Five, four, three two, one and just like that the crowd at George M. Holmes Center in Boone, SC fell in shock as Georgia Southern beat the App State Mountaineers in the closing seconds.

The player who shot the game winner: sophomore guard Mike Hughes. The six-foot-three guard from Winston-Salem, N.C. hit the game-tying three point shot while being fouled by a defender to set up the game-winning free throw for the win. The play ended up at No. 2 on SportsCenter’s Top 10.

The stats from his freshman season to now have shown his improvement and consistency at GSU. In his freshman season he averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game with a senior heavy team. This season, those averages have jumped to 13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has developed a strong all-around game that has given the Eagles a steady presence on the court. It’s his ability to consistently play at a high level that is invaluable.

Hughes described himself as a humbled, well-mannered individual who has a cool, calm demeanor both on and off the court. In big-game situations he is not afraid to be the one to take a last second shot and always believes there’s a way to win when down in a game. In post-game press conferences, he’s the one that takes more of the responsibility when answering the tough questions after a loss. His leadership qualities have been shown throughout the season as he is one of the more experienced players on the team.

His competitive nature as a player is evident from the way he aggressively drives to the basket, hits the boards for rebounds and tries to get his teammates heavily involved on both ends of the floor.

Favorite Shoes?

“Nikes, I really like the Kyrie Irving [Collection]”

Favorite NBA team and player?

“I don’t have a favorite basketball team but my favorite player is D-Wade (Dwayne Wade)”

Best 3 point shooter?

“I don’t know, I’m pretty competitive, but Jake and Tookie are probably our two best shooters”

Best Dunker?

“That’ll be Devince for sure”