Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Southland Conference's (SLC) most outstanding player. The award was first given following the conference's inaugural basketball season of 1963–64. Five players have won the award two times: Jerry Rook, Larry Jeffries, Andrew Toney, Ryan Stuart and Thomas Walkup. No player has ever won three times. McNeese has the most all-time winners with eight. Among current SLC members, three have never had a winner: Houston Christian and Incarnate Word, both of which joined in 2013, and Texas A&M–Commerce, which plays its first SLC season in 2022–23.
| Awarded for | the most outstanding basketball player in the Southland Conference |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| History | |
| First award | 1964 |
| Most recent | DeMarcus Sharp, Northwestern State |
Key
| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national Player of the Year award: Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1904–05 to 1978–79) UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1954–55 to 1995–96) Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present) John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present) |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Southland Player of the Year award at that point |
Winners

Bo Lamar won the award in 1972 as a first-team All-American.

Karl Malone won the award in 1983. He later became the NBA's second all-time leading scorer and a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

Demond Mallet (right) was McNeese State's seventh winner of the Southland Conference Player of the Year award.
Winners by school
| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| McNeese (1972) | 8 | 1975, 1979, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2012 |
| Louisiana–Monroe[lower-alpha 1] | 7 | 1986, 1991 (×2)†[lower-alpha 2], 1992, 1993, 1996, 2000 |
| Stephen F. Austin (1987)[lower-alpha 3] | 7 | 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020 |
| Arkansas State (1963)[lower-alpha 4] | 6 | 1964, 1965, 1966, 1971†, 1974, 1977 |
| Sam Houston State (1987)[lower-alpha 3] | 5 | 2003, 2005, 2011, 2019, 2021 |
| Lamar (1963/1999/2022)[lower-alpha 5] | 4 | 1970, 1971†, 1981, 1984 |
| Louisiana Tech[lower-alpha 6] | 3 | 1973, 1976, 1983 |
| Louisiana[lower-alpha 7] | 3 | 1972, 1978, 1980 |
| UTSA (1991)[lower-alpha 8] | 3 | 1998, 2002, 2004 |
| Nicholls (1991) | 2 | 1995, 2022 |
| North Texas[lower-alpha 9] | 2 | 1988, 1989 |
| Northwestern State (1987) | 2 | 1994, 2023 |
| Trinity (1963)[lower-alpha 10] | 2 | 1967, 1969 |
| UT Arlington (1963)[lower-alpha 11] | 2 | 1982, 2010 |
| Abilene Christian (1963/2013)[lower-alpha 12] | 1 | 1968 |
| Central Arkansas (2006)[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 2018 |
| New Orleans (2013) | 1 | 2017 |
| Southeastern Louisiana (1997) | 1 | 2006 |
| Texas A&M–Corpus Christi (2006) | 1 | 2007 |
| Texas State (1987))[lower-alpha 11] | 1 | 1999 |
| Houston Christian (2013)[lower-alpha 13] | 0 | — |
| Incarnate Word (2013) | 0 | — |
| Oral Roberts (2012)[lower-alpha 14] | 0 | — |
| Texas A&M–Commerce (2022) | 0 | — |
Footnotes
- The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) left in 2005 to join its football team in the Sun Belt Conference.
- ULM, at the time Northeast Louisiana, had both co-players of the year in 1991.
- Five schools left the conference in 2021. In addition to Abilene Christian and Lamar, which left for the second time, the University of Central Arkansas joined the ASUN Conference, and Sam Houston State University and Stephen F. Austin State University joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Lamar returned to the SLC in 2022.
- Arkansas State University left to form the American South Conference in 1987. The Red Wolves are now in the Sun Belt Conference.
- Lamar University left in 1987 to form the American South Conference, later competing in the Sun Belt Conference and as an independent before returning to the Southland in 1999. Lamar left again in 2021, this time for the WAC, but rejoined the SLC the next year.
- Louisiana Tech University left in 1987 to form the American South Conference. The Bulldogs (and Lady Techsters) are now in Conference USA (C-USA).
- The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL), then known as Southwestern Louisiana, left in 1982 to become an independent. ULL is now in the Sun Belt Conference, and brands its athletic program solely as "Louisiana".
- The University of Texas at San Antonio left in 2012 to join the WAC. The Roadrunners spent only one season in the WAC before joining C-USA, and will move to the American Athletic Conference in 2023.
- The University of North Texas left to join the Big West Conference in 1996. The Mean Green are now in C-USA, and will also move to The American in 2023.
- Trinity College (now Trinity University) was a founding member in 1963, but departed in 1971. The Tigers are now in the Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
- The University of Texas at Arlington (now athletically branded as "UT Arlington") and Texas State University (then officially known as Texas State University–San Marcos) left in 2012 to join the WAC. Both schools spent only one season in the WAC before joining the Sun Belt Conference; UT Arlington rejoined the WAC in 2022.
- Abilene Christian College was also a founding member, but departed in 1973. After 40 years in Division II Lone Star Conference, Abilene Christian (now a "University") returned to Division I and the Southland Conference in 2013 before leaving again in 2021, this time for the WAC.
- Known as Houston Baptist University until September 21, 2022.
- Oral Roberts University left the Southland Conference in 2014, returning to its previous home of The Summit League.
References
- General
- "2008–09 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 96. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
- Specific
- "Wildcats on Honor Teams". 2014–15 ACU Men's Basketball Media Guide. Abilene Christian Athletics. p. 35. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- "ACU Men's Basketball Records: Top Career Scorers". 2014–15 ACU Men's Basketball Media Guide. Abilene Christian Athletics. p. 30. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
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