OKLAHOMA CITY – Langston's Tristan Harper has been tabbed as the Sooner Athletic Conference player of the year.
SAC regular-season champion Langston gathered multiple awards including defensive player of the year (Cortes Mosley), newcomer of the year (Harper) and the John Hudson coach of the year (Chris Wright).
Other SAC honorees were Oklahoma City University's Avery Jackson (freshman of the year), Southwestern Assemblies of God's Tyler Kinghorn (sixth man of the year) and Noah Boling (sportsmanship award).
Harper led Langston with 15.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game this season. Harper a 6-foot-6 senior from Columbus, Ga., lands on the all-conference first team for the first time. Harper had a season-high 35 points in a 97-67 win at home over Southwestern Christian on Nov. 19. He had a season high of 12 rebounds three times throughout the season at Mid-America Christian, vs. Central Christian and vs. Science & Arts. He was named the Oklahoma Ford Dealers SAC player of the week for his exploits on the court Nov. 14-20.
Wright took home league coach of the year honors after one of the most remarkable turnarounds for a program in history. Wright was named the Lions' head coach last spring, inheriting a program that went 1-28 in 2021-22. He retooled the team, leading them to an overall record of 26 wins and 2 losses and a 20-2 mark in conference games, leading to a regular-season conference championship. It was the first regular-season championship for the Lions since joining the SAC.
Jackson, averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.39 steals per contest this season. In just his second game in a Stars uniform, the Frisco, Texas, native had a season-high 32 points against OUAZ. His season-high 10 rebounds came at home against Mid-America Christian in January, and he dished out seven assists in a blowout win at home over Ozark Christian (Kan.) early in the season.
Kinghorn, a senior from Billings, Mont., came off the bench and averaged 11.1 points, 5.8 boards, and 1.4 assists per game for the Lions from his forward position. He had a season-high 20 points twice this season on the road against Oklahoma Panhandle State and at home against Oklahoma City.
The SAC all-conference first team included Harper, Cortland Blake of Southwestern Assemblies of God, Samkelo Cele of Science & Arts, Jules Moor of North Texas Dallas and Wayland Baptist's Tedrick Wolfe. All five were first-time selections to the first team.
| 2022-23 All-Sooner Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Teams & Individual Honors |
| Player of the Year: Tristan Harper, Sr., F, Langston |
| Newcomer of the Year: Tristan Harper, Sr., F, Langston |
| Freshman of the Year: Avery Jackson, Fr., F, Oklahoma City |
| Defensive Player of the Year: Cortez Mosley, Jr., F, Langston |
| Sixth Man of the Year: Tyler Kinghorn, Sr., F, SW Assemblies of God |
| John Hudson Coach of the Year: Chris Wright, Langston |
| Sportsmanship Award: Noah Boling, Jr., G, SW Assemblies of God |
| FIRST TEAM |
| F |
Cortland Blake |
SW Assemblies of God |
Jr. |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| F |
Samkelo Cele |
Science & Arts |
Sr. |
Durban, South Africa |
| F |
Tristan Harper |
Langston |
Sr. |
Columbus, Ga. |
| F |
Jules Moor |
North Texas Dallas |
Jr. |
Houston |
| F |
Tedrick Wolfe |
Wayland Baptist |
Sr. |
DeWitt, Ark. |
| SECOND TEAM |
| G |
Rayquan Elliott |
Panhandle State |
Sr. |
Tulsa, Okla. |
| G |
Parrish Hewitt |
Wayland Baptist |
Sr. |
Memphis, Tenn. |
| F |
Avery Jackson |
Oklahoma City |
Fr. |
Frisco, Texas |
| F |
Cortez Mosley |
Langston |
Jr. |
Peoria, Ill. |
| G |
Akili Vining |
Texas Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| THIRD TEAM |
| G |
Toru Dean |
Langston |
Jr. |
Miami, Fla. |
| F |
Kori Guest |
Oklahoma City |
Sr. |
Tulsa, Okla. |
| G |
Payton Guiot |
John Brown |
Sr. |
Paragould, Ark. |
| F |
Luiz Machado |
Southwestern Christian |
Sr. |
Queens, N.Y. |
| F |
Gerard Makuntae |
Science & Arts |
Sr. |
Austell, Ga. |
HONORABLE MENTION
D'Michael Bellfield, Wayland Baptist
Dravon Clayborn, Oklahoma City
Langston Gaither, Science & Arts
Eylan Goodwyn, Mid-America Christian
Brooks Haddock, SW Assemblies of God
Seth Hurd, Mid-America Christian
Brandon Jackson, Oklahoma City
Vernon Johnson, North Texas Dallas
Tyler Kinghorn, SW Assemblies of God
R.J. Mason, Wayland Baptist
A.J. Rainey, Langston
Peyton Sallee, Texas Wesleyan
Reece Warren, Central Christian
Philbert Weekes, SW Assemblies of God
ALL-FRESHMAN
J.J. Boling, SW Assemblies of God
Lukas Gabani, John Brown
Avery Jackson, Oklahoma City
Jack McWilliams, Oklahoma City
Malachi Reeves, John Brown
ALL-DEFENSIVE
James Beckom, John Brown
Toru Dean, Langston
Dylan McDougal, Wayland Baptist
Cortez Mosley, Langston
Philbert Weekes, SW Assemblies of God