EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A pair of University of Tennessee at Martin teammates nabbed Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference honors this morning as the league announced that Jordan Sears and KK Curry were voted on to the 12-man squad.
The unveiling of the Preseason All-OVC team came in conjunction with OVC Basketball Media Day festivities held today at the Doubletree Hotel and Ford Center, the site of the 2024 OVC Basketball Championship tournament.
The league also released its annual predicted order of finish, which is selected by OVC head basketball coaches and communication directors. The Skyhawks garnered 149 points in the poll, which was good enough for fourth place in the 11-team standings. Defending OVC regular season champion Morehead State was identified as the preseason favorite after picking up 20 first-place votes and 200 points. SIUE was second with 162 points while Tennessee State managed the remaining two first-place votes and 153 points. Following UT Martin was Southeast Missouri (124 points), Tennessee Tech (120), Little Rock (85), Western Illinois (80), Southern Indiana (63), Lindenwood (40) and Eastern Illinois (34).
UT Martin was one of just three schools to land multiple returners on the Preseason All-OVC team. Sears is the second-highest returning scorer on the squad while Curry is one of just three frontcourt players to earn a spot on the list.
A 5-11, 185-pound junior guard out of Daytona Beach, Fla., Sears emerged as one of the best players in the OVC down the stretch in 2022-23. He tallied All-OVC first team and OVC All-Newcomer status after ranking in the top-10 in the league in scoring (15.3 points per game, eighth), free throw percentage (.800, eighth) and field goal percentage (.489, 10th). He upped his scoring average to 18.2 points per game in league play, which ranked fourth in the OVC.
Sears topped the Skyhawks in points (489), assists (91, 2.8 per game), free throws made (132) and free throws attempted (165) a year ago, also averaging 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals over 28.7 minutes per outing. He led the team in scoring on 14 separate occasions – 12 of which occurred against OVC competition. He piled up a trio of 30-point games (all against OVC teams), including a career-best 33-point effort in the OVC Championship quarterfinals against SIUE on March 2.
Hailing from Cleveland, Tenn., Curry ranked third in the OVC in field goal percentage (.584) and eighth in rebounding (5.7 per contest) last season. He averaged 8.5 points and 1.2 steals in 23.0 minutes per game, shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range. He scored in double figures 11 times and snared three double-doubles, leading UT Martin in rebounding in 11 different games.
The 6-6, 205-pound senior forward displayed a knack for big games against stellar competition in 2022-23. Curry led the Skyhawks in scoring with 21 points (on 9-of-14 shooting) to go along with a team-high nine rebounds in a career-best 36 minutes against Tennessee Tech in the OVC Championship semifinals on March 3. He also accounted for double-doubles in back-to-back outings against the eventual OVC regular season champion Morehead State (14 points, career-high 16 rebounds on Dec. 31) and eventual OVC tournament champion Southeast Missouri (15 points, 13 rebounds on Jan. 5).
UT Martin head coach Ryan Ridder returns six players from last season’s team that won 19 games (fifth-highest total in the program’s NCAA Division I Era) and placed third in the OVC standings with 10 victories. The Skyhawks ranked in the top-15 in the country in defensive rebounding per game (28.7, seventh), fast break points (15.09 per contest, ninth), scoring offense (80.5 points per outing, 14th) and rebounding per game (39.18, 15th). The 2022-23 UT Martin squad also ranked second in school history in scoring (2,658 points) and rebounding (1,293).
The Skyhawks open Year Three of the Ridder Era on Nov. 6 when it plays host to Champion Christian for a 6 p.m. tipoff at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Season tickets are now on sale for the 2023-24 campaign as those can be purchased via phone (731-881-7207), email (athletic.events@utm.edu) or online (http://www.utmsports.com/tickets).
