The Presbyterian Blue Hose men’s basketball team received several honors from the Big South Conference, with four players recognized for their achievements during the 2025-26 season. The league office announced the awards on Tuesday.
Redshirt junior forward Jaylen Peterson was named Big South Defensive Player of the Year, marking the first time a player from Presbyterian has earned this award. Peterson also made the Honorable Mention All-Big South list. Coach Quinton Ferrell commented, “There isn’t a more deserving player than Jaylen Peterson when it comes to the Defensive Player of the Year. This was a goal for Jaylen and me when he decided to commit to PC. I’m very proud to see all of his hard work pay off, and I’m excited about his continued development.”
Peterson ranked second in blocked shots (2.0 per game) and sixth in rebounds per game (7.50) during conference play. Across all games, he placed third in rebounding (7.35), fourth in blocks (1.48), and fourth in defensive rebounding (5.35). He tied his single-game blocked shots record with six against Radford on January 31 and averaged 10.6 points per game with 15 double-figure scoring games.
Redshirt senior forward Jonah Pierce was selected for First Team All-Big South honors, joining previous standout players from Presbyterian such as Al’Lonzo Coleman and DeSean Murray. Pierce led the conference in rebounding with 9.6 per game and ranked among national leaders, including ninth in total rebounds (298) and 18th in rebounds per game at the NCAA level. He recorded 16 double-doubles this season, ranking eighth nationally, and twice earned Big South Player of the Week recognition.
Junior guard Carl Parrish joined Peterson on the Honorable Mention list, becoming the 14th player in program history to receive All-Big South honors. Parrish led Presbyterian with 71 three-point field goals made and was among league leaders with an average of 2.3 three-pointers per game. In conference play, he ranked second in free-throw percentage at 89.3%. He had 24 double-figure scoring games and five games with at least 20 points.
Sophomore guard Josh Pickett was named to the Big South All-Academic Team while averaging 5.6 points per game as starting point guard and recording seven double-figure scoring games this season, including a season-high of 15 points against The Citadel on November 30. Pickett maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA as a Business Administration major.
Coach Ferrell expressed pride in his players’ recognition: “I’m very excited for Jonah, Jaylen, Carl, and Josh for being acknowledged by the Big South coaches for their performance this season, which resulted in All-Conference accolades,” Ferrell said. “It’s a testament to my players’ and coaching staff’s hard work and dedication!” Regarding Pickett’s academic achievement specifically, Ferrell added: “Josh has shown a level of consistency and commitment to his academics his entire life, and his selection on the Big South All-Academic team is well earned,” Ferrell said. “We are all very proud of Josh for his academic achievements!”
Other notable awards from around the conference included Logan Duncomb of Winthrop being named Player of the Year; Spence Sims of Gardner-Webb as Freshman of the Year; Rob Martin of High Point as Newcomer of the Year; Flynn Clayman (High Point) and Mark Prosser (Winthrop) sharing Co-Coach of the Year honors; and Kody Clouet (Winthrop) earning Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
