Big South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
| Big South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | the most outstanding basketball player in the Big South Conference |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1986 |
| Currently held by | Saah Nimley |
The Big South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual college basketball award given to the Big South Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1985–86 season, the first year the league competed in varsity basketball competition.[n 1]
The most notable recipient of the Big South Player of the Year Award is Tony Dunkin. Dunkin, a 6'7" (2.01 m) small forward, played for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers from 1989 to 1993 and won the award all four seasons.[1][2] He is the only NCAA Division I men's basketball player to ever earn four conference player of the year awards.[1][2]
Coastal Carolina, which is set to leave the Big South for the Sun Belt Conference after the 2015–16 season,[3] has the most all-time awards with nine and individual winners with five. Two schools are tied for second all-time with four awards each, while three schools have had three awards; all four of these schools have had three individual winners. The only current Big South members without any winners are three of the four newest members of the conference—Presbyterian (joining in 2007), Gardner–Webb (2008), and Longwood (2012). Although Campbell's current tenure in the Big South dates only to 2011, it has three winners from its first conference tenure (1983–1994).
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 Big South Player of the Year award at that point |
Winners
Winners by school
| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina (1983)[n 2] | 9 | 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 |
| High Point (1999) | 4 | 2004, 2007, 2008, 2014 |
| UNC Asheville (1984) | 4 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2012 |
| Campbell (1983/2011)[n 3] | 3 | 1987, 1989, 1994 |
| Charleston Southern (1983) | 3 | 1995, 1996, 2015 |
| Radford (1983) | 3 | 2000, 2009, 2010 |
| Winthrop (1983) | 2 | 1986, 2002 |
| Liberty (1991) | 1 | 2011 |
| VMI (2003)[n 4] | 1 | 2013 |
| Gardner–Webb (2008) | 0 | — |
| Longwood (2012) | 0 | — |
| Presbyterian (2007) | 0 | — |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Big South Conference was formed in 1982–83 but did not compete in varsity basketball until 1985–86.
- ↑ Coastal Carolina will leave after the 2015–16 season and join the Sun Belt Conference.
- ↑ Campbell University left in 1994 to join the Trans America Athletic Conference, now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Fighting Camels returned to the Big South in 2011.
- ↑ Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which joined the Big South from the Southern Conference in 2003, returned to the SoCon in 2014.
References
- General
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- Specific
