NEW ORLEANS – South Alabama senior guard Chaze Harris was named Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year to headline the league’s 2025-26 superlative awards and all-conference teams announced Monday. The awards were voted upon by the league’s 14 head coaches.
Five teams placed two players across three All-Sun Belt Conference Teams, including App State, James Madison, Marshall, South Alabama and Troy. Ten of the league’s 14 teams had at least one all-conference honoree.
The annual awards precede the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve set to take place March 3-9 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. Visit the
Championship Central page for tournament coverage.
Player of the Year: Chaze Harris, South Alabama
The seventh South Alabama player in program history to earn the Sun Belt’s top individual award, Harris is the first Jaguar to do so since Augustine Rubit in 2013. He averaged a league-leading 18.9 points per game during the regular season and paced all players with 22 points per contest in conference play. Harris ranks seventh nationally in field goals made (222) and free throw attempts (234) while his 587 total points are among the top 25 players nationally. The senior guard shot 53.1 percent from the field and 58.2 percent in league games and rallied a dozen 20-point games, including three 30-point performances while scoring in double-figures 29 times. Demonstrating his all-around impact, the Cleveland, Ohio native ranks third in the Sun Belt in assists (4.7) and steals (1.9) per game.
Defensive Player of the Year: Luke Wilson, App State
Wilson is the Mountaineers’ second Defensive Player of the Year honoree in the last three seasons after anchoring one of the country’s top defensive units this season. Wilson established himself as an interior presence, ranking second in the Sun Belt in blocks (55), as App State stands 13th nationally in field goal percentage defense and one of just 19 teams nationally to hold opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field this season. The 6-9 center from Augusta, Ga., ranks fifth in the conference with 8.1 rebounds per game and is one of just three players in the Sun Belt with at least 10 double-doubles this season (11) with seven of those performances coming against league opponents.
Newcomer of the Year: Joshua Beadle, Coastal Carolina
Beadle is the Chanticleers’ first Newcomer of the Year in program history and ranks fifth in the Sun Belt with a team-leading 17.5 points per game. He ranks 11th in the conference in free throw percentage (.790) and 12th in field goal percentage (.428) while his 91 assists rank among the top 15 players in the conference. In conference play, he averaged 18.8 points and 2.9 assists per game. The Columbia, S.C., native compiled 12 games with at least 20 points, including a pair of 30-point performances in helping Coastal Carolina secure the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. In addition to being the team’s leading scorer with 543 points on the season, he led the Chants in field goals made, free throws made and assists.
Freshman of the Year: D.J. Hall, Texas State
Hall becomes the first Bobcat to earn Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in the program’s history after leading all freshmen in the conference in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. The 6-7 forward recorded seven 20-point performances and eight double-doubles, while ranking third among all players in field goal percentage (.541), sixth in rebounding (7.5 RPG), 10th in steals (1.4 SPG), and 12th in scoring (15.3 PPG) and free throw percentage (.787). In conference games, the Plano, Texas native averaged 17.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest while shooting over 54 percent from the floor.
Sixth Man of the Year: Joey Chammaa, Arkansas State
Chammaa is the Red Wolves’ first Sixth Man of the Year honoree in program history after his 9.8 points per game in 20 games off the bench this season tied for the highest scoring average in the Sun Belt among all non-starters. He shot over 42 percent from the field and reached double-figures 10 times. In conference games, he ranked 11th in free throw percentage (.820) and scored a season-high 21 points at ULM on Feb. 21.
Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year: Scott Cross, Troy
Cross becomes just the second coach in Sun Belt history to be named Coach of the Year at two different programs in the league and the first since Keith Richard. The honor is his first at Troy after leading the Trojans to their league-best, fifth-consecutive 20-win season, their fifth-straight year with at least 10 wins in conference play. The Sun Belt’s outright regular-season champions, Troy compiled a 20-11 overall record and 12-6 mark in league play, as Cross led the Trojans to their second regular season crown in as many years. After winning the Sun Belt tournament in 2025 and replacing the team’s top two scorers, Cross retooled the roster while developing two returning players into all-conference performers. Troy recorded eight wins by 15 or more points while going 4-1 in games decided by three points or fewer this season.
2025-26 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards
Player of the Year: Chaze Harris, South Alabama (Sr., G - Cleveland, Ohio)
Defensive Player of the Year: Luke Wilson, App State (R-So., C - Augusta, Ga.)
Newcomer of the Year: Joshua Beadle, Coastal Carolina (Gr., G - Columbia, S.C.)
Freshman of the Year: D.J. Hall, Texas State (Fr., F - Plano, Texas)
Sixth Man of the Year: Joey Chammaa, Arkansas State (So., G - Los Angeles, Calif.)
Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year: Scott Cross, Troy (7th Year)
All-Sun Belt First Team
Joshua Beadle, Coastal Carolina (Gr., G - Columbia, S.C.)
Thomas Dowd, Troy (Jr., F - Dothan, Ala.)
Wyatt Fricks, Marshall (R-Sr., F - Lawrenceville, Ga.)
Chaze Harris, South Alabama (Sr., G - Cleveland, Ohio)
Tylik Weeks, Southern Miss (Jr., F - New York, N.Y.)
All-Sun Belt Second Team
D.J. Hall, Texas State (Fr., F - Plano, Texas)
Jelani Hamilton, Georgia State (R-So., G - Marietta, Ga.)
Kasen Jennings, App State (Gr., G - Atlanta, Ga.)
Adam Olsen, South Alabama (Jr., F - Surrey, B.C., Canada)
Jalen Speer, Marshall (Gr., G - Gainesville, Fla.)
All-Sun Belt Third Team
Cliff Davis, James Madison (5th Yr., G - Thomasville, Ga.)
Alonzo Dodd, App State (Sr., G - St. Paul, Minn.)
Christian Harmon, Arkansas State (Jr., G - Rochester, N.Y.)
Justin McBride, James Madison (Jr., F - Frisco, Texas)
Victor Valdes, Troy (Jr., F - Monterrey, Mexico)