Cajuns forward Gant named to Lou Henson Award watch list

Award is presented annually to nation’s top mid-major Division I player

BOSTON – Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball player JaKeenan Gant was one of four players from the Sun Belt Conference and 49 players nationally named to the 2018-19 Lou Henson Award Watch List, which was announced on Monday.

The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation’s top mid-major player in Division I College Basketball.

Gant, a Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection, is averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game and 7.2 rebounds for the Ragin’ Cajuns through the first six games. The Springfield, Ga., native is one of seven players nationally – a list that includes freshman Zion Williamson of Duke and Bol Bol of Oregon – averaging at least 17 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.

Gant joined Tookie Brown of Georgia Southern, D’Marcus Simonds of Georgia State and Jordan Varnado of Troy as Sun Belt Conference players on the list.

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 2019 Lou Henson Award will be presented at the College Insider awards event in April at the site of the men’s Division I national championship in Minneapolis.

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2017-18 LOU HENSON AWARD WATCH LIST
Kyle Allman, Cal State Fullerton
Francis Alonso, UNC Greensboro
Jordan Barnes, Indiana State
Gary Blackston, Prairie View A&M
Shannon Bogues, Stephen F. Austin
Jarrell Brantley, Charleston
Keith Braxton, Saint Francis (Pa.)
A.J. Brodeur, Penn
Tookie Brown, Georgia Southern
Devontae Cacok, UNCW
Chris Clemons, Campbell
Clayton Custer, Loyola Chicago
Mike Daum, South Dakota State
James Dickey, UNC Greensboro
Jordan Ford, Saint Mary’s
JaKeenan Gant, Louisiana
Tyler Hall, Montana State
Jerrick Harding, Weber State
Jeremy Harris, Buffalo
Cameron Jackson, Wofford
Nathan Knight, William & Mary
John Konchar, Fort Wayne
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago
Anthony Lamb, Vermont
Loudon Love, Wright State
Fletcher Magee, Wofford
C.J. Massinburg, Buffalo
Garrison Matthews, Lipscomb
Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky
Drew McDonald, Northern Kentucky
Ja Morant, Murray State
Matt Morgan, Cornell
Nick Perkins, Buffalo
Ed Polite Jr., Radford
Vasa Pusica, Northeastern
Matt Rafferty, Furman
Isaiah Reese, Canisius
Grant Riller, Charleston
Ahmaad Rorie, Montana
Jaelan Sanford, Toledo
T.J. Shorts, UC Davis
James Thompson IV, Eastern Michigan
Seth Towns, Harvard
D’Marcus Simonds, Georgia State
Jordan Varnado, Troy
Dylan Windler, Belmont
Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra
Milik Yarbrough, Illinois State
Akwasi Yeboah, Stony Brook