history of the Peach Belt ,” said commissioner Brunk . “ Herbert was an outstanding coach , visionary leader and a great friend . To have our men ’ s basketball coaches propose this name change is a testament to his legacy .”
The PBC men ’ s basketball coaches unanimously voted to rename the award for the legendary coach , who passed away in 2015 . Their recommendation was approved by the PBC athletic directors council , creating the first named award presented to a coach or student-athlete in the league . It is the second overall league award that has been named ; the PBC awards the LeeAnn Noble Make-A-Wish award each year in honor of the late North Georgia golfer to the school that contributes the most to the foundation .
“ It is such a great honor for the PBC to rename the Men ’ s Coach of the Year award ,” said current Columbus State men ’ s basketball coach Robert Moore . “ Coach Greene was not only my mentor and best friend , he was the same to a lot of our colleagues in our conference . He built meaningful relationships while coaching in the conference as well as when he served as the Athletic Director at CSU . He was committed to the success of the Peach Belt and was a passionate fan even after he retired .”
Greene coached at Columbus State for 25 years and served as athletic director for another three before retiring . During his coaching tenure , Greene , the school ’ s all-time leader in wins , compiled a record of 481 wins and 240 losses . In his 27 years as a college head coach he won 510 games and lost 270 . Counting his stint as a high school coach he coached 974 games and he won 657 of them .
“ Herbert Greene was a coaches coach ,” said Augusta University coach Dip Metress . “ He held annual coaching clinics that invited people to share ideas that were a great resource to coaches at all level and I emulate that here by having yearly coaching clinics as well . It is only fitting to have the coach of the year award named after a coach that was one of the best in our profession and was an even better person then he was a coach .”
Greene , who was inducted into the inaugural PBC Hall of Fame class last spring , led the Cougars to nine NCAA Tournaments , including the last four years of his career . His teams won four Peach Belt Conference regular season titles . He won six Peach Belt Conferences Tournaments , while compiling a 29-9 record in PBC Tournament Play .
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At CSU , he had 11 seasons of at least 20 wins and 16 seasons with at least 19 wins . He was named PBC Coach of the Year twice and the Atlanta Tip-Off Club College Coach of the Year for Georgia in 1992 and 2005 .
“ Coach Greene always treated everyone he encountered with the greatest of respect ,” said North Georgia coach Chris Faulkner . “ He had the ability to make people feel like they were the most important person in the world every time he was around them . He would seek me out before the games and make sure to spend some time talking to me . He was more than just a basketball coach and an administrator ; he was a true icon of the Peach Belt Conference . Every coach that has had the chance to be involved with Coach Greene loved him and admired him for his vibrant personality , professionalism , and how much he impacted all those around him .”
Under his guidance as athletic director for more than two decades CSU become of the finest overall athletic programs in the county . Greene was elected into the Columbus State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008 .
During his time as CSU , Greene was one of the leaders in helping establish the Peach Belt Conference . Columbus State became one of the seven charter member schools to create the league in 1990 .
Following his time at Columbus State , Greene served as the head of the Columbus Sports Council . The court at the Frank G . Lumpkin arena was named in his honor in January of 2015 .
Young Harris ’ C . J . Wilson Named Academic All-American
AUSTIN , Texas | Young Harris College ’ s C . J . Wilson has been named to the Academic All-America ® Division II Men ’ s Basketball Third Team as selected by CoSIDA ( College Sports Information Directors of America ).
Wilson is the 17th Mountain Lion since 2011 to be named to a Co- SIDA Academic All-America ® team . Wilson was named to the second team in 2016 . Wilson is the second Mountain Lion to earn the honor , joining men ’ s soccer ’ s Ramin Varnhorn , who was named to the third team .
The CoSIDA Division II Academic All-America ® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2016-17 Division II Academic All-America ® teams program . To be nominated , a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or a significant reserve on his team .
Wilson , a 5-foot-11 senior guard from Conyers , Georgia , led the Mountain Lions in scoring average ( 18.0 ) and assists per game ( 6.3 ) as Young Harris finished with a 17-11 ledger and we co-champions
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