PEMBROKE — UNC Pembroke men’s basketball juniors Elijah Cobb, Bradlee Haskell and Nygell Verdier and Lady Braves players Kalaya Hall, Zaria Clark and Kelci Adams all were honored as All-Conference selections, while Cobb was picked as the Defensive Player of the Year and women’s basketball head coach John Haskins named as Coach of the Year, with the release of the Conference Carolinas men’s Basketball All-Conference Teams on Thursday morning.

A native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Cobb becomes just the third player in program history to be decorated as Defensive Player of the Year, joining Spencer Levi, who earned the honor during the 2021-22 season, along with Akia Pruitt who picked up the honors in the Peach Belt Conference in 2017-18. Cobb has started in all 27 games this season and averages 10.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. The redshirt junior ranks second in the league for field goal percentage shooting 64 percent, is fourth in the league for blocks per game and is fifth overall in rebounds per game.

Four schools sent multiple selections to the men’s All-Conference team, but UNCP and Barton finished with a league-best three each. It is the ninth-straight season that the program has been represented with multiple selections on an all-conference squad, and the fourth-straight year that three players have raked in the honor.

Haskell picked up his second consecutive all-conference nod earning second team recognition, while Cobb and Verdier are first time recipients earning second and third team honors, respectively.

A product of Southern Pines, Haskell leads the team averaging 14.1 points per game. The junior has started in 25 games and is shooting 42 percent from the field. Haskell has scored in double-figures in the last 16 games, and has 23 double-figure point scoring games this season. The junior guard scored a career-high 22 points twice on the season, last at North Greenville earlier this season. Haskell is among the top-10 in the league for assists per game (2.9) and is 13th in the conference for points per game.

A junior, Verdier has seen action in all 27 games this season and averages 10.8 points per game. The Charlotte native ranks second on the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. Verdier has scored in double-figures 15 different times this season and has pulled down double-figure rebounds six different times. Verdier scored a career-best 23 points twice this season and has also tallied four double-doubles on the year.

Haskins led the Braves to a Conference Carolinas East Division title and 21 regular season victories. Haskins, who is in his final season at the helm of the program, guided the team to a 13-1 record when playing in Pembroke, which marks the most home victories since the 1991-92 season. The Black & Gold will head into this weekend’s conference tournament semifinal ranking third in the nation in field goal percentage defense, 10th in turnovers per game and 13th in scoring defense.

Haskins was also named Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year in his final season leading the UNCP men’s program in 2001-02, and won the same honor as women’s head coach in 2004-05.

Four schools send multiple selections to the women’s All-Conference squads, with the Braves leading the way with their three honorees. It is the third consecutive season that the Black & Gold have had multiple All-Conference recipients, but Thursday’s announcement marks the most All-Conference selections in program history.

An everyday starter for the Black & Gold, Hall was tabbed as a first-team selection after leading the Braves with 16.4 points per game. The senior averages 4.7 rebounds per game and leads the team with 48 steals. Hall ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage (84.0%) and has accumulated 78 assists this season. The Beulaville native has scored in double-figures 26 times this season.

A third team all-conference selection, Clark has now earned all-conference accolades for the last two seasons. A product of Stanley, Clark saw action in all 28 games and shot a team-best 43.7 percent from the floor. The junior averaged 12.1 points per game through the regular season and 6.5 rebounds per game. Clark scored in double-figures 20 times this season, including a career-high 28 points at Catawba in December.

A native of Fort Mill, S.C., Adams also was picked as a third team all-conference selection Adams ranks third on the team with 9.0 points per game. A threat on the perimeter, Adams sits fifth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage with 35.8 percent. The redshirt junior matched a school record earlier this season with seven made triples at Mount Olive while also scoring a career-high 23 points against the Trojans as well.

Both the Braves men’s and women’s teams will return to action on Saturday in the semifinals of the 2024 Conference Carolinas Tournament at Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Braves men will play against the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal contest between fifth-seeded Barton and fourth-seeded Francis Marion. Saturday’s semifinal contest is slated for a 12:30 p.m. tipoff.

The top-seeded Lady Braves (21-7) will face the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal contest between 10th-seeded Barton and fifth-seeded Emmanuel. Saturday’s semifinal contest is slated for a 5:15 p.m. tipoff.