Beard named First-Team All-RSC; Gardner, McKee also rack up RSC accolades in fruitful 2024-25 All-RSC list for SSU MBB
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- The men's basketball program put three players on the All-RSC list Wednesday morning, as Shawnee State graduate student Tre Beard earned First-Team All-RSC accolades behind a stellar year.
Behind Beard, fellow guard and grad student Cory Gardner's stellar play in the second half of the 2024-25 season, along with much the same from 6-7 junior forward Ezra McKee, allowed the pair to join Beard as All-River States Conference honorees with Second-Team All-RSC and Third-Team All-RSC honorees, joining their RSC Player of the Year and First-Team All-RSC teammate on the All-RSC list Wednesday.
Completing his incredible rise as a student-athlete inside the men's basketball program, 1,211 career point scorer Tre Beard, who sits 10th on Shawnee State's all-time single-season scoring list, cemented what is one of the best individual seasons in program history with Wednesday morning's honor.
For the season, Beard has posted double-digit point totals in 26 out of his 28 contests so far en route to amassing 536 points individually. The grad student has also showcased a near-pristine valuation of the basketball as well, posting 74 assists to just 42 turnovers en route to posting a 1.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Overall, Beard is averaging 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on outstanding shooting splits, including marks of 49.7 percent shooting, 47.1 percent three-point shooting, and 91.3 percent free throw shooting. The free throw shooting mark is on pace to beat out the program record that Beard and Shawnee State alum Devon Carter are currently tied with (90.3) by exactly one percent.
Beard is also closing in on the single-season three-point field goals made record, as his 236 career three-pointers are just 25 behind Jeff Fraley's all-time single-season record of 261.
Beard has also led Shawnee State to a 103-49 overall record during his stretch of time with the Bears.
A tremendous all-around guard who plays with boundless energy, Shawnee State graduate student Cory Gardner's play at every front has been vital to Shawnee State's success.
Gardner, who is averaging 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals on 57 percent shooting from the field and 42.1 percent shooting from three-point range, has showcased nothing short of winning qualities.
The Owensboro, Ky. native has gone 11-2 when he is in the starting lineup and 11-3 overall as a member of the Shawnee State men's basketball program after transferring in as a second-semester transfer from Brescia (Ky.) -- and has quickly established himself as a program staple with his tenacity and relentless work on both ends of the floor. Gardner scored in double-figures in 12 out of his 14 contests during the regular season, posted three or more assists in 10 regular season games and posted two or more steals in nine regular season affairs en route to filling up the stat sheet.
A standout talent on both ends of the court, 6-7 junior forward Ezra McKee continues to showcase flashes of a player who can reach higher than even his Third-Team All-RSC nod indicates.
Averaging 12.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 52.4 percent shooting, McKee's length, fluidity and above the rim play on both ends of the floor has led to the Wooster, Ohio native being a matchup problem for the vast majority of the teams that Shawnee State has faced during its 2024-25 slate since McKee became eligible over the winter break beginning on Dec. 16.
