Rock Hill, SC - Luke Gibson has been named the 2019-20 South Atlantic Conference men's basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second straight year the conference announced Wednesday morning.  

The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the Conference's championship sports, and is voted on by the SAC's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service, and leadership.

Gibson is a senior accounting major with a 3.97 grade point average from Albemarle, N.C. He is a four-time Dean's List selection, a three-time SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll selection, a CoSIDA Academic All-District® pick and a CoSIDA Academic All-America® honoree. Gibson played in all 29 games in 2019-20, scoring 11.9 points with 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He led the SAC in three-point shooting percentage, hitting 46.3 percent of his shots from long range.  

"This is such a great well deserved honor," said Newberry head men's basketball coach Jason Taylor. "He truly is the best representation of what we all want the term 'student-athlete' to represent. He maximized every aspect of his experience during his time at Newberry College. I'm so proud and so happy for him!"

In addition to his success on the basketball court and the classroom, Gibson has been an active member of the community. He volunteers at the Newberry Academy Spanish Academy, was a referee-coach for the Law Enforcement & Youth Basketball Tournament, volunteers at Gallman Elementary, and is a leader in the Newberry Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has spent time each of the last four years working with the Special Olympics basketball teams in Newberry and volunteered at the Newberry Fire Department's Kids Fun Day.