| Devin Gibson was named SLC Freshman of the Year and to the league's second team on Tuesday. |
FRISCO ? UTSA freshman Devin Gibson was named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and second-team all-conference, the league office announced on Tuesday.
The Cy-Falls High School product is averaging 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game and he leads the NCAA in steals with 3.4 per contest. He is shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 71.0 percent from the free throw line in playing a team-high 33.4 minutes per game. In SLC play, Gibson posted 15.2 points and 4.3 boards in addition to league-bests of 5.3 assists and 3.5 thefts per game. He has led the Roadrunners ? winners of five of their last eight games ? in scoring 15 times this season and has topped 20 points seven times, including a season-high 27 in the 103-96 overtime victory at Texas State on Feb. 23.
Gibson, who was named SLC Player of the Week on Feb. 25, has posted three double-doubles during the year, including 10 points and a season-best 13 assists (one shy of the school record) in the 81-77 win over Central Arkansas on Jan. 17. He also tallied four or more steals 15 times, highlighted by a season-high seven picks in the 77-67 win over Navy on Nov. 17. Gibson’s season-high 10 rebounds came as part of a double-double (13 points) against nationally-ranked Texas on Nov. 12.
“Devin has had an outstanding freshman campaign,” head coach Brooks Thompson said. “We put a lot of responsibility on his shoulders this season and he is handling it tremendously. He has a great work ethic and is a high-character person who has battled through three different injuries this year. We look forward to his continued growth as a student-athlete.”
Gibson is the first Roadrunner to earn Freshman of the Year accolades since Kurt Attaway in 2004. Current NBA player Devin Brown is the only other UTSA player to win the rookie award, doing so in 1999.
He also is UTSA’s first all-conference player since Andre Owens also was named to the second team in 2006. Other second team All-SLC honorees include Devin Brown (1999), Keith Horne (1992), LeRoy Hurd (2003), John Millsap (2005), Leon Watson (1998) and Lloyd Williams (2000).
Gibson was joined by Matt Kingsley of Stephen F. Austin, Kevyn Green of Southeastern Louisiana, Nate Bowie of Central Arkansas and Jermaine Griffin of UT Arlington on the second team.
First-team honorees includes Player of the Year Josh Alexander of Stephen F. Austin, Ryan Bright of Sam Houston State, Lamar Sanders of Lamar, Trey Gilder of Northwestern State and Newcomer of the Year Kenny Dawkins of Lamar.
Chosen to the third team were Chris Daniels of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Ryan Bathie of Nicholls State, Jarvis Bradley of McNeese State, Brandon Bush of Texas State and Rog’er Guignard of UT Arlington.
Shamir McDaniel (Sam Houston State), Darren Hopkins (Lamar), John Ford (McNeese State), Colby Bargeman (Northwestern State), Eric Bell (Stephen F. Austin), Anthony Vereen (UT Arlington) and Justin Reynolds (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) all earned honorable mention accolades. Stephen F. Austin’s Danny Kaspar was voted Coach of the Year.
The Roadrunners (13-16, 7-9 SLC) open SLC Tournament play against top-seed Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Merrell Center in Katy.