# Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year

The Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an award given to the most outstanding men's basketball player in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The award was first given following the conference's first basketball season of 1976–77. Four players have been selected twice (Terry Catledge, Chris Gatling, Chico Fletcher, and R. J. Hunter), while no player has earned a three-time player of the year selection.
Western Kentucky, which left the SBC for Conference USA in 2014, has the most all-time winners with seven. Among schools remaining in the SBC beyond 2014, South Alabama, the only charter member that has continuously been in the conference, has the most winners with six.

## 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 Sun Belt Player of the Year award at that point |

## Winners

| Season | Player | School | Position | Class |
| 1976–77 | Cedric Maxwell | Charlotte | PF / C | Senior |
| 1977–78 | Wayne Cooper | New Orleans | C | Senior |
| 1978–79 | Rory White | South Alabama | PF | Sophomore |
| 1979–80 | James Ray | Jacksonville | PF | Senior |
| 1980–81 | Ed Rains | South Alabama | SF | Senior |
| 1981–82 | Oliver Robinson | UAB | SG | Senior |
| 1982–83$^†$ | Charlie Bradley | South Florida | SF | Sophomore |
| 1982–83$^†$ | Calvin Duncan | VCU | SG | Sophomore |
| 1983–84 | Terry Catledge | South Alabama | PF | Junior |
| 1984–85 | Terry Catledge (2) | South Alabama | PF | Senior |
| 1985–86 | Kenny Gattison | Old Dominion | C | Senior |
| 1986–87 | Tellis Frank | Western Kentucky | PF | Senior |
| 1987–88 | Byron Dinkins | Charlotte | PG | Junior |
| 1988–89 | Jeff Hodge | South Alabama | SG | Senior |
| 1989–90 | Chris Gatling | Old Dominion | PF | Junior |
| 1990–91 | Chris Gatling (2) | Old Dominion | PF | Senior |
| 1991–92 | Ron Ellis | Louisiana Tech | PF | Senior |
| 1992–93 | Ervin Johnson | New Orleans | C | Senior |
| 1993–94$^†$ | Michael Allen | Louisiana | G | Senior |
| 1993–94$^†$ | Jeff Clifton | Arkansas State | F | Senior |
| 1994–95 | Chris Robinson | Western Kentucky | SG | Junior |
| 1995–96 | Derek Fisher | Little Rock | SG | Senior |
| 1996–97 | Muntrelle Dobbins | Little Rock | PF | Senior |
| 1997–98 | Chico Fletcher | Arkansas State | PG | Sophomore |
| 1998–99 | Chico Fletcher (2) | Arkansas State | PG | Junior |
| 1999–00 | Gerrod Henderson | Louisiana Tech | SG | Sophomore |
| 2000–01 | Chris Marcus | Western Kentucky | C | Junior |
| 2001–02 | Héctor Romero | New Orleans | SF | Junior |
| 2002–03 | James Moore | New Mexico State | F | Junior |
| 2003–04 | Mike Wells | Western Kentucky | SG / PG | Senior |
| 2004–05 | Yemi Nicholson | Denver | C | Junior |
| 2005–06 | Anthony Winchester | Western Kentucky | SG | Senior |
| 2006–07 | Bo McCalebb | New Orleans | PG | Junior |
| 2007–08 | Courtney Lee | Western Kentucky | SG | Senior |
| 2008–09 | Orlando Méndez-Valdez | Western Kentucky | PG | Senior |
| 2009–10 | Tyren Johnson | Louisiana | PF | Senior |
| 2010–11 | Solomon Bozeman | Little Rock | SG | Senior |
| 2011–12 | LaRon Dendy | Middle Tennessee | PF | Senior |
| 2012–13 | Augustine Rubit | South Alabama | PF / C | Junior |
| 2013–14 | R. J. Hunter | Georgia State | SG | Sophomore |
| 2014–15 | R. J. Hunter (2) | Georgia State | SG | Junior |
| 2015–16 | Shawn Long | Louisiana | PF | Senior |
| 2016–17 | Kevin Hervey | UT Arlington | PF | Junior |
| 2017–18 | D'Marcus Simonds | Georgia State | SG | Sophomore |
| 2018–19 | Tookie Brown | Georgia Southern | PG | Senior |
| 2019–20 | Nijal Pearson | Texas State | SG | Senior |
| 2020–21 | DeVante' Jones | Coastal Carolina | SG | Junior |
| 2021–22 | Norchad Omier | Arkansas State | PF | Sophomore |
| 2022–23 | Taevion Kinsey | Marshall | SG | Senior |
| 2023–24 | Terrence Edwards Jr. | James Madison | SG | Senior |
| 2024–25 | Tayton Conerway | Troy | PG | Senior |

## Winners by school

| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
| Western Kentucky (1982) | 7 | 1987, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| South Alabama (1976) | 6 | 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2013 |
| Arkansas State (1991) | 4 | 1994$^†$, 1998, 1999, 2022 |
| New Orleans (1976) | 4 | 1978, 1993, 2002, 2007 |
| Georgia State (1976/2013) | 3 | 2014, 2015, 2018 |
| Little Rock (1991) | 3 | 1996, 1997, 2011 |
| Louisiana (1991) | 3 | 1994$^†$, 2010, 2016 |
| Old Dominion (1982/2022) | 3 | 1986, 1990, 1991 |
| Charlotte (1976) | 2 | 1977, 1988 |
| Louisiana Tech (1991) | 2 | 1992, 2000 |
| Coastal Carolina (2016) | 1 | 2021 |
| Denver (1999) | 1 | 2005 |
| Georgia Southern (2014) | 1 | 2019 |
| Jacksonville (1976) | 1 | 1980 |
| James Madison (2022) | 1 | 2024 |
| Marshall (2022) | 1 | 2023 |
| Middle Tennessee (2001) | 1 | 2012 |
| New Mexico State (2001) | 1 | 2003 |
| South Florida (1976) | 1 | 1983$^†$ |
| Texas State (2013) | 1 | 2020 |
| Troy (2005) | 1 | 2025 |
| UAB (1979) | 1 | 1982 |
| UT Arlington (2013) | 1 | 2017 |
| VCU (1979) | 1 | 1983$^†$ |
| Appalachian State (2014) | 0 | — |
| Florida Atlantic (2006) | 0 | — |
| FIU (1998) | 0 | — |
| Louisiana–Monroe (2001) | 0 | — |
| North Texas (2001) | 0 | — |
| Southern Miss (2022) | 0 | — |
* ↑ Western Kentucky left for Conference USA (C-USA) in 2014.
* ↑ New Orleans left in 1980 but later rejoined in 1991. They left a second time in 2010, planning to transition to NCAA Division II. The Privateers instead chose to remain in Division I, and joined the Southland Conference in 2013.
* ↑ Georgia State, a charter member of the conference, left in 1981 to become independent. After later having been members of two other conferences, the Panthers rejoined the SBC in 2013.
* ↑ Little Rock left in 2022 for the Ohio Valley Conference.
* ↑ Old Dominion left in 1991 to join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). After later moving to C-USA, the Monarchs returned to the SBC in 2022.
* ↑ Charlotte left in 1991 for the Metro Conference. It became a charter member of C-USA when the Metro merged with the Great Midwest Conference, and still later moved to the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), by which time it had adopted "Charlotte" as its athletic identity. The 49ers rejoined C-USA in 2013, and will join the American Athletic Conference (The American) in 2023.
* ↑ Louisiana Tech left in 2001 to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and joined C-USA in 2013.
* ↑ Denver left in 2012 for the WAC, and moved again in 2013 to the Summit League.
* ↑ Jacksonville left in 1998 for the Trans America Athletic Conference, now known as the ASUN Conference.
* 1 2 3 4 FIU, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, and North Texas all joined C-USA in 2013. Florida Atlantic and North Texas will move to The American in 2023.
* ↑ New Mexico State left in 2005 to join the WAC; it will move to C-USA in 2023.
* ↑ South Florida left in 1991 for the Metro Conference. The Bulls are now in The American.
* ↑ UAB left in 1991 for the Great Midwest. The Blazers became charter members of C-USA, and will remain there until joining The American in 2023.
* ↑ UT Arlington left for the Western Athletic Conference in 2022.
* ↑ VCU left in 1991 to join the CAA, and moved from there to the A-10 in 2012.