Faulkner Named PBC Coach of the Year; Cantrell Selected to All-Conference Team
University of North Georgia March 6, 2017
GREENWOOD, S.C. – For the first time in his tenure at the University of North Georgia, head men’s basketball coach Chris Faulkner has been named the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year. Junior Shaquan Cantrell was also selected to the Second Team of the PBC All-Conference roster. Both honors were named by the league’s coaches and announced at the annual PBC awards banquet tonight, held at the site of the conference tournament, Greenwood, South Carolina.
Faulkner guided the Nighthawks from a rare worst-to-first turnaround this season. After finishing last in the Western Division a year ago, UNG was picked to finish 10-th in the PBC preseason coaches’ poll. Instead, the Nighthawks were a co-West Division Champion with an 11-8 league record. In his 14th season as the head coach at UNG, Faulkner led the team from helped the Nighthawks more than double their number of wins overall and in the conference. It is the first PBC Coach of the Year honor for Faulkner and his second overall, having been named the Great South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year at Division III, Piedmont College.
Cantrell did not disappoint returning after a medical redshirt season sidelined him a year ago. The Gainesville native scored 458 points this season, more than a 100 more than his previous best in the 2014-15 year. Cantrell averaged 15.8 points per game and averaged 5.4 rebounds per contest.
The co-Western Division Championship was the first for the North Georgia men since joining the Peach Belt and NCAA Division II in 2005-06. The 11 conference wins is the second most in school history since joining the league.
CHAD HAYNIE // Director of Athletic Communications
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA ATHLETICSM: 205-246-4259
Website: UNGAthletics.com | Twitter: @UNG_Nighthawks | #HawkEm
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