Four #HLMBB Players Named to Lou Henson Award Watch List
BOSTON - Four Horizon League men's basketball players have been named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List by CollegeInsider.com, announced this week. The list includes Milwaukee's Patrick Baldwin Jr., Detroit Mercy's Antoine Davis, Wright State's Tanner Holden and Oakland's Jalen Moore.
The award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball, honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons. Henson is the winningest coach in Illinois basketball history with 423 victories. During his 21 seasons (1975-1996), Henson led the Fighting Illini to 16 postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 1989.
Baldwin Jr. earlier this week was also named to the Watch List for the 2021-22 Lute Olson National Player of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top player in division I college basketball. The Preseason All-Horizon League First Team selection is the highest-ranked high school recruit to ever sign with a Horizon League program. The first-year player was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the highest-ranked players in the 2021 class. The McDonald’s All-American was considered the No. 4 player nationally in the class of 2021 and was named the 2020 Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year after averaging 24.3 points and 10.8 rebounds in his final full season in high school.
Davis earned his second Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year honors heading into this season and has led the Horizon League in scoring in all three seasons at Detroit Mercy after finishing last season with 24.0 points, good for third in the country, while also ranking top-5 in the NCAA in 3-pointers made per game (3.8). The senior comes into this season ninth on the Horizon League’s all-time scoring list with 2,040 points and looks to become the first player in League history to be a four-time All-Horizon League First Team selection.
Holden was an All-League First Team selection from a year ago and a member of this year's Preseason All-League Second Team after averaging 15.8 points on 52.3 percent shooting for the Raiders while also recording 7.2 rebounds. He helped lead a Wright State team that earned a share of the regular season title for the third season in a row and ranked seventh in the country last season with 82.0 points per game.
Moore led the nation in assists last season with 8.4 per game and also ranked third in the HL with 17.9 points en route to being named to the All-Horizon League First Team. He ended 2020-21 totaling 13 20-point games, 12 double-digit assist efforts and 10 double-doubles.
Players on teams from the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.