NEW ORLEANS - Senior Desmond "Boogie" Yates received First Team All-Sun Belt honors as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Yates is the only Blue Raider to receive All-Conference honors after the Blue Raiders finished the season in a three-way tie for first in Sun Belt action.
Yates and Troy's Brandon Hazzard were the only members of first-place teams named First Team All-Sun Belt.
The Sommerville, Tenn., native missed the first seven games of the season due to an injury but when he returned was a scoring machine for the Blue Raiders. In his first two games of the season he posted 20-point games, which included 26 points against No. 9 Tennessee. Yates has four 20-point games this season and set Middle Tennessee's all-time scoring record with 28 at Western Kentucky.
"We have a number of good players in our league and congratulations to all who were named to an All-Conference team. I am very excited for Desmond, for him to fight back from an injury and lead his team to a conference championship, is very special. I really feel we had two or three other players who were just as deserving of receiving conference honors," head coach Kermit Davis said.
In the two games with the Hilltoppers, Yates shot 46.4 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from behind the arc and made 12 free throws scoring 42 points.
In Sun Belt action, Yates ranks fourth in 3-point field goal percentage and 21st in scoring. For the Blue Raiders, he is first in scoring average and second in free throw percentage.
Louisiana-Lafayette's Tyren Johnson was named Player of the Year while Florida Atlantic's Brett Royster received Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Yates along with seniors Calvin O'Neil and Montarrio Haddock will continue to lead the Blue Raiders at the Sun Belt Championships as they have done throughout the season. Middle Tennessee opens the tournament on Sunday, March 7 at 9 p.m. after receiving a first round bye. The Blue Raiders will face the winner of FIU vs. Denver in the quarterfinals.
FIRST TEAM Nate Rohnert (Denver, SR, G/F) Tyren Johnson (Louisiana-Lafayette, SR, F) Desmond Yates (Middle Tennessee, SR, F) Brandon Hazzard (Troy, SR, G) AJ Slaughter (WKU, SR, G) SECOND TEAM Brandon Reed (Arkansas State, FR, G) George Odufuwa (North Texas, JR, F) Tim Williams (South Alabama, JR, G) Michael Vogler (Troy, SR, G) Steffphon Pettigrew (WKU, JR, F) THIRD TEAM Greg Gantt (Florida Atlantic, FR, G) Ray Taylor (Florida Atlantic, FR, G) Tristan Thompson (North Texas, JR, G) Eric Tramiel (North Texas, SR, F) Josh White (North Texas, JR, G) PLAYER OF THE YEAR Tyren Johnson (Louisiana-Lafayette, SR, F) DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Brett Royster (Florida Atlantic, JR, F) FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Brandon Reed (Arkansas State, FR, G) COACH OF THE YEAR John Brady, Arkansas State
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