CORPUS CHRISTI – Senior guard John Jordan earned First Team All-Southland Conference honors for the second straight year, and sophomore Rashawn Thomas earned Second Team recognition, the league announced today. Jordan joins Kevin Palmer (2009, 2010) as the only players in school history to earn First Team All-Southland laurels twice.
Stephen F. Austin's Thomas Walkup was named the league's Player of the Year, while his coach, Brad Underwood, picked up Southland Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive campaign. Sam Houston State's Michael Holyfield was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Central Arkansas's Jordan Howard (Freshman of the Year) and Lamar's Tyran de Lattibeaudiere (Newcomer of the Year) also collected individual awards.
Walkup and Jordan were joined on the First Team by Northwestern State's Jalan West, Incarnate Word's Denzel Livingston and McNeese State's DeSharick Guidry. The second team was comprised of Thomas, 2014 Southland Player of the Year Jacob Parker from SFA, Northwestern State's Zeek Woodley, SHSU's Jabari Peters and de Lattibeaudiere.
Jordan has had a tremendous season, sitting eighth in the league in scoring at 15.2 points a game and second in the Southland with his 5.2 assists every time out. He has also been strong on the defensive end, placing sixth with his 1.7 steals. The Houston native is within striking distance of the single season record for minutes, assists and free throw attempts – all of which he already owns from previous seasons. His 456 points on the year place him eighth in school lore, while he is sixth in free throws made and eighth in steals. With 156 assists, he needs just three to move into second – matching his sophomore campaign – while he needs 21 to match his numbers from his junior year.
The Houston native has already set nearly every record in the Islanders' record book, holding the school's all-time mark in points, minutes, assists, steals, free throws made, free throws attempted, double-figure point games and games started. With 1,500 points, 630 assists and 500 rebounds in his career, he is the only active Division I player, and just the second in Southland Conference history (joining UTSA's Devin Gibson) with at least 1,500 points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds.
Thomas' sophomore campaign has been an incredibly successful one after a standout freshman campaign. The native of Oklahoma City, Okla., finished second in the Southland with his 10 double-doubles (trailing only Guidry) and was also second to Guidry in rebounds. He placed 11th in the league with his 14.3 points per game, while his 1.4 blocks per game also registered in the top 10.
He put forth a strong effort at the free-throw line, showing solid improvement as the year advanced. In eight of his last 12 conference affairs, he shot at least .750 at the line. He was also proficient at getting to the stripe, as his 201 free throws were second to only Jordan in the conference and placed 25th nationally. He also finished among the league leaders in field-goal percentage, as his .557 shooting was seventh in the league. He led the Islanders with an astonishing 272 points in the paint.
The Islanders will take to the court on Thursday, March 12, in the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas, at 7:30. As the third seed, they will face the winner between No. 6 Nicholls and No. 7 New Orleans after receiving a first-round bye. For tickets, call 361-825-BALL (2255) or visit the Tournament Guide on GoIslanders.com.
2014-15 All-Southland Conference Men's Basketball Teams
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First Team
|
Institution
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Pos.
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
Thomas Walkup
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Stephen F. Austin
|
G/F
|
Jr.
|
Pasadena, Texas
|
|
Jalan West
|
Northwestern State
|
G
|
Jr.
|
Bossier City, La.
|
|
Denzel Livingston
|
UIW
|
G
|
Sr.
|
Houston, Texas
|
|
DeSharick Guidry
|
McNeese State
|
F
|
Sr.
|
Lake Charles, La.
|
|
John Jordan
|
A&M-Corpus Christi
|
G
|
Sr.
|
Houston, Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Second Team
|
Institution
|
Pos.
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
Jacob Parker
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
F
|
Sr.
|
Bixby, Okla.
|
|
Zeek Woodley
|
Northwestern State
|
G
|
So.
|
Pelican, La.
|
|
Rashawn Thomas
|
A&M-Corpus Christi
|
F
|
So.
|
Oklahoma City, Okla.
|
|
Jabari Peters
|
Sam Houston State
|
G
|
Sr.
|
Brooklyn, N.Y.
|
|
Tyran de Lattibeaudiere
|
Lamar
|
F
|
Sr.
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Kingston, Jamaica
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Third Team
|
Institution
|
Pos.
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
Kevin Hardy
|
McNeese State
|
G
|
Sr.
|
Lake Charles, La.
|
|
Kaheem Ransom2
|
Sam Houston State
|
G
|
Sr.
|
Wichita, Kan.
|
|
Anthony Holliday
|
Lamar
|
G
|
Sr.
|
Los Angeles, Calif.
|
|
Michael Holyfield
|
Sam Houston State
|
C
|
Sr.
|
Albuquerque, N.M.
|
|
DeMarcus Gatlin
|
Sam Houston State
|
G
|
Sr.
|
Houston, Texas
|
Honorable Mention: Zay Jackson, Southeastern Louisiana; Kyle Hittle, UIW; Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas; DeVonte Upson, Southeastern Louisiana; Anthony Odunsi, Houston Baptist; Christavious Gill, New Orleans; T.J. Carpenter, Nicholls.
|
All-Defensive Team
|
Institution
|
Pos.
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
Michael Holyfield
|
Sam Houston State
|
C
|
Sr.
|
Albuquerque, N.M.
|
|
Kevin Hardy
|
McNeese State
|
G
|
Jr.
|
Lake Charles, La.
|
|
Tyran de Lattibeaudiere
|
Lamar
|
F
|
Sr.
|
Kingston, Jamaica
|
|
Jalan West
|
Northwestern State
|
G
|
So.
|
Bossier City, La.
|
|
Thomas Walkup
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
G/F
|
Jr.
|
Pasadena, Texas
|
Player of the Year: Thomas Walkup, Stephen F. Austin
Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Holyfield, Sam Houston State
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas
Newcomer of the Year: Tyran de Lattibeaudiere, Lamar
Coach of the Year: Brad Underwood, Stephen F. Austin
