July 11, 2011

Golden Eagles Hunley, Newton named to NABC Honors Court

Senior Charles Newton and junior Riley Hunley were named Monday to the Honors Court by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for their outstanding work in the classroom.

Click here to view the complete Honor Court list

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Monday named two Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle basketball players to its 2010-11 Honors Court.

Riley Hunley, a junior guard from Knoxville, Tenn., and Charles Newton, a senior guard from Lexington, Ky., were the Golden Eagles’ representatives on the list, which recognizes the talents and gifts players possess off the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom.

In order to qualify for the recognition, a student-athlete must be of junior or senior academic standing, own a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2010-11 academic year, and have matriculated at least one year at their current institution.

Hunley is a chemical engineering major, while Newton graduated in May with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Newton played in 15 games during the 2010-11 season and started one, scoring 34 points on the season to average 2.3 points per game. He shot 68.8 percent from the field, giving him the highest field-goal percentage of any Golden Eagle. He also converted three-pointers at a 55.6 percent clip, going 5-for-9 from long range.

Newton’s team-high 23 points led Tennessee Tech to a 106-44 victory over Crowley’s Ridge on Dec. 30, 2010.

He was honored in April as the recipient of the team's John P. Hendrix Leadership Award.

Hunley played in seven games in 2010-11 and averaged just more than five minutes per contest. He scored six points on the season, averaging 0.9 per game. Hunley earned the team’s academic award each of the past two seasons.

In addition to Hunley and Newton, four other Ohio Valley Conference athletes received the honor — Eastern Illinois junior Nick McFarlin (Finance), Morehead State junior Ty Proffitt (Finance) and Southeast Missouri State juniors Zach House (Business Administration and Finance) and Nick Niemcyzk (Physical Education).