Sophomore backcourt trio from state champion EMCC Lions earns all-state men’s basketball honors

SCOOBA – Sophomores Terryonte Thomas, Dewayne Cox and Robert Davis Jr., of East Mississippi Community College's 2018-19 MACJC state championship team, have received individual postseason honors for helping lead the Lions to their first state title in men's basketball since the 1930s.   

Thomas was selected to the 10-man NJCAA All-Region 23 team as well as being chosen as a first-team member of the MACJC All-State/North squad, as voted on by the head men's basketball coaches of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges.  EMCC backcourt teammates Dewayne Cox and Robert Davis Jr. also received postseason recognition as second-team all-state selections.

Thomas, an all-state prep product from New Hope High School, averaged a team-leading 13.7 points per game for Coach Billy Begley's 19-8 EMCC Lions this past season.  The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard also averaged 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists an outing as a sophomore along with shooting 48 percent overall from the field, 38 percent from beyond the three-point arc and 72 percent from the free throw line. 

As a two-year starter at East Mississippi, Thomas totaled 655 career points (13.1 ppg), 258 rebounds (5.2 rpg) and 108 assists (2.2 apg) in 50 career games played for the Lions.  For his EMCC career, the Columbus native shot 45 percent overall from the field, including 33 percent on three-point attempts, and 68 percent from the charity stripe.

Cox, out of Ripley High School, was EMCC's second-leading scorer this past year at 12.9 points per contest.  The 6-foot-1 backcourt performer led the Lions in steals (63) for the second straight year in addition to ranking second on the team with 51 assists and fourth in rebounding (4.9 rpg).  Cox also connected on 132-of-153 free throws as a sophomore for an impressive 86.3 percent accuracy from the line.

During his two seasons on the Scooba campus, Cox amassed 591 career points (11.6 ppg), 244 rebounds (4.8 rpg), 103 steals (2.0 spg) and 89 assists (1.7 apg).  Along with shooting 45 percent from the field during his EMCC career, Cox made 82.2 percent (194-of-236) of his charity tosses.      

Following an injury-plagued freshman year for the Lions coming out of Clinton High School, Davis enjoyed a breakout sophomore season by ranking as EMCC's third-leading scorer (12.4 ppg) and top playmaker with 54 assists.  The 6-foot-2, 195-pound combo guard also led the Lions this past year with 44 made 3-pointers in addition to shooting a team-high 46 percent from behind the three-point line and 87 percent from the charity stripe.

Highlighted by his career-best, 33-point effort this past season against Northwest Mississippi, Davis shot 45 percent overall from the field, 40 percent from the arc and 83 percent from the line during his two-year East Mississippi career.