SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Samford basketball player Isaiah Williams was named the Southern Conference's Freshman of the Year Tuesday as the Bulldogs' talented point guard from Buford, Ga., received the honor in the league's media poll. Samford's Tim Williams also earned prestigious All-SoCon accolades as he was named to the first team by the coaches and to the second team by the media.
 
Isaiah Williams proved to be Samford's second-consecutive Freshman of the Year honoree Tuesday after sophomore forward Tim Williams garnered the award last season. The Bulldogs' Tim Williams and Isaiah Williams are the only players in school history to be named SoCon Freshman of the Year.
 
Samford's true freshman floor general, Isaiah Williams, is the Bulldogs' second-leading scorer with 12.4 points per game this season. He is currently ranked fifth in the SoCon with 3.6 assists per game and was 10th in the league in free-throw shooting percentage at 75.8.
 
In addition to earning the Freshman of the Year award, Isaiah Williams was named to the all-freshman team, where he was joined by Brian White (The Citadel), William Gates Jr. (Furman), Tevon Saddler (UNCG) and Eric Garcia (Wofford).
 
Samford's Tim Williams earned First-Team All-SoCon honors in the coaches' poll Tuesday. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-8 sophomore forward from Chicago, Ill., is the reigning SoCon Player of the Week and just needs nine points to become the first sophomore in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
 
Williams is also on pace to set the school's single-season record in field-goal percentage. He is currently shooting a stellar 61.1 percent from the floor, while former Bulldog-great Randy Morgan's school-record total of 60.5 was set 39 years ago in 1974-75.
 
Heading into Friday's SoCon Tournament-opener, Samford's Tim Williams is leading the team in both scoring (17.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg) this season. He is also ranked first in the league in field-goal shooting percentage (61.1), fourth in blocked shots (1.5 bpg), fifth in rebounding and sixth in the SoCon in scoring.
 
Williams was named to the SoCon's Second Team by the league's media.
 
Davidson forward De'Mon Brooks was named the 2014 Player of the Year after leading the Wildcats to a 15-1 record in conference play. The Charlotte, N.C., native won the award in 2012 and becomes the first player in league history to win the award multiple times without winning it in consecutive seasons.
 
UNCG's Tevon Saddler was named the league's Freshman of the Year by the coaches, while Chattanooga's Z. Mason took home the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year award. Wofford's Mike Young was named the league's Coach of the Year.
 
Brooks joins East Tennessee State's Keith Jennings and fellow Wildcat Stephen Curry as the only players to win the coaches' Player of the Year award multiple times. He is joined by Curry, Jake Cohen (2013) and Brendan Winters (2005) as the four Wildcats who have won the award.
 
Young was named the league's Coach of the Year by his peers for the second time, after earning the award in 2010. He guided the Terriers to an 11-5 mark in league play, which was tied for third place. Wofford was picked to finish sixth in the standings during the preseason. The Terriers earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and earned a bye into Saturday's quarterfinals.
 
A physical presence on the front line for the Mocs, Mason led the league in blocked shots (3.0 bpg) and was the top rebounder in the league, pulling down 9.5 rebounds per game. The senior helped engineer the Mocs' turnaround season, as UTC finished second in the conference with a 12-4 mark after being picked to finish seventh in preseason balloting.
 
Samford's Isaiah Williams was named to the all-freshman team by both the media and the coaches.
 
The coaches' all-freshman team included five student-athletes representing five different teams. UNCG's Saddler was joined by Brian White (The Citadel), Jack Gibbs (Davidson), Isaiah Williams (Samford) and Eric Garcia (Wofford).
 
The SoCon Sports Media Association also released its 2014 all-conference teams and postseason awards Tuesday.
 
Samford's Isaiah Williams was named the league's Freshman of the Year, while Chattanooga head coach Will Wade was tabbed the Anton Foy Coach of the Year.
 
Wade guided the Mocs to their best conference record (12-4 SoCon) since the 2011 season, when UTC finished league play at 12-6. Chattanooga finished in second place during the regular season after being slotted seventh in preseason balloting. In his first year on the bench with the Mocs, Wade is UTC's first recipient of the Anton Foy award since Mack McCarthy in 1993.
 
A two-time SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Brooks has now been named first-team all-conference by the league's media for the third straight season in addition to earning the Player of the Year award.
 
The 2014 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship begins Friday at 10 a.m. (CDT) as Samford squares off against Appalachian State in the opening round of the tournament being held at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.
 
The championship game is scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m., and will be televised on ESPN2.
 
2014 Men's SoCon Sports Media Association Awards
 
All-Conference First Team
De'Mon Brooks, Davidson
Lucas Troutman, Elon
Z. Mason, Chattanooga
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina
Karl Cochran, Wofford

All-Conference Second Team
Brian Sullivan, Davidson
Stephen Croone, Furman
Jelani Hewitt, Georgia Southern
Kyle Cain, UNCG
Tim Williams, Samford
 
All-Conference Third Team
Tyler Kalinoski, Davidson
Sebastian Koch, Elon
Tre Bussey, Georgia Southern
Casey Jones, Chattanooga
Lee Skinner, Wofford
 
 All-Freshman Team
Brian White, The Citadel
William Gates Jr., Furman
Tevon Saddler, UNCG
Isaiah Williams, Samford
Eric Garcia, Wofford
 
Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year
De'Mon Brooks, Sr., F, Davidson
 
Freshman of the Year
Isaiah Williams, G, Samford
 
Anton Foy Coach of the Year
Will Wade, Chattanooga
 
2014 SoCon Men's Basketball Awards
 
All-Conference Team
De'Mon Brooks, Davidson
Lucas Troutman, Elon
Stephen Croone, Furman
Jelani Hewitt, Georgia Southern
Kyle Cain, UNCG
Tim Williams, Samford
Casey Jones, Chattanooga
Z. Mason, Chattanooga
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina
Karl Cochran, Wofford
 
All-Freshman Team
Brian White, The Citadel
Jack Gibbs, Davidson
Tevon Saddler, UNCG
Isaiah Williams, Samford
Eric Garcia, Wofford
 
Player of the Year
De'Mon Brooks, Sr., F, Davidson
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Z. Mason, Sr., F, Chattanooga
 
Freshman of the Year
Tevon Saddler, G, UNCG
 
Coach of the Year
Mike Young, Wofford