Pettaway Leads Four Yellow Jackets on All-HCAC Team

Those four players led DC to a 17-9 record and a spot in the final game of the HCAC Tournament by combing to net nearly 70 percent of the team scoring and almost 90 percent of the Yellow Jackets’ rebounding totals for the year.

The 17 wins marked an eight-game improvement from one year ago and were the highest win total for a Defiance team since the 2002-2003 campaign. The Yellow Jackets’ nine HCAC victories were a seven-game bump from last year and by far the biggest improvement of any team in the league, while the HCAC Finals appearance marked DC’s first since winning the league championship in 2001.

Pettaway ended the season as the only player in the HCAC to rank among the top five in the conference in points and rebounds. The sophomore center turned in 16.3 points and 7.4 boards a night and was one of just three players of freshman or sophomore status to make the All-HCAC Team. The Toledo, Ohio, native started all 26 games for DC, scoring double figures in all but two games, piling up eight double-doubles and cracking the 20-point barrier a total of seven times. Pettaway earned a spot on the Purple and Gold Financial Classic All-Tournament Team, one HCAC Player-of-the-Week nod, the HCAC Male Athlete of the Month selection for January and a spot on the HCAC All-Tournament Team. Pettaway posted a 58.7 shooting percentage and will enter his junior season with the fourth-best career field goal percentage in DC’s history.

Johnson earned his second-straight Honorable Mention All-HCAC honor after averaging 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game for the Yellow Jackets. The scrappy shooting guard ranked among the top three on the team in all three stats and was also third on DC with 27.7 minutes played per game. Johnson turned in 13 double-figure performances, including a season-high 28 points in a win at Heidelberg on Nov. 21. That 28-point outburst netted HCAC Player-of-the-Week honors for the junior guard and added to a 2006-2007 resume which also included spots on the HCAC and Case Western All-Tournament Teams. Johnson will enter his final season at Defiance with 922 career points, needing just 78 more to become the 41st member of the program’s 1000-point club.

Floyd wasted little time making his impact felt, bursting onto the collegiate scene by averaging 12.7 points and four assists a game over his first three contests. Floyd would go on to total 10.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds a game as a freshman point guard, while posting an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8 and dishing out three or more helpers in 24 of DC’s 26 games. The Toledo, Ohio, native topped the HCAC in assists, was sixth with 56-made threes and earned a spot on the HCAC All-Tourney Team as well as being named Honorable Mention All-Heartland Conference.

Sales also made a big splash during his rookie season, joining Pettaway with eight double-doubles and combining to present one of the most imposing post tandems in the conference. The freshman forward posted 10.4 points and 8.0 rebounds a night for Defiance, while registering the third-best field goal percentage in DC history with a blazing 63.3 percent clip. Sales also swatted 24 shots, tying him for the sixth-best single-season total in DC history and putting him as the lone player in the HCAC to rank among the top three players in the league in field goal percentage, rebounds and blocked shots. Along with being named to the Honorable Mention All-HCAC Team, the Barberton, Ohio, native was also named as the Case Western Holiday Tournament MVP, HCAC Player of the Week and HCAC Player of the Month for December.

For the HCAC press release and full list of All-HCAC selections, click here.