All-Southland Conference Men’s Basketball honors announced

Eight schools represented between the three all-conference teams

FRISCO, Texas – Sam Houston junior guard Zach Nutall is the 2021 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, the league announced Monday along with its all-conference teams. Southland Player of the Year awards are presented by Ready Nutrition.

The conference’s leading scorer in league play (18.0 PPG), Nutall scored in double digits in 14 Southland Conference games with two 30-point and four 20-point games on the season. The junior from Bryan, Texas, averaged 6.1 rebounds and shot 42.2 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three, all of which ranked among the top 15 in the league. He also ranked sixth in the Southland with 2.8 three-pointers made per game against conference opponents.

Nutall picked up two Southland Conference Player of the Week awards, making him one of just three student-athletes to earn multiple honors. The first came on Dec. 21 after he averaged 20 points a game against LSU, Texas and Rice, and the second followed a 33-point output on 11-of-15 shooting and a career-high six three-pointers made against Houston Baptist.

Sam Houston also accounted for the league’s Freshman of the Year in rookie guard Bryce Monroe, who finished third on the team in scoring (10.2) in a sixth-man role off the bench. He posted 10 double-digit point totals in Southland play, including a season-high 26 points against Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 10. Monroe finished with the second-best free-throw percentage in league competition, converting 51-of-57 (.895) attempts from the stripe.

Lamar’s David Muoka takes home Defensive Player of the Year honors, nearly doubling the next highest tally in blocks per game with an average of 3.5 in conference games. He ranks seventh nationally with 2.86 stopped shots per game in all contests. Muoka also led the Southland in rebounding (9.3) against Southland opponents, including 6.6 defensive boards per game.

A Troy transfer, Nicholls guard Ty Gordon is the Newcomer of the Year following an impressive debut season in which he finished seventh in scoring (16.1) in conference play. Against league opponents, he shot 46.2 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, both ranking 13th in the Southland. Gordon stepped in and averaged a team-high 34.5 minutes in Southland contests, good for fifth among all players.

At the helm of the Colonels is Southland Conference Coach of the Year, Austin Claunch, who led Nicholls to its first outright regular-season conference championship since 1998 in just his third year as head coach. Over the final 15 games of the season, the Colonels posted a pair of seven-game win-streaks that sandwiched one loss to No. 2 seed Sam Houston.

Nutall headlines the all-conference first team, joined by teammate Demarkus Lampley, Gordon, Abilene Christian center Kolton Kohl and Stephen F. Austin forward Gavin Kensmil, last year’s Newcomer of the Year.

Abilene Christian, Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin led the way with three all-conference selections, followed by Sam Houston with a pair of first-teamers. UIW, Northwestern State, New Orleans and Central Arkansas rounded out the all-conference squads with one pick each.

All-conference teams and individual awards are nominated and voted upon by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors. Voting for oneself or one’s own players/coaches is not permitted.

Player of the Year: Zach Nutall, Sam Houston
Defensive Player of the Year: David Muoka, Lamar
Freshman of the Year: Bryce Monroe, Sam Houston
Newcomer of the Year: Ty Gordon, Nicholls
Coach of the Year: Austin Claunch, Nicholls

2020-21 All-Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Teams
First Team Institution Pos. Class Hometown
Zach Nutall* Sam Houston G Jr. Bryan, Texas
Gavin Kensmil* Stephen F. Austin F Sr. Paramaribo, Suriname
Kolton Kohl Abilene Christian C R-Sr. San Angelo, Texas
Demarkus Lampley Sam Houston G Sr. Phenix City, Ala.
Ty Gordon Nicholls G Sr. Tunica, Miss.

Second Team Institution Pos. Class Hometown
Joe Pleasant* Abilene Christian F Jr. Overland Park, Kan.
Keaston Willis UIW G So. Sulphur Springs, Texas
Cameron Johnson Stephen F. Austin G Sr. Little Rock, Ark.
Trenton Massner Northwestern State G Jr. Wapello, Iowa
Damion Rosser New Orleans G R-Jr. McDonough, Ga.

Third Team Institution Pos. Class Hometown
Rylan Bergersen* Central Arkansas G Sr. Boise, Idaho
Roti Ware Stephen F. Austin G Sr. Morton, Miss.
Coryon Mason Abilene Christian G Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla.
Kevin Johnson Nicholls G Sr. Thibodaux, La.
Najee Garvin Nicholls F R-Jr. Lexington, S.C.

* indicates two-time all-conference selection

All-Defensive Team Institution Pos. Class Hometown
David Muoka Lamar C So. Hong Kong, China
Damien Daniels Abilene Christian G Jr. Kansas City, Mo.
Reggie Miller Abilene Christian G Sr. Houston, Texas
Kevin Johnson Nicholls G Sr. Thibodaux, La.
Coryon Mason Abilene Christian G Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla.