Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
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The Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an award given to the most outstanding men's basketball player in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The award was first given following the conference's first basketball season of 1976–77. Four players have been selected twice (Terry Catledge, Chris Gatling, Chico Fletcher, and R. J. Hunter), while no player has earned a three-time player of the year selection.
Awarded forthe most outstanding men's basketball player in the Sun Belt Conference
CountryUnited States
Presented bySun Belt Conference
First award1977
| |
| Awarded for | the most outstanding men's basketball player in the Sun Belt Conference |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Sun Belt Conference |
| History | |
| First award | 1977 |
| Most recent | Chaze Harris, South Alabama |
Western Kentucky (which left the SBC for Conference USA in 2014) is tied with current member South Alabama for the most all-time winners with seven each.
Key
| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national player of the year award: Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1904–05 to 1978–79) 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 Sun Belt Player of the Year award at that point |
Winners
Cedric Maxwell, Charlotte, 1977
Kenny Gattison (l), Old Dominion, 1986
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Ervin Johnson, New Orleans, 1993
Derek Fisher, Little Rock, 1996
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Yemi Nicholson, Denver, 2005
Anthony Winchester, Western Kentucky, 2006
Bo McCalebb, New Orleans, 2007
Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky, 2008
Orlando Méndez-Valdez, Western Kentucky, 2009
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Solomon Bozeman, Little Rock, 2011
LaRon Dendy, Middle Tennessee, 2012
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Augustine Rubit, South Alabama, 2013
R. J. Hunter, Georgia State, 2014 and 2015
Shawn Long, Louisiana, 2016
Kevin Hervey, UT Arlington, 2017
Tookie Brown, Georgia Southern, 2019
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Nijal Pearson, Texas State, 2020
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DeVante' Jones, Coastal Carolina, 2021
Winners by school
| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| South Alabama (1976) | 7 | 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2013, 2026 |
| Western Kentucky (1982)[a] | 7 | 1987, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Arkansas State (1991) | 4 | 1994†, 1998, 1999, 2022 |
| New Orleans (1976)[b] | 4 | 1978, 1993, 2002, 2007 |
| Georgia State (1976/2013)[c] | 3 | 2014, 2015, 2018 |
| Little Rock (1991)[d] | 3 | 1996, 1997, 2011 |
| Louisiana (1991) | 3 | 1994†, 2010, 2016 |
| Old Dominion (1982/2022)[e] | 3 | 1986, 1990, 1991 |
| Charlotte (1976)[f] | 2 | 1977, 1988 |
| Louisiana Tech (1991/2026)[g] | 2 | 1992, 2000 |
| Coastal Carolina (2016) | 1 | 2021 |
| Denver (1999)[h] | 1 | 2005 |
| Georgia Southern (2014) | 1 | 2019 |
| Jacksonville (1976)[i] | 1 | 1980 |
| James Madison (2022) | 1 | 2024 |
| Marshall (2022) | 1 | 2023 |
| Middle Tennessee (2001)[j] | 1 | 2012 |
| New Mexico State (2001)[k] | 1 | 2003 |
| South Florida (1976)[l] | 1 | 1983† |
| Texas State (2013)[m] | 1 | 2020 |
| Troy (2005) | 1 | 2025 |
| UAB (1979)[n] | 1 | 1982 |
| UT Arlington (2013)[o] | 1 | 2017 |
| VCU (1979)[p] | 1 | 1983† |
| Appalachian State (2014) | 0 | — |
| Florida Atlantic (2006)[j] | 0 | — |
| FIU (1998)[j] | 0 | — |
| Louisiana–Monroe (2001) | 0 | — |
| North Texas (2001)[j] | 0 | — |
| Southern Miss (2022) | 0 | — |
- Western Kentucky left for Conference USA (CUSA) in 2014.
- New Orleans left in 1980 but later rejoined in 1991. It left a second time in 2010, planning to transition to NCAA Division II. The Privateers instead chose to remain in Division I, and joined the Southland Conference in 2013.
- Georgia State, a charter member of the conference, left in 1981 to become independent. After later having been members of two other conferences, the Panthers rejoined the SBC in 2013.
- Little Rock left in 2022 for the Ohio Valley Conference, and will join the United Athletic Conference in 2026.
- Old Dominion left in 1991 to join what is now the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). After later moving to CUSA, the Monarchs returned to the SBC in 2022.
- Charlotte left in 1991 for the Metro Conference. It became a charter member of CUSA when the Metro merged with the Great Midwest Conference, and still later moved to the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), by which time it had adopted "Charlotte" as its athletic identity. The 49ers rejoined CUSA in 2013, and joined what is now the American Conference (American) in 2023.
- Louisiana Tech left in 2001 to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and joined CUSA in 2013. It will return to the SBC in 2026.
- Denver left in 2012 for the WAC, and moved again in 2013 to the Summit League. The Pioneers will join the West Coast Conference in 2026.
- Jacksonville left in 1998 for the Trans America Athletic Conference, now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference.
- FIU, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, and North Texas all joined CUSA in 2013. Florida Atlantic and North Texas moved to the American in 2023.
- New Mexico State left in 2005 to join the WAC, and moved to CUSA in 2023.
- South Florida left in 1991 for the Metro Conference. The Bulls are now in the American.
- Texas State will leave for the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.
- UAB left in 1991 for the Great Midwest. The Blazers became charter members of CUSA, remaining there until joining the American in 2023.
- UT Arlington left for the Western Athletic Conference in 2022. The WAC will rebrand as the United Athletic Conference in 2026 with UTA as a continuing member.
- VCU left in 1991 to join the CAA, and moved from there to the A-10 in 2012.