# Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year

The Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an 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 ten. Among current SLC members, four have never had a winner: Houston Christian and Incarnate Word, both of which joined in 2013; East Texas A&M, which joined in 2022; and UTRGV, which is playing its first SLC season in 2024–25.

## 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

| Season | Player | School | Position | Class |
| 1963–64 | Jerry Rook | Arkansas State | F | Junior |
| 1964–65 | Jerry Rook (2) | Arkansas State | F | Senior |
| 1965–66 | John Dickson | Arkansas State | C | Senior |
| 1966–67 | Larry Jeffries | Trinity | F | Sophomore |
| 1967–68 | John Ray Godfrey | Abilene Christian | G | Senior |
| 1968–69 | Larry Jeffries (2) | Trinity | F | Senior |
| 1969–70 | Kenny Haynes | Lamar | G | Senior |
| 1970–71$^†$ | Luke Adams | Lamar | F | Senior |
| 1970–71$^†$ | Allan Pruett | Arkansas State | G | Senior |
| 1971–72 | Bo Lamar | Louisiana | SG | Junior |
| 1972–73 | Mike Green | Louisiana Tech | C | Senior |
| 1973–74 | Steve Brooks | Arkansas State | C | Senior |
| 1974–75 | Henry Ray | McNeese | F | Sophomore |
| 1975–76 | Mike McConathy | Louisiana Tech | SG | Junior |
| 1976–77 | Dan Henderson | Arkansas State | C | Senior |
| 1977–78 | Andrew Toney | Louisiana | G | Sophomore |
| 1978–79 | David Lawrence | McNeese | PF | Junior |
| 1979–80 | Andrew Toney (2) | Louisiana | G | Senior |
| 1980–81 | Mike Olliver | Lamar | PG | Senior |
| 1981–82 | Albert Culton | UT Arlington | SF | Senior |
| 1982–83 | Karl Malone | Louisiana Tech | PF | Freshman |
| 1983–84 | Tom Sewell | Lamar | SG | Junior |
| 1984–85 | Joe Dumars | McNeese | PG / SG | Senior |
| 1985–86 | Bobby Jenkins | Louisiana–Monroe | F | Senior |
| 1986–87 | Jerome Batiste | McNeese | F | Senior |
| 1987–88 | Tony Worrell | North Texas | F | Senior |
| 1988–89 | Deon Hunter | North Texas | PG | Senior |
| 1989–90 | Anthony Pullard | McNeese | C | Senior |
| 1990–91$^†$ | Carlos Funchess | Louisiana–Monroe | PG / SG | Senior |
| 1990–91$^†$ | Anthony Jones | Louisiana–Monroe | F | Senior |
| 1991–92 | Ryan Stuart | Louisiana–Monroe | SF | Junior |
| 1992–93 | Ryan Stuart (2) | Louisiana–Monroe | SF | Senior |
| 1993–94 | Eric Kubel | Northwestern State | C | Senior |
| 1994–95 | Reggie Jackson | Nicholls | SG | Senior |
| 1995–96 | Paul Marshall | Louisiana–Monroe | SG | Junior |
| 1996–97 | Rosell Ellis | McNeese | F | Senior |
| 1997–98 | Roderic Hall | UTSA | G | Sophomore |
| 1998–99 | Donte Mathis | Texas State | PG | Senior |
| 1999–00 | Mike Smith | Louisiana–Monroe | PF | Senior |
| 2000–01 | Demond Mallet | McNeese | PG | Senior |
| 2001–02 | McEverett Powers | UTSA | PF | Senior |
| 2002–03 | Donald Cole | Sam Houston State | SF | Sophomore |
| 2003–04 | LeRoy Hurd | UTSA | SF | Senior |
| 2004–05 | Joe Thompson | Sam Houston State | SF / SG | Sophomore |
| 2005–06 | Ricky Woods | Southeastern Louisiana | F | Junior |
| 2006–07 | Chris Daniels | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | C | Junior |
| 2007–08 | Josh Alexander | Stephen F. Austin | SF | Junior |
| 2008–09 | Matt Kingsley | Stephen F. Austin | C | Senior |
| 2009–10 | MarQuez Haynes | UT Arlington | G | Senior |
| 2010–11 | Gilberto Clavell | Sam Houston State | SF | Senior |
| 2011–12 | Patrick Richard | McNeese | SG / SF | Senior |
| 2012–13 | Taylor Smith | Stephen F. Austin | PF | Senior |
| 2013–14 | Jacob Parker | Stephen F. Austin | PF | Junior |
| 2014–15 | Thomas Walkup | Stephen F. Austin | SG / SF | Junior |
| 2015–16 | Thomas Walkup (2) | Stephen F. Austin | SG / SF | Senior |
| 2016–17 | Erik Thomas | New Orleans | PF | Senior |
| 2017–18 | Jordan Howard | Central Arkansas | SG | Senior |
| 2018–19 | Cameron Delaney | Sam Houston State | SG | Senior |
| 2019–20 | Kevon Harris | Stephen F. Austin | SG | Senior |
| 2020–21 | Zach Nutall | Sam Houston State | SG | Junior |
| 2021–22 | Ty Gordon | Nicholls | PG | Graduate |
| 2022–23 | DeMarcus Sharp | Northwestern State | PG | Senior |
| 2023–24 | Shahada Wells | McNeese | SG | Graduate |
| 2024–25 | Javohn Garcia | McNeese | SG | Senior |

## Winners by school

| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
| McNeese (1972) | 10 | 1975, 1979, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2012, 2024, 2025 |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 7 | 1986, 1991 (×2)$^†$, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2000 |
| Stephen F. Austin (1987/2024) | 7 | 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020 |
| Arkansas State (1963) | 6 | 1964, 1965, 1966, 1971$^†$, 1974, 1977 |
| Sam Houston State (1987) | 5 | 2003, 2005, 2011, 2019, 2021 |
| Lamar (1963/1999/2022) | 4 | 1970, 1971$^†$, 1981, 1984 |
| Louisiana Tech | 3 | 1973, 1976, 1983 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 1972, 1978, 1980 |
| UTSA (1991) | 3 | 1998, 2002, 2004 |
| Nicholls (1991) | 2 | 1995, 2022 |
| North Texas | 2 | 1988, 1989 |
| Northwestern State (1987) | 2 | 1994, 2023 |
| Trinity (1963) | 2 | 1967, 1969 |
| UT Arlington (1963) | 2 | 1982, 2010 |
| Abilene Christian (1963/2013) | 1 | 1968 |
| Central Arkansas (2006) | 1 | 2018 |
| New Orleans (2013) | 1 | 2017 |
| Southeastern Louisiana (1997) | 1 | 2006 |
| Texas A&M–Corpus Christi (2006) | 1 | 2007 |
| Texas State (1987) | 1 | 1999 |
| East Texas A&M (2022) | 0 | — |
| Houston Christian (2013) | 0 | — |
| Incarnate Word (2013) | 0 | — |
| Oral Roberts (2012) | 0 | — |
| UT Rio Grande Valley (2024) | 0 | — |
* ↑ The University of Louisiana at Monroe left in 2005 to join its football team in the Sun Belt Conference.
* 1 2 3 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 Atlantic Sun Conference, and Sam Houston State University and Stephen F. Austin State University joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Sam Houston has since joined Conference USA (CUSA). Lamar returned to the SLC in 2022, and Stephen F. Austin returned in 2024.
* ↑ 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 CUSA.
* ↑ 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 CUSA, and have since joined the American Athletic Conference.
* ↑ The University of North Texas left to join the Big West Conference in 1996. The Mean Green moved from there to CUSA and then The American.
* ↑ 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.
* 1 2 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 Texas A&M University–Commerce until November 7, 2024.
* ↑ 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.