Nicholls guard Ty Gordon headlines All-Southland teams as Men’s Basketball Player of the Year

All eight schools represented between three all-conference teams

FRISCO, Texas – Nicholls guard Ty Gordon is the 2022 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, the league announced Monday along with its all-conference teams.

A league-record seven-time Southland Player of the Week, Gordon wrapped his final season as the nation’s No. 9 scorer (21.6), including 22.3 per contest in league play despite dealing with a knee injury earlier in the year. He surpassed the 20-point mark in 18 games, including four 30-point outings over the final six games of the season to help the Colonels push for their second-straight regular-season conference championship.

Gordon put a bow on his historic season with a career-high 36 points in a winner-take-all battle with New Orleans for the league title and No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. A lethal three-point shooter, he finished fifth among Division I student-athletes with 3.75 threes made per game. In a loss to Purdue back on Dec. 29, Gordon set a Mackey Arena record with nine three-pointers. He also ranked sixth in field-goal percentage (.440) and seventh in assists per game (3.2) against conference foes.

McNeese’s Johnathan Massie takes home the Freshman of the Year award after averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in league play for the Cowboys. He played a vital role in the Pokes’ offense in his first season, ranking third on the team in minutes (26.8) and second on the squad in assists (2.6) against conference foes. In a 93-84 win over Northwestern State on Feb. 5, Massie recorded season highs in points (12), rebounds (seven) and assists (six).

Southeastern’s Jalyn Hinton is the Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with 2.1 blocks per game in league play, along with 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest. In one of the Lions’ three victories over regular-season champion Nicholls, he tallied a season-high six blocks and recorded one of his six double-doubles with 13 points and 11 rebounds. At just 6-6, Hinton registered a block in all but four games for the Lions, including eight with at least four blocks.

A Western Texas College transfer, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi guard Isaac Mushila is the Newcomer of the Year following an impressive debut season in which he averaged a double-double with 13.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in conference play. He finished seventh among Division I student-athletes with 3.55 offensive rebounds per game. Mushila recorded double-doubles in seven Southland contests, including tying his season-high of 17 rebounds on two occasions.

Southeastern also accounted for the league’s Coach of the Year in David Kiefer, who led the Lions to a championship at the inaugural Southland Tip-Off Event and the No. 2 seed at the conference tournament. He guided SLU to a 10-4 record in league play and a 10-1 mark at home. Possessing the league’s top scoring offense (79.7 PPG), the Lions’ 19 wins surpassed Kiefer’s win total in his first two seasons combined (16).

Gordon headlines the all-conference first team, and he is joined by the star-studded backcourt duo of Derek St. Hilaire and Troy Green of New Orleans. Northwestern State’s Kendal Coleman and Southeastern’s Gus Okafor round out the top squad.

Nicholls led the way with four total all-conference selections, followed by Southeastern with three. New Orleans and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi each grabbed two spots on the teams, and HBU, UIW, McNeese and Northwestern State each garnered one all-conference nod.

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: Ty Gordon, Nicholls
Defensive Player of the Year: Jalyn Hinton, Southeastern
Freshman of the Year: Johnathan Massie, McNeese
Newcomer of the Year: Isaac Mushila, A&M-Corpus Christi
Coach of the Year: David Kiefer, Southeastern

2021-22 All-Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Teams

² indicates two-time all-conference selection