He led the Eagles in all three categories.

The top assist man at 3.5 per game for Polk State this season, Jones ranked second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per contest. The sophomore transfer from Central Georgia Technical College also ranked second for the Eagles, averaging 1.2 steals per contest.

The lone freshman to earn All-Conference recognition for Polk State, Nelson was the third-leading scorer for the Eagles, averaging 11.2 points per game. The Miami native also averaged 4.4 rebounds and nearly one steal.

A transfer from Tyler Junior College in Texas, Howard led Polk State in rebounding in his lone season with the Eagles, averaging 7.3 boards per game to go with 7.1 points per contest. Howard, a sophomore, also ranked second on the team, averaging 1.4 blocked shots per game.

Polk State's leader in field goal percentage and blocked shots, Hamrick averaged 7.2 points per game on a team-best 47.9 percent shooting from the field. The Charlotte native and Charleston Southern University transfer averaged 5.2 rebounds as a sophomore and a team-best 1.9 blocks per game, good for third in the FCSAA.

"It wasn't the season we hoped for, but it's good to see the hard work of these young men recognized," said Head Coach Brandon Giles. "Having four graduating sophomores go out as All-Conference selections means a lot to us as coaches. I wish them nothing but the very best as they move on to four-year schools."