Easley Native Tate Named MEAC Rookie of the Year

Tajh Tate may have moved from Easley in 2008, but his hometown is prominently listed in his bio on the Delaware State University website.

Tate, a freshman, was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, named to the All-MEAC Rookie Team, and to the All-MEAC Second Team, in voting by league head coaches and sports information representatives announced on Sunday.

Tate's selection as MEAC Rookie of the Year marks the second straight season that a Hornets player has claimed the honor. Casey Walker won the title during the 2010-11 season.

Tate has been named MEAC Rookie of the Week five times this season and is ranked fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 16 points per game, and 2.7 rebounds. He's also fifth among all NCAA Division I freshmen in scoring this season. He ranks eighth in the conference in free throw percentage (76.4), 14th in assists (2.8), 15th in steals (1.2), and fourth in minutes played (34.9). The rookie leads his team in points (368) and is sixth on the team in rebounds (61).

Tate played at l from 2006-08 before transferring to Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., and then to Prince Avenue Prep School in Six Mile, S.C. As a sophomore in Easley, Tate averaged 18 points per game and eight assists and helped lead the team to a regional championship. He also was named to the All-Region and All-State team, was selected the team's Most Valuable Player. As a senior at Prince Avenue Prep, Tate scored an average of 27 points per game and 876 points during his career.

Tate is the son of Alesia Tate and Chris Johnson. He also is the cousin of former NBA player and Clemson standout Larry Nance.

Delaware State will be the No. 3 seed in the 2012 MEAC tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Hornets (12-4 MEAC; 15-13 overall) will face the winner of Tuesday's  first-round game between No. 6 Coppin State and No. 11 Florida A&M in a quarterfinal contest at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Lawrence Joel Coliseum.