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.
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 that same season: 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)Oscar Robertson Trophy (1958–59 to present) 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
Season Player School Position ClassReference 1976–77 Charlotte PF / C 1977–78 New Orleans C 1978–79 South Alabama PF 1979–80 Jacksonville PF 1980–81 South Alabama SF 1981–82 UAB SG 1982–83† South Florida SF VCU SG 1983–84 South Alabama PF 1984–85 (2) South Alabama PF 1985–86 Old Dominion C 1986–87 Western Kentucky PF 1987–88 Charlotte PG 1988–89 South Alabama SG 1989–90 Old Dominion PF 1990–91 (2) Old Dominion PF 1991–92 Louisiana Tech PF 1992–93 New Orleans C 1993–94† Louisiana G Arkansas State F 1994–95 Western Kentucky SG 1995–96 Little Rock SG 1996–97 Little Rock PF 1997–98 Arkansas State PG 1998–99 (2) Arkansas State PG 1999–00 Louisiana Tech SG 2000–01 Western Kentucky C 2001–02 New Orleans SF 2002–03 New Mexico State F 2003–04 Western Kentucky SG / PG 2004–05 Denver C 2005–06 Western Kentucky SG 2006–07 New Orleans PG 2007–08 Western Kentucky SG 2008–09 Western Kentucky PG 2009–10 Louisiana PF 2010–11 Little Rock SG 2011–12 Middle Tennessee PF 2012–13 South Alabama PF / C 2013–14 Georgia State SG 2014–15 (2) Georgia State SG 2015–16 Louisiana PF 2016–17 UT Arlington PF 2017–18 Georgia State SG 2018–19 Georgia Southern PG 2019–20 Texas State SG 2020–21 Coastal Carolina SG 2021–22 Arkansas State PF 2022–23 Marshall SG 2023–24 James Madison SG 2024–25 Troy PG 2025–26 South Alabama SG
Winners by school School (year joined) Winners Years South Alabama (1976) 7 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2013, 2026 Western Kentucky (1982) 7 1987, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 Arkansas State (1991) 4 1994†, 1998, 1999, 2022 New Orleans (1976) 4 1978, 1993, 2002, 2007 Georgia State (1976/2013) 3 2014, 2015, 2018 Little Rock (1991) 3 1996, 1997, 2011 Louisiana (1991) 3 1994†, 2010, 2016 Old Dominion (1982/2022) 3 1986, 1990, 1991 Charlotte (1976) 2 1977, 1988 Louisiana Tech (1991/2026) 2 1992, 2000 Coastal Carolina (2016) 1 2021 Denver (1999) 1 2005 Georgia Southern (2014) 1 2019 Jacksonville (1976) 1 1980 James Madison (2022) 1 2024 Marshall (2022) 1 2023 Middle Tennessee (2001) 1 2012 New Mexico State (2001) 1 2003 South Florida (1976) 1 1983† Texas State (2013) 1 2020 Troy (2005) 1 2025 UAB (1979) 1 1982 UT Arlington (2013) 1 2017 VCU (1979) 1 1983† Appalachian State (2014) 0 — Florida Atlantic (2006) 0 — FIU (1998) 0 — Louisiana–Monroe (2001) 0 — North Texas (2001) 0 — Southern Miss (2022) 0 —
References