Big South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year

Big South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Awarded forthe most outstanding basketball player in the Big South Conference.
CountryUnited States
History
First award1986
Most recentDrew Pember, UNC Asheville

The Big South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual award given to the Big South Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1985–86 season, the first year the league conducted basketball competition.[a]

The most unique recipient of the Big South Player of the Year Award is Tony Dunkin. Dunkin, a 6'7" (2.01 m) small forward, played for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers from 1989 to 1993 and won the award all four seasons.[1][2] He is the only NCAA Division I men's basketball player to ever earn four conference player of the year awards.[1][2][b]

Coastal Carolina, which left the Big South for the Sun Belt Conference after the 2015–16 season,[7] has the most all-time awards with nine and individual winners with five. Among current members, Winthrop has the most awards with six. The only established Big South members without any winners are three of the six newest members of the conference—Presbyterian (joining in 2007), Gardner–Webb (2008), and Longwood (2012). Although Campbell's current tenure in the Big South dates only to 2011, it has three winners from its first conference tenure (1983–1994).

Key

† Co-Players of the Year
* Awarded a national player of the year award:
UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1954–55 to 1995–96)
Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present)
John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present)
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Big South Player of the Year award at that point

Winners

Arizona Reid, High Point, 2007 and 2008
Artsiom Parakhouski, Radford, 2009 and 2010
Jesse Sanders, Liberty, 2011
Stan Okoye, VMI, 2013
John Brown, High Point, 2014 and 2016
Keon Johnson, Winthrop, 2017
Xavier Cooks, Winthrop, 2018
Chris Clemons, Campbell, 2019
Carlik Jones, Radford, 2020
Chandler Vaudrin, Winthrop, 2021
Season Player School Position Class Reference
1985–86 Fred McKinnon Winthrop F Senior [8]
1986–87 Clarence Grier Campbell F Senior [9]
1987–88 Derek Wilson Coastal Carolina PF / C Junior [10]
1988–89 Henry Wilson Campbell C Senior [11]
1989–90 Tony Dunkin Coastal Carolina SF Freshman [12]
1990–91 Tony Dunkin (2) Coastal Carolina SF Sophomore [12]
1991–92 Tony Dunkin (3) Coastal Carolina SF Junior [12]
1992–93 Tony Dunkin (4) Coastal Carolina SF Senior [12]
1993–94 Joe Spinks Campbell SF Senior [13]
1994–95 Eric Burks Charleston Southern PG Senior [14]
1995–96 T. L. Latson Charleston Southern SF Senior [15]
1996–97 Josh Pittman UNC Asheville SG Junior [16]
1997–98 Josh Pittman (2) UNC Asheville SG Senior [16]
1998–99 Kevin Martin UNC Asheville SF Senior [9]
1999–00 Jason Williams Radford F Junior [17]
2000–01 Torrey Butler Coastal Carolina SF Junior [18]
2001–02 Greg Lewis Winthrop PF Senior [19]
2002–03 Torrey Butler (2) Coastal Carolina SF Senior [20]
2003–04 Danny Gathings High Point PF Junior [21]
2004–05 Pele Paelay Coastal Carolina SG Junior [22]
2005–06 Jack Leasure Coastal Carolina PG / SG Sophomore [23]
2006–07 Arizona Reid High Point PF Junior [24]
2007–08 Arizona Reid (2) High Point PF Senior [24]
2008–09 Artsiom Parakhouski Radford C Junior [25]
2009–10 Artsiom Parakhouski (2) Radford C Senior [25]
2010–11 Jesse Sanders Liberty PG Junior [26]
2011–12 Matt Dickey UNC Asheville PG Senior [27]
2012–13 Stan Okoye VMI PF Senior [28]
2013–14 John Brown High Point PF Sophomore [29]
2014–15 Saah Nimley Charleston Southern PG Senior [30]
2015–16 John Brown (2) High Point PF Senior [31]
2016–17 Keon Johnson Winthrop G Senior [32]
2017–18 Xavier Cooks Winthrop G/F Senior [33]
2018–19 Chris Clemons Campbell PG Senior [34]
2019–20 Carlik Jones Radford PG Junior [35]
2020–21 Chandler Vaudrin Winthrop PG / SG Senior [36]
2021–22 D. J. Burns Winthrop F Junior [37]
2022–23 Drew Pember UNC Asheville F Senior [38]
2023–24 Drew Pember (2) UNC Asheville F Graduate [39]

Winners by school

School (year joined) Winners Years
Coastal Carolina (1983)[c] 9 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006
UNC Asheville (1984) 6 1997, 1998, 1999, 2012, 2023, 2024
Winthrop (1983) 6 1986, 2002, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022
High Point (1999) 5 2004, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016
Campbell (1983/2011)[d] 4 1987, 1989, 1994, 2019
Radford (1983) 4 2000, 2009, 2010, 2020
Charleston Southern (1983) 3 1995, 1996, 2015
Liberty (1991)[e] 1 2011
VMI (2003)[f] 1 2013
Gardner–Webb (2008) 0 —
Hampton (2018)[g] 0 —
Longwood (2012) 0 —
North Carolina A&T (2021)[g] 0 —
Presbyterian (2007) 0 —
USC Upstate (2018) 0 —
  1. ^ The Big South Conference was formed in 1982–83 but did not compete in varsity basketball until 1985–86.
  2. ^ Four Division I women's players have matched this achievement, although two were co-winners on at least one occasion. Lee Eun-jung of Louisiana–Monroe, then known as Northeast Louisiana, was the sole recipient of the Southland Conference award from 1983–1986,[3] and Macee Williams of IUPUI was the sole recipient in the Horizon League from 2019–2022.[4] Kim Smith of Utah received the award in the Mountain West Conference from 2003–2006, twice outright and twice shared.[5] Jantel Lavender of Ohio State received Big Ten Conference honors from 2008–2011. In that conference, two separate awards are presented, one voted on by league coaches and the other by media; Lavender received the coaches' award in 2008, the media award in 2011, and both awards in 2009 and 2010.[6]
  3. ^ Coastal Carolina left in 2016 for the Sun Belt Conference.
  4. ^ Campbell University left in 1994 to join the Trans America Athletic Conference, now known as the ASUN Conference. The Fighting Camels returned to the Big South in 2011, and will leave again in 2023, this time for the Colonial Athletic Association.
  5. ^ Liberty University left in 2018 to join the ASUN Conference, and will move to Conference USA in 2023.
  6. ^ Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which joined the Big South from the Southern Conference in 2003, returned to the SoCon in 2014.
  7. ^ a b Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University (North Carolina A&T) left in 2022 for the Colonial Athletic Association.

References

  1. ^ a b "25th Anniversary Profile: Tony Dunkin". Big South Men's Basketball. Big South Conference. 6 January 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  2. ^ a b Staff (15 March 1993). "College basketball: Team-by-team Look At Ncaa Men's Tournament → West Regional". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  3. ^ "History & Records: Postseason Awards" (PDF). 2020–21 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Guide. Southland Conference. p. 82. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Horizon League Unveils 2021-22 #HLWBB All-League Honors" (Press release). Horizon League. February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "2020–21 Mountain West Women's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Mountain West Conference. pp. 80–84. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  6. ^ "Big Ten Honors: Player of the Year" (PDF). 2020–21 Big Ten Women's Basketball Record Book. Big Ten Conference. p. 63. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  7. ^ "Coastal Carolina to Join Sun Belt Conference" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  8. ^ "WC places – Pair makes all-conference". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. March 3, 1986. p. 10. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Men's Big South Conference Player of the Year Winners". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  10. ^ "Wilson named Big South's top player". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. March 9, 1988. p. 17. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Rantin, Bertram (March 9, 1989). "Former Diamond star Wilson named Big South Player of Year". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. p. 78. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b c d Brasier, John (March 5, 1993). "Dunkin cold, Chants warm up in victory". The Sun News. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. p. 9. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Wiseman, Steve (March 5, 1994). "Campbell's Spinks too much for Eagles". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina. p. 22. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Hamlett, Marvin (March 6, 1995). "Bucs' Burks hits winner at buzzer". The News & Advance. Lynchburg, Virginia. p. 9. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Hamlett, Marvin (March 1, 1996). "Charleston So. ousts Radford". The News & Advance. Lynchburg, Virginia. p. 9. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b Browning, Wilt (March 1, 1998). "UNCA's dance tickets revoked". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. p. 17. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Cox, Ray (March 4, 2000). "Radford ousted – Undermanned Highlanders can't keep up". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, Virginia. p. 15. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Waldrop, Melinda (March 2, 2001). "Disappointment crosses decades". The Sun News. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. p. 13. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Parrish, Will (March 16, 2002). "Loss to Duke doesn't detract from Eagles' championship season". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. p. 24. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Waldrop, Melinda (March 5, 2003). "Heartbreaking loss ends Chants' season". The Sun News. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. p. 11. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Colleges: Men's Basketball All-Big South First Team". News & Record. Greensboro, North Carolina. March 2, 2004. p. 20. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Murphy, David (March 23, 2005). "Chants' Paelay gets big honor". The Sun News. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. p. 13. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "McQuaid grad Leasure honored as Big South's men's player of the year". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. March 2, 2006. p. 7. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b "Reid, Panthers knock out Coastal". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. March 5, 2008. p. 16. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b "Parakhouski, Ellis lead Big South awards list". News & Messenger. Manassas, Virginia. March 2, 2010. p. 10. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Lang, Chris (March 1, 2011). "Sanders named Big South player of the year". The News & Advance. Lynchburg, Virginia. p. 21. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "UNC Asheville beats VMI to earn NCAA berth". Statesville Record & Landmark. Statesville, North Carolina. March 4, 2012. p. 12. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Stevens, Tim (March 10, 2013). "Okoye found a home at VMI". The Eastern Wake News. Raleigh, North Carolina. p. 6. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "HPU player, coach best in conference". News & Record. Greensboro, North Carolina. March 4, 2014. p. 18. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Men's Basketball All-Big South". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, Virginia. March 3, 2015. p. 20. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Brown and McKay honored by Big South". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. March 2, 2016. p. C7. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Keon Johnson, Winthrop". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. March 16, 2017. p. C3. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "No. 3 Winthrop (18–11)". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. March 1, 2018. p. B2. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "This Is Chris Clemons' Last Shot At The NCAA Tournament". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. March 7, 2019. p. B2. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Russo, Ralph D. (March 27, 2020). "Pandemic fallout: NCAA slashes distribution by $375 million – Carlik Jones shares planes". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, Virginia. p. B5. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "Russell Jones (cont.)". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. March 18, 2021. p. B2. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ Zietlow, Alex (March 2, 2022). "Winthrop big man DJ Burns named Big South Player of the Year". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. p. B1. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Lyttle, Steve (March 4, 2023). "UNC Asheville makes waves in Big South thanks to coach". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina. p. A8. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Huber, Zachary (March 12, 2024). "UNC Asheville falls in Big South final". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. p. B1. Retrieved June 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.