Greenville, S.C. – Furman's
PJay Smith Jr. has been named as a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which is given annually to the top mid-major men's basketball player in the country, it was announced on Thursday by CollegeInsider.com.
Smith, a native of LaVergne, Tenn., averaged 18 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game this season while guiding the Paladins to a 25-9 record and an appearance in the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship finals. Named first team all-tournament this past weekend, he poured in 25.3 points, grabbed 5.3 rebounds, and dished out 6.3 assists per game in three contests in Asheville, including scoring 27 points in Monday's championship loss versus Wofford.
The Paladins' point guard ranks fifth in the nation in three-point makes per game (3.44), sixth in total three-point baskets (110) and 25
th in three-point shooting percentage (42.1%). He led the SoCon in free throw percentage at 86.4% and made good on all 25 of his trips to the charity stripe in the postseason to run his streak of consecutive made free throws to 43.
In two seasons with the Paladins after transferring from NCAA Division II Lee University, Smith scored 904 points, pulled down 244 rebounds, and totaled 186 assists. He garnered first team All-SoCon honors as a senior this season while ranking second in the league in scoring.
The Lou Henson Award honors former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach, Lou Henson, who won 775 games in 41 seasons on the sideline. The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com. This season's award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
LOU HENSON AWARD FINALISTS
| Daniel Batcho |
6-11 |
Sr. |
Louisiana Tech |
| Ante Brzovic |
6-10 |
Sr. |
Charleston |
| Adam "Budd" Clark |
5-10 |
So. |
Merrimack |
| Zach Cleveland |
6-7 |
Jr. |
Liberty |
| Oscar Cluff |
6-11 |
Sr. |
South Dakota State |
| Tayton Conerway |
6-3 |
Sr. |
Troy |
| Mark Freeman |
5-11 |
Sr. |
James Madison |
| Javohn Garcia |
6-3 |
Sr. |
McNeese |
| Kimani Hamilton |
6-8 |
Jr. |
High Point |
| Barrington Hargress |
6-0 |
So. |
UC Riverside |
| Jalen Jackson |
6-2 |
Jr. |
Purdue Fort Wayne |
| Nate Johnson |
6-3 |
Jr. |
Akron |
| Jordan Jones |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Central Connecticut State |
| Jacari Lane |
6-0 |
Jr. |
North Alabama |
| Bent Leuchten |
7-1 |
Sr. |
UC Irvine |
| Augustas Marciulionis |
6-4 |
Sr. |
Saint Mary's |
| Jordan Marsh |
5-10 |
So. |
UNC Asheville |
| Bez Mbeng |
6-4 |
Sr. |
Yale |
| Brian Moore, Jr. |
6-2 |
Sr. |
Norfolk State |
| Paulius Murauskas |
6-8 |
So. |
Saint Mary's |
| Dominick Nelson |
6-5 |
Jr. |
Utah Valley |
| Jacob Ognacevic |
6-8 |
Sr. |
Lipscomb |
| Quimari Peterson |
6-1 |
Sr. |
ETSU |
| Jaron Pierre Jr. |
6-6 |
Sr. |
Jacksonville State |
| John Poulakidas |
6-6 |
Sr. |
Yale |
| Matt Rogers |
6-9 |
Sr. |
American |
| PJay Smith Jr. |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Furman |
| Bennett Stirtz |
6-4 |
Jr. |
Drake |
| Marquel Sutton |
6-9 |
Sr. |
Omaha |
| Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones |
6-6 |
Sr. |
UC San Diego |
| Ray'Sean Taylor |
6-1 |
Sr. |
SIU Edwardsville |
| Tyler Tejada |
6-9 |
So. |
Towson |
| Malik Thomas |
6-5 |
Sr. |
San Francisco |
| Earl Timberlake |
6-6 |
Sr. |
Bryant |
| Nick Townsend |
6-7 |
Jr. |
Yale |
