McNeese players, coach earn top honors as All-Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Teams and superlative awards revealed
FRISCO, Texas – McNeese’s Shahada Wells has been selected as the 2023-24 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, as the all-conference teams and special award winners were announced Friday.
Wells is the first Cowboy to win Southland Player of the Year honors since Patrick Richard in 2012 and the ninth ever. He is also the winner of the Newcomer of the Year and was named to the All-Defensive Team.
Wells ranks second in the conference in scoring at 17.2 points per game and third in field goal percentage, shooting .473. He ranks second in the conference with 142 assists across 30 games and a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. His 88 steals led the conference, and was 33 more than the next closest player managed. That total is also the 3rd best in the entire country.
Cowboy head coach Will Wade won Coach of the Year honors in his debut season in the Southland, after leading McNeese to their first SLC regular season title since 2011. McNeese went 17-1 in league play and own a 28-3 overall record.
McNeese’s Christian Shumate won Defensive Player of the Year honors and HCU’s Dominic Capriotti won Freshman of the Year honors.
Joining Wells and Shumate on the All-Southland First Team are Garry Clark from A&M-Corpus Christi, Diante Smith from Nicholls, and Nick Caldwell from Southeastern. This is Shumate’s third all-conference selection.
The second team is made up of Chris Pryor of Lamar, Jamal West Jr. of Nicholls, Jordan Johnson of New Orleans (his second All-SLC recognition), Terry Anderson of Lamar, and Roger McFarlane of Southeastern.
The All-Defensive Team is made up of Shumate, Wells, West Jr., Chase Forte of Northwestern State, and Marion Humphrey of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The 2024 Jersey Mike’s Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Explore Louisiana begins on Sunday, with the championship game on Wednesday. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+, with the first semifinal on ESPNU and the championship game on ESPN2.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shahada Wells, McNeese
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Christian Shumate, McNeese
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Shahada Wells, McNeese
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Dominic Capriotti, HCU
COACH OF THE YEAR: Will Wade, McNeese
FIRST TEAM
| Shahada Wells | McNeese | Gr. | G | Amarillo, Texas |
| Christian Shumate3 | McNeese | Jr. | F | Chicago, Illinois |
| Garry Clark | A&M-Corpus Christi | Sr. | F | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Nick Caldwell | Southeastern | Sr. | G/F | Prairieville, Louisiana |
| Diante Smith | Nicholls | Sr. | F | Fort Walton Beach, Florida |
SECOND TEAM
| Chris Pryor | Lamar | Sr. | G | DeSoto, Texas |
| Jamal West Jr. | Nicholls | Jr. | F | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Terry Anderson | Lamar | Jr. | F | Deer Park, Texas |
| Jordan Johnson2 | New Orleans | Sr. | G | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Roger McFarlane | Southeastern | Jr. | G | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
| Christian Shumate | McNeese | Jr. | F | Chicago, Illinois |
| Marion Humphrey | A&M-Corpus Christi | Gr. | G | Hoover, Alabama |
| Shahada Wells | McNeese | Gr. | G | Amarillo, Texas |
| Jamal West Jr. | Nicholls | Jr. | F | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Chase Forte | Northwestern State | Jr. | G | Raleigh, North Carolina |
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James Hill
