Gant named to Lou Henson mid-season watch list

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana’s JaKeenan Gant was one of five players from the Sun Belt Conference and 50 players nationally named to the 2018-19 Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List, which was announced by CollegeInsider.com on Wednesday.

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

Gant, who was named to the initial Watch List in November, leads Louisiana (10-5, 1-1 SBC) in scoring (18.5 ppg.), rebounds (7.7) field goal percentage (.533) and blocked shots (3.0). The 6-foot-8 forward became the seventh player since the 2010-11 season to record a 45-point, 11-rebound game after his performance last Saturday against Little Rock.

The Springfield, Ga., native enters the second week of SBC play as the only Division I player averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 2018-19. Gant’s 45-point performance against Little Rock – the first for the Ragin’ Cajuns since Sydney Grider in 1989 – set a Cajundome record and marked the 11th-best scoring performance in school history.

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

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.

Follow the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsMBB), Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsMBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Men’s Basketball.