Jaylen Wesley, Darien Allen Earn All-ACCAC Honors
PHOENIX ---
Freshman Jaylen Wesley earned ACCAC Division II Freshman of the Year honors, and sophomore Darien Allen received Third Team All-ACCAC honors after outstanding 2022-23 seasons for the South Mountain CC men's basketball team. Wesley led the Cougars in scoring and rebounding for the season, averaging 15.6 points and 5. 1 rebounds in 30 games, while Allen posted 12.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in his second season for the Cougars.
Wesley appeared in all 30 games for SMCC and made 29 starts. He shot 46.6 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line. He finished 12th among all conference players in scoring, and his conference average of 14.9 ppg ranked 16th in the league.
Wesley scored a season-high 26 points twice, in a win over Community Christian CC on Dec. 28 and in a contest against Phoenix College on Feb. 15. He posted eight games of 20 more points, including 25 in a win at Chandler-Gilbert CC on Jan. 25 and 22 at Glendale CC on Dec. 7.
Wesley had two double-doubles on the year, including an 18-point, 13-rebound performance at Pima CC on Jan. 4. He also had 10 rebounds against Phoenix College on Feb. 15. He had a season-high four steals twice and had four assists in a win over the GCU Club Team.
Allen scored a season-high 21 points at Glendale CC on Dec. 7 and averaged 12.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 22 conference games. Allen shot 47.7 percent for the year and 44.3 percent against league opponents. He scored 19 points in a home contest against Chandler-Gilbert CC and 17 points in both games against Pima CC.
Allen grabbed a season-high eight rebounds in a home game against Central Arizona on Dec. 3 and had seven rebounds in two games. Allen dished out five assists at Glendale CC on Dec. 7 and had a season-high four steals against Pima CC on Feb. 8.
Allen also earned Third Team All-ACCAC honors in 2021-22 after averaging 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 30 games and 27 starts for SMCC.