CCS Release
MARYVILLE – Another championship season for Maryville Men's Basketball has resulted in another generous haul of postseason awards for the Scots.
Collegiate Conference of the South coaches voted
Reed Kemp the 2024-25 Player of the Year,
Kyle Cloninger the Rookie of the Year and
Raul Placeres the Coach of the Year. Kemp and
Chase Morgan were voted onto the All-CCS First Team, Cloninger earned a spot on the Second Team and
Malachi Chipp was selected for the All-Sportsmanship Team after being nominated by his coaching staff.
Kemp has been an offensive force all season, leading Maryville to the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with a stellar 20-5 overall record and an 11-1 mark in CCS play. Averaging a conference-best 25.3 points per game, he has been nearly unstoppable, ranking third in the nation in both scoring and 3-point percentage (48.6). His ability to take over games was on full display down the stretch, as he posted four consecutive 30-point performances, pushing him within 13 points of Maryville's all-time season scoring record.
The senior guard leads the Scots in nearly every major statistical category, including field goals made, free throws, and steals, while also leading the entire conference in 3-point percentage, free throw percentage (83.7), and three-pointers made per game (3.4). His dominance on the court earned him three CCS Player of the Week honors.
Morgan stands third in the CCS in scoring at 16.9, and fifth in rebounding at 7.1. He is shooting 54.0 percent from the floor and 74.0 percent from the line, with 57 assists against just 50 turnovers. His 43 blocked shots rank third in the conference. For the Lenoir City junior, his scoring average is up 18 percent over last season, his rebounding average is up 11 percent, and his blocked shots total already has more than doubled from 19 last year to 43 this season. Morgan with 76 career blocks already ranks sixth on the all-time Maryville chart.
Nine-Time Rookie of the Week
Cloninger made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season, playing a key role in Maryville's dominant run. He earned CCS Rookie of the Week honors nine times, and finished the regular season averaging 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, ranking seventh in the conference in assists. Playing 27.6 minutes per game, he was one of Maryville's most dependable players, ranking top five on the team in both scoring and rebounding while also finishing third on the team in steals (30).
Chipp is having his best season as a Scot. The Georgia product is averaging a career-high 7.3 minutes and scoring at a 3.5 clip. He has five steals and has yet to commit a turnover in 110 minutes of game action. In conference play, Chipp is averaging 4.6 points and playing 8.8 minutes, often in key situations. His 11 made 3-pointers are the fourth-most on the team.
Placeres may have turned in his finest coaching performance yet in this, his sixth season on the Scots bench. Despite missing two All-CCS performers for most of league play, Placeres has guided Maryville to the top of the CCS for the third straight season and earned Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row. Under his leadership, the Scots finished 20-5 overall and 11-1 in conference play, securing the No. 1 seed in the CCS tournament. Maryville thrived on both ends of the floor, leading the conference in team field goal percentage (46.3) while ranking second in points allowed per game (73.2). Placeres also orchestrated an impressive late-season surge, guiding the Scots to seven straight wins to close out conference play.
Maryville over the last five years in conference play is 29-7 at home and 27-2 on the road for a combined 56-9 (.862) record. The Scots are 34-15 (.694) in the last five years against a solid slate of nonconference opponents. And Placeres owns a 99-41 (.707) overall coaching record that includes a 32-4 mark in CCS regular-season play, 36-4 if counting the postseason tournament.
Maryville hosts the CCS tournament semifinals and final this Friday and Saturday. The Scots play in Friday's second game at approximately 7 p.m. against the winner of Tuesday night's Covenant at Asbury game.
