NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference announced its 2019-20 men's basketball postseason honors Thursday, headlined by Texas State senior guard Nijal Pearson named Player of the Year, Little Rock junior forward Ruot Monyyong named Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, Louisiana freshman guard Mylik Wilson named Freshman of the Year and Little Rock head coach Darrell Walker named Coach of the Year.
 
Pearson and Monyyong also received first-team All-Sun Belt recognition. The individual awards and All-Sun Belt first, second and third teams were voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches and a selected media panel. 
 
Pearson is the first player from Texas State to earn Sun Belt Player of the Year honors. He has been the Sun Belt's leading scorer for most of the season and currently leads the league at 19.3 points per game. Pearson ranks sixth in the conference both in field goal percentage (.412, 193-of-461) and three-point field goal percentage (.352, 70-of-199). The two-time, All-Sun Belt first-team selection is also registering 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his final season with the Bobcats. The school's all-time leading scorer enters the Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship ranked 12th among active NCAA Division I players with 2,099 career points. His career points total currently ranks seventh in Sun Belt history. Pearson is just the 10th player in conference history to reach 2,000 career points.
 
Monyyong is the third player from Little Rock to earn Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors and the second to earn Newcomer of the Year honors, joining Muntrelle Dobbins (1996-97) and John Fowler (2008-09) named Defensive Player of the Year and Ryan Moss (1997-98) named Newcomer of the Year. Monyyong is making a major impact in his first season, leading the Sun Belt in rebounds per game (9.8), blocks per game (2.0) and double-doubles (16). His presence in the middle for the Trojans has been highlighted by averaging 7.6 boards per game off the defensive glass, which ranks 14th nationally. His 16 double-doubles rank tied for 12th nationally. His 62 blocks rank third all-time in school history and are the most in Little Rock's Division I era. Monyyong has scored in double figures 24 times and posted 18 double-digit rebounding performances going into the Sun Belt Tournament.
 
Wilson is the sixth player from Louisiana to earn Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors and the first since Shawn Long in 2012-13. Wilson is one of only nine freshmen this season and one of only 21 freshmen in Division I since the 1992-93 season to average 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He has impressed in his rookie campaign, averaging 11.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game. Wilson leads all Sun Belt freshmen in points, rebounds, steals and minutes played (34.0) per game. His minutes played per game ranks fourth in the league entering the Sun Belt Tournament. Wilson scored his career-high of 30 points, the most by a Ragin' Cajun this season, in Louisiana's win at Appalachian State on Jan. 6.
 
Walker is the third Little Rock head coach to earn Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors, joining Wimp Sanderson in 1995-96 and Chris Beard in 2015-16. Walker has guided Little Rock to its first regular-season title top seed in the conference tournament since 2015-16. His Trojans are one of just two teams, joining Merrimack in the Northeast Conference, in Division I that finished in first place in their conference after being picked 11th or lower in its conference's preseason poll.

Appalachian State junior guard Justin Forrest, Little Rock sophomore guard Markquis Nowell, and South Alabama redshirt senior forward Josh Ajayi join Pearson and Monyyong on the All-Sun Belt first team. Ajayi garners his second All-Sun Belt recognition (second team in 2018-19), while Forrest and Nowell receive first-team All-Sun Belt accolades for the first time in their careers.

Little Rock leads the way with three All-Sun Belt selections, followed by Georgia Southern, Georgia State and South Alabama with two All-Sun Belt selections each.
 
The 2020 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship opens with first-round games on Saturday, March 7, second-round games on Monday, March 9 and quarterfinal games on Wednesday, March 11, hosted by the higher seeds on campus sites. The two quarterfinal winners join No. 1 seed Little Rock and No. 2 seed South Alabama in New Orleans at the Smoothie King Center for semifinals games on Saturday, March 14 and championship game on Sunday, March 15.
 
The first-round, second-round, quarterfinal and semifinal games are set for live coverage on ESPN+ with the championship game slated for live coverage on ESPN2 and TuneIn. All tournament games are available through the ESPN App, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices. Live statistics are available on SunBeltSports.org.
 
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2019-20 SUN BELT MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON HONORS
All-Sun Belt First Team
Justin Forrest, Appalachian State (Jr., G, Decatur, Ga.)
Ruot Monyyong, Little Rock (Jr., F, Nashville, Tenn.)
Markquis Nowell, Little Rock (So., G, Harlem, N.Y.)
Josh Ajayi, South Alabama (RSr., F, El Monte, Calif.)
Nijal Pearson, Texas State (Sr., G, Beaumont, Texas)
 
All-Sun Belt Second Team
DeVante Jones, Coastal Carolina (So., G, New Orleans, La.)
Quan Jackson, Georgia Southern (RJr., G, Tallahassee, Fla.)
Kane Williams, Georgia State (Jr., G, Douglasville, Ga.)
Michael Ertel, ULM (Jr., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)
David Azore, UTA (RSo., G, Houston, Texas)
 
All-Sun Belt Third Team
Kamani Johnson, Little Rock (So., F, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Marquis Eaton, Arkansas State (Jr., G, Helena, Ark.)
Ike Smith, Georgia Southern (RSr., G, Gainesville, Fla.)
Justin Roberts, Georgia State (So., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)
Trhae Mitchell, South Alabama (RSr., F, Austell, Ga.)
 
Player of the Year
Nijal Pearson, Texas State (Sr., G, Beaumont, Texas)
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Ruot Monyyong, Little Rock (Jr., F, Nashville, Tenn.)
 
Freshman of the Year
Mylik Wilson, Louisiana (Fr., G, Rayville, La.)
 
Newcomer of the Year
Ruot Monyyong, Little Rock (Jr., F, Nashville, Tenn.)
 
Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year
Darrell Walker, Little Rock