Johnson County's Cornett signs with Milligan

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (May 22, 2003) -Matt Cornett, a senior at Johnson County High School and one of the best all-around athletes in the area, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball and golf at Milligan College. Milligan coach Tony Wallingford made the announcement today.

The 6'2" Cornett has been a standout in basketball, golf and track for the past three years at Johnson County High School. This past year in basketball Cornett was named All-Conference and All-Regional Tournament. He averaged 22 points and 7 rebounds per game for the Longhorns.

Cornett is one of the top five scorers in JCHS history, with 1,725 points. As a senior he was also selected to the Tennessee Blue Chip All Star Team, the All Carter/Johnson County First Team, and Honorable Mention All-State. He was also tabbed by WJHL-TV11 as a Scholar Athlete.

Cornett is a three-time team MVP in golf and carried the low score average for JCHS each of the past three seasons.

Cornett's track honors are just as impressive as his golf and basketball accolades. He has been All-Conference three years participating in three events. His specialty is the high jump, where he has jumped 6'2 and qualified for the state meet twice.

"Matt is a gifted athlete and I am confident he will have a solid career in both sports here," said Milligan basketball and golf coach Tony Wallingford, who is happy to have Cornett in his programs.

"In golf, with five seniors graduated this spring, he will be counted on right away to contribute. In basketball, we are going to work with Matt and move him from the inside positions he played for JCHS to a perimeter spot. Because he has excellent basketball skills and athletic ability, I feel he is more than capable to make that adjustment," Wallingford said.

Cornett, a National Honor Society student with a 3.7 grade point average, has received the Presidential Academic Excellence Award twice. He is the son of Aaron and Rita Cornett of Mountain City. He plans a major in pre-law at Milligan.

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Milligan College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Northeast Tennessee, nationally recognized for its commitment to excellence in academic, social and spiritual development. The college has consistently been named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit www.milligan.edu or call 423.461.8719.

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