MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee junior forward Desmond "Boogie" Yates has been named to the All-District 24 First-Team as selected by the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches), which qualifies him as one of the 240 national candidates for the association's All-America balloting.
Yates is second in the SBC scoring race at 17.5 points per game and he is third among league leaders for field goal percentage (.594) and free-throw percentage (11th, .775). The junior from Somerville, Tenn., was named Preseason Player of the Year in the SBC and was a first-team All-SBC selection and All-SBC Tournament pick as a sophomore last season. The 2008-09 All-SBC Team will be released by the league office Tuesday.
"Boogie has had a good year but we still hope his best basketball is in the days to come," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach, whose team will face Arkansas State at Murphy Center in a first-round game in the SBC Championships Wednesday at 7 p.m. "As good as Boogie has been, we need him to be even better in the tournament. This award is based on his body of work throughout the season and Boogie has put together a good season."
Despite playing out of position all season due to a foot injury to center Theryn Hudson, who is taking his redshirt season, and taking on double teams, Yates still fashioned a stellar all-around season. He tallied double figures in 26 games, including 11 games with 20-plus points. He became a member of the program's 1,000-point club earlier in the season and is currently 12th on the all-time scoring list with 1,385 points. He was MVP of the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tournament at Missouri State during the holiday break.
"I'm honored to receive the award, especially when you tell me it's voted on by the coaches," Yates said. "Coaches always look for more than just scoring so it means a lot to me that they voted me to the All-District team. I have to thank my teammates because our guys do a great job getting me the ball in position to score and we run a great offense that allows all of us to have scoring opportunities. I've been fortunate but my main thoughts right now are helping our team win the Sun Belt Championship. It is still a goal that we can accomplish."
Yates' 525 points so far this season is tied for 12th with Jerry Beck on the single-season scoring list. He is 12 points shy of reaching the Top 10. Yates scored 511 points as a sophomore last season, which is 15th on the single-season list. He has scored double figures in 72 of 94 career games and he has led the team in scoring 43 times during his career.
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