Asheville, N.C. -- Senior Pance Kecev and head coach Lee Clark highlighted the UVa-Wise men's basketball 2010 Appalachain Athletic Conference honors announced on Wednesday.  Kecev earned All-AAC first team while the Highland Cavaliers director received Coach of the Year acclaim.

UVa-Wise advanced to the AAC semifinals last night in a 99-88 victory over Tenneessee Wesleyan.  The win improved the Cavs to 15-12 on the year and matched the 2005-06 season (15-18) for themost victories in a year over the past at least seven campaigns.

Clark is in his 14th season of directing the UVa-Wise men and is the all-time leader for wins with 176 to his credit.  The men's coaching staff helped the Cavs hold the top spot in the AAC standings for the better half of the season and finished in a four-way tie at 11-5 atop of the league's teams.

After increasing his production each of the past four years, Kecev makes his first all-conference appearance.  The native of Strumcia, Macedonia added to his point production to a team-best and second in the AAC 15.8-point per game average.  He also leads the league in both three-point field goal percentage of 41.5% (83 of 200) and three-point field goals made per game (3.12).  The four-year Cavalier surpassed the 1,000-point career mark, the 29th in school history, and ranked tied for 17th at 1,155 points in 109 games (10.6 ppg).

Pance who played at Twin Springs High in Nickelsville, Va. has pumped in 20-plus points eight times including tying his career-high 27 points against Emory & Henry College in December.  The shooting guard rates third in the AAC at the foul line at 78.3% (83 of 106).  Kecev rounds out his numbers on the year with 2.8 rebounds per contest, 51 assists and 20 steals.

Kecev's backcourt teammates, Travis Berry and Adam Hood earned All-AAC third team status.  Hood returns to the third team for the second year in a row while Berry earned the honor in his first year at UVa-Wise.  

Berry, a sophomore transfer from Alexandria, Va., has solidfied the point position while rising to second to a 12.7 ppg average.  The T.C. Williams High alum rates second in the AAC in free throw percentage at 77.7% (108 of 139) while leading the club with 78 assists.  The second-year player posted his season-best last night of 26 points in the defeat of Tennessee Wesleyan College while having at least 12 points in a game 15 times.  He also has 29 triples, 78 rebounds and 35 steals on the year.

For the third year in a row, Hood has averaged in double figures for UVa-Wise.  The junior has scored at a 10.4-point rate this season and stands with 970 career points, just 30 points shy from joining the program's 1,000-point club.  The now two-time All-AAC performer his for a season best 26 points in the year's opening contest against Alice Lloyd and netted double digits 12 times.  He ranks fourth in the AAC at 77.1% at the foul line and seventh in assists/game (3.05/gm).  The Rye Cove High product rounds out his 2009-10 numbers with 30 three-pointers, a 2.6-rebound per game average, 67 assists and 17 steals.

The inside tandem of forwards Kevin Perry and Josh Jordan were selected to the AAC All-Defensive team.  The two Cavs have combined to block 54 shots and grab 188 in 27 contests.  Perry, a junior from Virginia Beach, Va., leads the Cavs with 6.1 rebounds per contest to go with 8.5 points.  He also has made 59.9% of his field goal attempts (82 of 137).  

The Alexandria, Va. native, Jordan has the team-high 30 blocks and averages 5.4 caroms per affair.  He has scored 9.7 points per contest and made 53.6% of his field goal tries (112 of 209).

UVa-Wise has not only had a successful season on the court but can boast the most Academic All-AAC honorees.  The Cavs have four players make the list in Kecev, Jordan, senior Travis Brannon and sophomore Patrick Fisher.  Brannon, a four-year team member, carries an impressive 3.9 GPA  while averaging 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds.  Fisher rounds out his year's stat line with 3.5 points per game and 27 assists.