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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Blacksher put on Henson Award watch list
1/13/2022 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU point guard joins 40 others on candidate list for top mid-major player
Jovan Blacksher Jr.'s play is putting Grand Canyon in the WAC championship race and placing him in the conversation for awards.
Blacksher joined 40 other players on the Lou Henson Award's "Mid-Season Watch List," a pool of frontrunners to be considered for the award that goes to the best mid-major player in the nation.
The junior, who is from Oakland and played high school basketball in Phoenix, is one of four players in the nation averaging at least 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals this season.
The 5-foot-11 point guard has dramatically improved his 3-point shooting to 43%, which ranks third in the WAC after making at least one in 16 consecutive games. Blacksher's 2.1 steals per game lands second among players in the WAC, where he also moved into the No. 5 spot for points per game (16.8) and No. 7 spot for assists per game (4.1). He has a double-digit scoring streak of 18 games.
Nationally, Blacksher is 28th for steals per game (2.1) and 43rd for assist-to-turnover ratio (2.48 to 1). He also is being credited with becoming the leader of the 12-2 Lopes as the lone returning starter.
"With this group of guys, it came natural," Blacksher said. "Over the summer, I'd been working so I just implemented it as soon as I got here. It wasn't necessarily like, 'Oh, I'm going to be the leader,' but just being me, talking and doing the new things that I do now. The guys just gravitated to it to where everybody listened to me."
Blacksher is joined on the list by a pair of WAC players, Utah Valley sophomore center Fardaws Aimaq and Sam Houston senior forward Savion Flagg.
Named for the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach, the Lou Henson Award considers mid-major players from the WAC as well as the 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 and West Coast conferences.
A winner will be named April 1 in New Orleans as part of the Final Four weekend.
Blacksher joined 40 other players on the Lou Henson Award's "Mid-Season Watch List," a pool of frontrunners to be considered for the award that goes to the best mid-major player in the nation.The junior, who is from Oakland and played high school basketball in Phoenix, is one of four players in the nation averaging at least 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals this season.
The 5-foot-11 point guard has dramatically improved his 3-point shooting to 43%, which ranks third in the WAC after making at least one in 16 consecutive games. Blacksher's 2.1 steals per game lands second among players in the WAC, where he also moved into the No. 5 spot for points per game (16.8) and No. 7 spot for assists per game (4.1). He has a double-digit scoring streak of 18 games.
Nationally, Blacksher is 28th for steals per game (2.1) and 43rd for assist-to-turnover ratio (2.48 to 1). He also is being credited with becoming the leader of the 12-2 Lopes as the lone returning starter.
"With this group of guys, it came natural," Blacksher said. "Over the summer, I'd been working so I just implemented it as soon as I got here. It wasn't necessarily like, 'Oh, I'm going to be the leader,' but just being me, talking and doing the new things that I do now. The guys just gravitated to it to where everybody listened to me."
Blacksher is joined on the list by a pair of WAC players, Utah Valley sophomore center Fardaws Aimaq and Sam Houston senior forward Savion Flagg.
Named for the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach, the Lou Henson Award considers mid-major players from the WAC as well as the 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 and West Coast conferences.
A winner will be named April 1 in New Orleans as part of the Final Four weekend.
2021-22 LOU HENSON AWARD MID-SEASON WATCH LIST
|
Max Abmas |
6-1 |
Jr. |
Oral Roberts |
|
Fardaws Aimaq |
6-11 |
So. |
Utah Valley |
|
5-11 |
Jr. |
Grand Canyon |
|
|
Jamaree Bouyea |
6-2 |
Sr. |
San Francisco |
|
Johni Broome |
6-10 |
So. |
Morehead State |
|
Jordan Brown |
6-11 |
So. |
Louisiana |
|
Tevin Brown |
6-5 |
Jr. |
Murray State |
|
Joe Bryant Jr. |
6-1 |
Sr. |
Norfolk State |
|
D.J. Burns |
6-9 |
Jr. |
Winthrop |
|
Jamal Cain |
6-7 |
Sr. |
Oakland |
|
Sincere Carry |
6-1 |
Jr. |
Kent State |
|
John Carter |
6-4 |
Sr. |
Navy |
|
Ryan Davis |
6-8 |
Sr. |
Vermont |
|
Tavian Dunn-Martin |
5-8 |
Sr. |
FGCU |
|
Savion Flagg |
6-7 |
Sr. |
Sam Houston |
|
Ques Glover |
6-0 |
So. |
Samford |
|
Cam Holden |
6-5 |
Sr. |
Towson |
|
Tanner Holden |
6-6 |
Jr. |
Wright State |
|
Jalen Johnson |
6-7 |
Jr. |
Alabama A&M |
|
Tevian Jones |
6-7 |
Sr. |
Southern Utah |
|
Nelly Junior Joseph |
6-9 |
So. |
Iona |
|
Jaelin Llewellyn |
6-2 |
Sr. |
Princeton |
|
Koby McEwen |
6-4 |
Sr. |
Weber State |
|
Darius McGhee |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Liberty |
|
Jayveous McKinnis |
6-7 |
Sr. |
Jackson State |
|
Jalen Moore |
5-11 |
Jr. |
Oakland |
|
Alex Morales |
6-6 |
Sr. |
Wagner |
|
Isiaih Mosley |
6-5 |
Jr. |
Missouri State |
|
Grayson Murphy |
6-2 |
Jr. |
Belmont |
|
Nick Muszynski |
6-11 |
Jr. |
Belmont |
|
Norchad Omier |
6-7 |
So. |
Arkansas State |
|
George Papas |
6-5 |
Sr. |
Monmouth |
|
MJ Randolph |
6-4 |
Sr. |
Florida A&M |
|
Ryan Rollins |
6-4 |
So. |
Toledo |
|
Mark Sears |
6-1 |
So. |
Ohio |
|
Malachi Smith |
6-4 |
So. |
Chattanooga |
|
Cam Spencer |
6-4 |
Jr. |
Loyola MD |
|
Amadou Sow |
6-9 |
Sr. |
UC Santa Barbara |
|
Azar Swain |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Yale |
|
Jalen Williams |
6-6 |
Jr. |
Santa Clara |
|
Douglas Wilson |
6-7 |
Sr. |
South Dakota State |
Players Mentioned
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