AIKEN, S.C.
– Chris Commons will end his two years at USC Aiken as an
NCAA Division II consensus All-America selection in 2008-09 after
he was named to the Basketball Times All-America Team and the
Division II Bulletin All-America Team this week.
Commons was
selected to the first team by both publications. He was a second
team selection after the 2007-08 season.
Commons is
the one of three players from the Peach Belt Conference to be named
an All-American by the Basketball Times and the Division II
Bulletin.
Commons is
the only first team member from the PBC as Augusta State's
Ben Madgen was a second team selection by the Basketball Times,
while Garrett Siler was a third team selection by the Basketball
Times and a fourth team selection by the Division II Bulletin. Ben
Madgen was named Honorable Mention All-America by the Division II
Bulletin.
In addition
to his All-America plaudits from Basketball Times, Commons was
chosen to the All-America team by both the NABC and Daktronics on
Tuesday, March 24.
He was an
NABC and Daktronics All-America selection after the 2007-08 season
as well. Commons was a third team choice by Daktronics in both
2007-08 and 2008-09.
Commons is
one of two Pacers to earn All-America accolades as Clint Keown was
also dubbed as a Daktronics All-America choice after the conclusion
of the 2001-02 season.
Commons is
the only Pacer in program history to record back-to-back
All-America seasons.
Commons was a part of the most prolific two-year span in USC Aiken
men's basketball history. He was one of the main reasons that the
Pacers won 52 games and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 2009 for
the first time in program history in his two years with the
program.
Commons ends
his four-year college basketball career with 2,002 total
points.
The Findlay
transfer scored 1,229 of those points in a Pacer uniform. The point
total ends Commons' Pacer career with him No. 2 all-time in scoring
in USC Aiken men's basketball history.
Commons
averaged 19.2 points per game in 64 games as a Pacer. Commons
scored over 20 points 33 times as a Pacer.
He did not accomplish the feat in 2008-09, but he netted 30 or more
seven times in his career.
The Peach
Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2007-08 and 2008-09, Commons
concluded USC Aiken's first ever NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen
appearance averaging 16.8 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per
game.
Commons shot
53 percent from the floor in 2008-09.
Commons
finished the 2008-09 regular season sixth in the Peach Belt
Conference in field goal percentage (53.8 percent), 12th in the
league in rebounds (6.1 per game), third in the conference in
blocked shots (1.85 per game), 11th in offensive rebounds (2.30 per
game), 13th in defensive rebounds (3.85 per game) and fifth in
minutes played (31.11 per game).
The sixth
player to join USC Aiken's illustrious 1,000-point club earlier
this year, Commons became the sixth member of USC Aiken's
illustrious 1,000-point club in a Pacers win over UNC Pembroke in
Pembroke, N.C.
Commons' 25
points in the game helped him end the game with 1,016 points.
Commons reached the 1,000 points in only 48 games. In the 48 games,
Commons had averaged 21.2 points per game.
Commons
played his first two years at Findlay, where he finished with 773
points in his first two seasons in the program.
Commons
scored 246 points during his freshman campaign in 2003-04 and 527
in his sophomore season of 2004-05. Commons finished his junior
season at USC Aiken with a program season second-best 675 points.
He finished this past season with 554 total points.
The November
24, 2008 Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week, Commons won the
weekly nod from the league office six times in his two years at USC
Aiken.
He claimed
the award five times in the 2007-08 season.
Commons was
chosen to the 2009 Peach Belt Conference All-Tournament team at the
conclusion of the tournament.
He was also a member of the 2008 PBC All-Tournament team.
Commons was
also named to the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional
All-Tournament team. Along with teammate Josh Dollard (Hemingway,
S.C./Auburn), Commons is one of three Pacers to earn NCAA
All-Tournament accolades as Juan Wiley was named to the NCAA South
Atlantic All-Tournament team during the 1998 NCAA Division II
Tournament.
Commons
concluded his collegiate career last Friday by scoring 20 points in
the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II
All-Star game at the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The most
decorated player in the history of USC Aiken men's
basketball, Commons helped guide the West team to a 138-117 victory
over the East team.
Commons was
one of four players in the game to net 20 or more points. He was
one of three on the West team to tie or topple the 20-point
plateau. His 20 points were the third most on the West
squad.
Commons was
8-for-14 from the floor in the game. He knocked down four of his
eight three-point attempts in the game.
Commons came
one rebound shy of securing a double-double as he had nine boards
in the game. He also dished out four assists.
Commons was
the first Pacer men's basketball player to participate in the
prestigious event. USC Aiken head coach Vince Alexander was the
head coach of the East All-Star team in 2008.