FMU’s Boyd and Singleton-Bates named to PBC Preseason Cage Teams

AUGUSTA, GA – Francis Marion University senior swing players Simel Boyd and Shannon Singleton-Bates have been named to the Peach Belt Conference’s preseason All-Conference men’s and women’s basketball teams as selected by the league’s head coaches.

Joining Boyd on the five-member men’s team are Cecil Coleman of the University of Montevallo,

Byron Faison of USC Aiken, D.J. Ferguson of Flagler College, and Brandon Robinson of Clayton State University.

Boyd, a 6-6 native of Ridgeville, S.C., led the FMU men in scoring (12.2 points per game), rebounding (6.6 rebounds per game), and minutes played (28.0 minutes per game) last season.  He connected on 52.5 percent of his field goal attempts, eighth-best in the Peach Belt, and was second on the team in steals and blocked shots.  He scored in double figures 19 times, recorded three double-doubles, and was  named to the second-team All-PBC squad.

Boyd helped lead the FMU men to an 18-10 record in 2009-10, the second-highest win total in 17 seasons.   Francis Marion returns six lettermen from that squad for the 2010-11 season that opens Nov. 16 at home against Allen University.

Singleton-Bates, a two-time honorable mention All-American, led the 2009-10 Patriots in scoring at 16.0 points per game.  The 5-10 South Norwalk, Conn., native also averaged 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, while connecting on 47 percent of her field goal attempts, including 41.7 percent from three-point distance, and 67.1 percent of her free throws.  She scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games, including nine games of 20 or more points, and ranked sixth in the PBC in scoring and steals and 12th in field goal percentage.

With one year remaining in her career, Singleton-Bates already stands 18th on the Patriot career scoring list with 1,215 points.

Singleton-Bates is one of eight returnees from last year’s 27-5 team that earned a No. 20 national ranking, and gained the program’s third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.  The FMU women open their season on Nov. 12 at Fayetteville State University.

Joining Singleton-Bates on the women’s squad are Lander University’s Shannon McKever, Chimere Jordan of Georgia College, JaToya Kemp of UNC Pembroke, and Teshymia Tillman of Clayton State University.