BOSTON – Four Southern Conference men’s basketball student-athletes were named to the Lou Henson Award preseason watch list, CollegeInsider.com, which administers the award, announced Wednesday.
The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player.
Among the 51 preseason members of the watch list nationwide were Furman guard Devin Sibley, Mercer guard Ria’n Holland, Samford center Wyatt Walker and Wofford guard Fletcher Magee.
All four are preseason All-Southern Conference selections, and Sibley, the reigning SoCon Player of the Year, earned that honor in the preseason, as well.
Lou Henson coached 41 years. When he left the game in 2005 he was sixth all-time in career Division I wins with 779. He is the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State. He is one of only 12 coaches in the history of the game to take two schools to the Final Four.
The 2017-18 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award will be announced on March 31, 2018, at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Event in San Antonio, Texas, site of the men's NCAA Final Four.
The Southern Conference men's basketball season opens Friday, with all 10 teams in action.
2017-18 LOU HENSON PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Bryce Aiken 6-0 So. Harvard
Ehab Amin 6-4 Sr. Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Trae Bell-Haynes 6-2 Sr. Vermont
Jarrell Brantley 6-7 Jr. Charleston
Joshua Braun 6-4 Sr. Grand Canyon
Bogdan Bliznyuk 6-6 Sr. Eastern Washington
Joe Chealey 6-4 Sr. Charleston
Chris Clemons 5-9 Jr. Campbell
Xavier Cooks 6-8 Sr. Winthrop
Mike Daum 6-9 Jr. South Dakota State
Dikembe Dixson 6-7 So. UIC
Nana Foulland 6-9 Sr. Bucknell
Brandon Goodwin 6-2 Sr. FGCU
Tyler Hall 6-4 Jr. Montana State
Jalen Hayes 6-7 Sr. Oakland
Kevin Hervey 6-9 Sr. UT Arlington
Ria'n Holland 6-0 Sr. Mercer
Jordan Howard 5-11 Sr. Central Arkansas
Alzie Johnson 6-9 Sr. Missouri State
Tiwian Kendley 6-5 Sr. Morgan State
John Konchar 6-5 Jr. Fort Wayne
Anthony Lamb 6-6 So. Vermont
Jock Landale 6-11 Jr. Saint Mary's
Austin Luke 6-3 Sr. Belmont
Jairus Lyles 6-2 Sr. UMBC
Fletcher Magee 6-4 Jr. Wofford
Makai Mason 6-1 Sr. Yale
Garrison Mathews 6-5 Jr. Lipscomb
Nick Mayo 6-9 Jr. Eastern Kentucky
Drew McDonald 6-7 Jr. Northern Kentucky
Chima Moneke 6-6 Sr. UC Davis
Matt Mooney 6-3 Jr. South Dakota
Cameron Morse 6-3 Sr. Youngstown State
Tyler Nelson 6-3 Sr. Fairfield
David Nicholls 6-0 Jr. Albany
Kahron Ross 5-11 Sr. Lehigh
Victor Sanders 6-5 Sr. Idaho
Jaelan Sanford 6-4 Jr. Toledo
Devin Sibley 6-2 Sr. Furman
D'Marcus Simmonds 6-3 Sr. Georgia State
Ike Smith 6-4 Jr. Georgia Southern
Jonathan Stark 6-0 Sr. Murray State
Myles Stephens 6-5 Jr. Princeton
MaCio Teague 6-3 So. UNC Asheville
Ahmad Thomas 6-3 Sr. UNC Asheville
Jordon Varnado 6-6 Jr. Troy
Jaylin Walker 6-1 Jr. Kent State
Wyatt Walker 6-9 Jr. Samford
Bryce Washington 6-6 Sr. Louisiana
Thomas Wilder 6-3 Sr. Western Michigan
Justin Wright-Foreman 6-1 Jr. Hofstra