Emory University seniors Ben Pearce and Jair Knight were lauded on the D3hoops.com Region VI First Team as the organization announced its All-Region teams on Monday. Furthermore, Pearce and Head Coach Jason Zimmerman captured the top regional honors with Pearce being named the Player of the Year and Zimmerman tabbed as the Coach of the Year.
Pearce is the second Eagle in program history be a d3hoops.com regional Player of the Year, joining Alex Forster (2015) and makes his first career appearance on the regional's First Team following three straight Second Team nods. His stellar senior campaign garners him more accolades as he was previously selected as the UAA Player of the Year, a Jostens Trophy finalist, a Bevo Francis Top 25 and Trevor Hudgins Top 15 Watch List member as well became the first Emory Eagle to be a four-time All-UAA First Team honoree. Pearce has turned heads with his dynamic play-making ability as he has led the Eagles to their second consecutive Elite Eight appearance. The nation's leader at 7.3 assists per game enters Thursday's game just three assists shy of 200 on the season while averaging a UAA-best 24.3 points per game. He is shooting .457 from the floor while sinking a team-leading 67 triples and is 164-for-189 from the charity stripe. He has rewritten the Emory record books this year with most career points and three-pointers made, as well as most points in a single season, and currently stands second on the all-time Emory list with 599 career assists.
Knight makes his first berth on the Region VI First Team after earning a Second Team pick as a junior. He is the lone Eagle to start in all 28 games so far this season as he is averaging a personal-best 18.9 PPG and has previously been recognized as the UAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, All-UAA First Team and a Watch List honors for both the Bevo Francis and Trevor Hudgins awards. Knight is shooting .486 from the floor while contributing 6.5 rebounds per game, second on the team with 43 steals and is third on the roster with 27 blocks. He recently became the fourth Eagle to eclipse 1,800 career points as he helped Emory reach Fort Wayne.
Zimmerman has the Eagles back in the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season and the third overall time in program history. This is his second-ever regional Coach of the Year selection, having previously been honored during the 2013-14 season. This year, Zimmerman has the Eagles heading to Fort Wayne with a 25-3 overall record with the 25 wins tying a program record for most in a season. He guided the team to a UAA championship, the first since 2021-22, and the ninth in program history while overseeing the development of Pearce, Knight as well as All-UAA Second Teamer Ethan Fauss.
The Eagles are set to face Illinois Wesleyan University in the national quarterfinals this Thursday in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Scheduled tip off is set for 3:30 PM at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and can streamed on ESPN+.
