NEW ORLEANS, La. – Coming off one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation and a regular season Sun Belt Conference title, Little Rock claimed a number of conference postseason honors, announced today by the Sun Belt office. The postseason awards were voted on by the league's head coaches.
The Trojans claimed three of the conference's five major awards, including head coach
Darrell Walker taking home the Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year award. Junior
Ruot Monyyong was honored with a pair of major awards, claiming the Sun Belt's Defensive Player of the Year as well as Newcomer of the Year.
Monyyong was also one of three Trojans to garner All-Sun Belt Conference honors, earning first team recognition. He was joined on the first team by
Markquis Nowell with
Kamani Johnson being named an All-Sun Belt third team selection.
Darrell Walker – Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year
In his second season at Little Rock, Walker helped engineer one of the nation's best turnarounds. After going 10-21 in 2018-19, the Trojans were picked 11th in the preseason poll and flipped their record, posting a 21-10 mark in 2019-20. Walker helped guide the Trojans to a 15-5 Sun Belt mark, claiming Little Rock's first outright league title since 2015-16.
Walker helped guide the Trojans to a 13-2 mark at the Jack Stephens Center, tying for the second-most home wins since Little Rock moved to their on-campus home. Walker becomes the fourth Trojan head coach to be named Sun Belt Coach of the Year, joining Wimp Sanderson (1995-96), Steve Shields (2003-04) and Chris Beard (2015-16).
Ruot Monyyong – Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-Sun Belt
Monyyong, the league's leader in double-doubles, picked up another by being named both the Sun Belt's Defensive Player of the Year as well as Newcomer of the Year. He becomes the third Trojan to earn the defensive accolade, joining Muntrelle Dobbins (1996-97) and John Fowler (2008-09) and is the second Little Rock player to earn the honor for the league's top newcomer, joining Ryan Moss (1997-98).
Monyyong has been a key factor for the Little Rock turnaround as he is the Sun Belt Conference leader in rebounds (9.8), defensive rebounds (7.6), blocks (2.0) and double-doubles (16), holding comfortable margins on the next closest player in each category. Nationally, he ranks among the top-40 in six different statistical categories, including 12th in the NCAA in double-doubles and 14th in defensive rebounds per game (7.61).
The Nashville, Tennessee native has already started to place his name in the Little Rock record books as his 62 blocks on the year is the most for the Trojans during the Division I era and third all-time in program history. He leads the team with 24 games scoring in double figures and has pulled down double digit rebounding totals 17 times in 2019-20.
Markquis Nowell – First Team All-Sun Belt
Nowell has been Little Rock's floor general in 2019-20, at times carrying the team on his back. He ranks in the top-three in the Sun Belt in six statistical categories, leading the league in free throw percentage (87.9%) and three pointers per game (2.8) while sitting second in assists (4.9) and third in scoring (17.2), steals (2.2) and three point field goal percentage (39.1%).
A three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, the Harlem, New York native also ranks among the top-50 nationally in five statistical categories, including sitting 18th in steals per game (2.21), 21st in total steals (62) and 27th in free throw percentage. He has scored 20 or more points 12 times on the year, including games of 33 and 32 points in Sun Belt play, and is the Trojans' active career scoring leader at 749 points in two seasons.
Kamani Johnson – Third Team All-Sun Belt
Johnson picks up his first All-Sun Belt career honor, earning third team honors as he has become one of the league's top interior players. Johnson ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in rebounds per game (6.7) and is second in offensive rebounds (3.0), averaging 12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds during Sun Belt action.
A two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, the Brooklyn, New York native scored in double figures 15 times in 2019-20, including 12 in league play with high games of 32, 30 and 24 points. In addition to his presence inside, Johnson has been a staple for Little Rock at the free throw line where he ranks 18th nationally in free throw attempts (198) and 25th in free throws made (144). Johnson is shooting 72.7% from the line, an improvement of nearly 22 percentage points from his freshman campaign when he shot 50.8%.
After capturing the regular season title in the win over Louisiana Saturday, Little Rock earned itself a three round bye all the way to the tournament semifinals at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Trojans will play the winner of the quarterfinal game between Georgia State and an opponent TBD on Saturday, March 14 at 11:30 a.m.
Ticket booklets for the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Tournament in New Orleans are available through the Trojan Ticket Office. Prices are $150 for the VIP Experience, including floor seating and access to VIP hospitality, with General Admission tickets available for $40. Sunday is the final day to order and booklets can be purchased by contacting the ticket office at 501-565-8257.
2019-20 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Postseason Honors
All-Sun Belt First Team
Justin Forrest – Appalachian State
Ruot Monyyong – Little Rock
Markquis Nowell – Little Rock
Josh Ajayi – South Alabama
Nijal Pearson – Texas State
All-Sun Belt Second Team
DeVante Jones – Coastal Carolina
Quan Jackson – Georgia Southern
Kane Williams – Georgia State
Michael Ertel – ULM
David Azore – UT Arlington
All-Sun Belt Third Team
Kamani Johnson – Little Rock
Marquis Eaton – Arkansas State
Ike Smith – Georgia Southern
Justin Roberts – Georgia State
Trhae Mitchell – South Alabama
Player of the Year: Nijal Pearson – Texas State
Defensive Player of the Year: Ruot Monyyong – Little Rock
Freshman of the Year: Mylik Wilson – Louisiana
Newcomer of the Year: Ruot Monyyong – Little Rock
Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year: Darrell Walker – Little Rock
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