Sun Belt Announces 2023-24 Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards & All-Conference Teams

[AppStFan1]

2023-24 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards

Player of the Year: Terrence Edwards Jr., James Madison (R-Jr., G/F – Atlanta, Ga.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Abson, App State (So., F, - Pompano Beach, Fla.)
Newcomer of the Year: T.J. Bickerstaff, James Madison (Gr., F –Atlanta, Ga.)
Freshman of the Year: Myles Rigsby, Troy (Fr., F – Fort Worth, Texas)
Sixth Man of the Year: Tayton Conerway, Troy (Jr., G – Burleson, Texas)
Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year: Dustin Kerns, App State

All-Sun Belt First Team
Terrence Edwards Jr., James Madison (R-Jr., G/F – Atlanta, Ga.)
Christyon Eugene, Troy (Sr., G – Spring, Texas)
Caleb Fields, Arkansas State (Sr., G – Lewisburg, Tenn.)
Donovan Gregory, App State (Gr., F – Charlotte, N.C.)
Tre’Von Spillers, App State (Jr., F – Charleston, S.C.)

All-Sun Belt Second Team
T.J. Bickerstaff, James Madison (Gr., F –Atlanta, Ga.)
Austin Crowley, Southern Miss (Sr., G – West Point, Miss.)
Chaunce Jenkins, Old Dominion (Jr., G – Newport News, Va.)
Kobe Julien, Louisiana (R-Jr., F – Baton Rouge, La.)
Tyren Moore, Georgia Southern (Sr., G – Louisville, Ky.)

All-Sun Belt Third Team
Joe Charles, Louisiana (Jr., F – Carencro, La.)
Noah Freidel, James Madison (R-Sr., G – Tea, S.D.)
Terence Harcum, App State (Jr., G – Butner, N.C.)
Hosana Kitenge, Louisiana (Jr., F – Crawley, England)
Nika Metskhvarishvili, ULM (Sr., F – Tbilisi, Georgia)
John Ojiako, Coastal Carolina (Gr., C – Lagos, Nigeria)
Taryn Todd, Arkansas State (Jr., G – Vaughan, Ontario)

Ties were not broken.

[GSUwasGump’sFallbackSchool]

I’m kinda shocked Justin got the appropriate recognition for DPOY, but then is completely left off the teams’ list.

I get his production was a little lower these past few weeks with certain matchups and CJ plying so well, but I feel likes he deserved to be one of the 15 best players named.

[Saint3333]

Abson not on 1st or 2nd team?

Spillers > Bickerstaff for newcomer of the year, but otherwise good job. Gregory shuts down the OPOY in the tourney and gets the MVP.

[appfanjj]

Spillers first team but not newcomer of the year? Who was any better? I refuse to type the name of the player and the school he plays for.
Abson DPOY but not even third team?
Got some things to set right in Pensacola. Take the stairs!!!

[hapapp]

I’m kinda shocked Justin got the appropriate recognition for DPOY, but then is completely left off the teams’ list.

I get his production was a little lower these past few weeks with certain matchups and CJ plying so well, but I feel likes he deserved to be one of the 15 best players named.

Interesting that in conference only games, Justin only has 1 more block Iwuakor from So MIss. He's definitely deserving of the DPOY but his overall game probably isn't all conference caliber yet.

[GSUwasGump’sFallbackSchool]

It means theres still stairs left to be taken. What an opportunity to show it this week.

[hapapp]

Spillers first team but not newcomer of the year? Who was any better? I refuse to type the name of the player and the school he plays for.
Abson DPOY but not even third team?
Got some things to set right in Pensacola. Take the stairs!!!

That one makes no sense. Spillers is first team but Bickerstaff is NOTY but only makes second team.

[AppStFan1]

I’m kinda shocked Justin got the appropriate recognition for DPOY, but then is completely left off the teams’ list.

I get his production was a little lower these past few weeks with certain matchups and CJ plying so well, but I feel likes he deserved to be one of the 15 best players named.

Last year's DEF POY made 3rd team so I thought there was a chance for it but he had lower production as of late like you mentioned so I am guessing that is how it is. I would be curious to see who the next 5 would have been.

[AppStFan1]

Spillers first team but not newcomer of the year? Who was any better? I refuse to type the name of the player and the school he plays for.
Abson DPOY but not even third team?
Got some things to set right in Pensacola. Take the stairs!!!

That one makes no sense. Spillers is first team but Bickerstaff is NOTY but only makes second team.

When I saw Bickerstaff as NOTY I figured he would be first-team but to only name him second-team behind Spillers and get the award over him is a little interesting.

[BambooRdApp]

This is not uncommon. This allows to spread awards around. For football, Vidal, troy RB, was offensive player of the year..but ..McCloud, JMU QB, was player of the year. That seems strange to me ..it is what it is..

[hapapp]

This is not uncommon. This allows to spread awards around. For football, Vidal, troy RB, was offensive player of the year..but ..McCloud, JMU QB, was player of the year. That seems strange to me ..it is what it is..

But, they both made 1st team all conference. And yes it is a bit odd the POY is not OPOY when he is an offensive player. But, if one is the best newcomer, one would think he would be first team if another newcomer is a first team player. I do understand that Spillers is likely first team because we were regular season champs but I still find it odd.

[AppFan11]

I’m not sure there is any particular rhyme or reason to it…. or very little. I do think our particular style of substitutions, playing 9 players and really limiting the number of minutes of our players, certainly hurts them for these individual type awards. Kerns is more concerned with winning games and the team has bought into it. And we have won several games because of this pattern of substitution. Our players are fresher and I believe it will continue to help us in the tournaments.

[311neers]

Can't complain. 4 of 5 starters made the list.
And Tate should have been 6th man.
Or Huntley- 6th man
Brown- all defensive
Marsh- Freshman

We could make cases that 8 of 9 guys could have made a "team or award".

A well rounded team!

[AppFan11]

Yes for sure…. Also it’s the 14 head coaches who made the selections. I think there are always issues with coaches making the selections…. in any sport.

[Rick83]

So, maybe a stupid question here, but does the fact that we have 9 guys good enough to be getting significant playing time bring down the individual stats of our guys? Which creates perhaps an unfair comparison to other teams that might have to rely on a few star players?

[AppFan11]

I’d say for sure it does.

[hapapp]

So, maybe a stupid question here, but does the fact that we have 9 guys good enough to be getting significant playing time bring down the individual stats of our guys? Which creates perhaps an unfair comparison to other teams that might have to rely on a few star players?

Of course, we had four players make all conference. No other team had four that many. I don’t think we have reason to complain. Well, I do think Spillers should have been NOY but their choice is clearly worthy as well.

[Bootsy]

Congrats to the honorees!

For the players who felt shafted, it's just more motivation to right some wrongs before the tournament ends.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

Short Tate 6th man, good, he’s gonna go off

[AppStFan1]

So, maybe a stupid question here, but does the fact that we have 9 guys good enough to be getting significant playing time bring down the individual stats of our guys? Which creates perhaps an unfair comparison to other teams that might have to rely on a few star players?

I think more than the fact that we have 9 is that the star player every night, or stars, aren't always the same. We have had 7 players score over 20 points in a game this year and have had games where the player who scores 22 one night then has just 8 or so the next night. If we had 9 good players but 2-3 who were stars above all like JMU then I bet you see more major awards for us. If you remove Terrence Edwards from JMU they are nowhere near the same team. You can't remove just one player from us and we fall way off because we have so many good ones.