Cleveland and Decker Jr. Named 2025-26 Lou Henson Award Finalists
3/16/2026 1:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty's Zach Cleveland and Brett Decker Jr. have both been named finalists for the 2025-26 Lou Henson Award. This is the second straight year Cleveland has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious honor, and this is Decker Jr.'s first time as a finalist.
The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball. The recipient of the award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of CollegeInsider.com. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, Ind., site of the men's NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Final Four.
Cleveland and Decker Jr., who were both named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List back in November, are two of only 30 total finalists for the award. They are also the only two Conference USA players on the listing.
Cleveland, the Conference USA Player of the Year and All-CUSA first team selection, is averaging 11.8 points (No. 3 on team), 7.6 rebounds (No. 1 on team) and 6.8 assists (No. 1 on team) in 31 appearances (all starts). The Bloomington, Ill. native's 6.8 assists per game rank No. 9 nationally, and his 6.74 defensive rebounds per game are 14th best in the country. Cleveland, a forward, shares the CUSA lead with nine double-doubles on the year and had the conference's only triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) back on Feb. 7 against Missouri State at Liberty Arena.
Decker Jr., an All-CUSA first team honoree, is leading the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game while also ranking third in program history for three-point makes in a single season with 111. Decker Jr. is the second-best three-point shooter in the nation this year at 48.1 percent and ranks eighth in threes per game (3.47) and 11th in total threes (111). The sophomore guard from Elizabethtown, Ky. leads the squad with 29 games in double figures and paces the team in 20-point games (10) and 30-point games (1).
The Lou Henson award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach, who won 775 games in 41 seasons. Coach Henson is the winningest coach in Illinois basketball history with 423 victories. During his 21 seasons (1975-1996), Henson led the Fighting Illini to 16 postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA Tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 1989.
Henson, who is also the all-time winningest coach in New Mexico State history with 289 victories, is one of only 11 coaches to take two different schools to the NCAA Final Four. His teams made 19 NCAA appearances and four NIT appearances. Coach Henson passed away in July 2020.
Cleveland, Decker Jr. and Liberty (25-7) claimed the CUSA outright regular season crown for a second straight season with a 17-3 league mark, earning their seventh regular season and/or division title in the last eight years. The Flames will play at No. 3 seed (Auburn Region) George Mason (23-9) in the first round of the NIT, Tuesday night at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball. The recipient of the award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of CollegeInsider.com. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, Ind., site of the men's NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Final Four.
Cleveland and Decker Jr., who were both named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List back in November, are two of only 30 total finalists for the award. They are also the only two Conference USA players on the listing.
Cleveland, the Conference USA Player of the Year and All-CUSA first team selection, is averaging 11.8 points (No. 3 on team), 7.6 rebounds (No. 1 on team) and 6.8 assists (No. 1 on team) in 31 appearances (all starts). The Bloomington, Ill. native's 6.8 assists per game rank No. 9 nationally, and his 6.74 defensive rebounds per game are 14th best in the country. Cleveland, a forward, shares the CUSA lead with nine double-doubles on the year and had the conference's only triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) back on Feb. 7 against Missouri State at Liberty Arena.
Decker Jr., an All-CUSA first team honoree, is leading the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game while also ranking third in program history for three-point makes in a single season with 111. Decker Jr. is the second-best three-point shooter in the nation this year at 48.1 percent and ranks eighth in threes per game (3.47) and 11th in total threes (111). The sophomore guard from Elizabethtown, Ky. leads the squad with 29 games in double figures and paces the team in 20-point games (10) and 30-point games (1).
The Lou Henson award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach, who won 775 games in 41 seasons. Coach Henson is the winningest coach in Illinois basketball history with 423 victories. During his 21 seasons (1975-1996), Henson led the Fighting Illini to 16 postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA Tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 1989.
Henson, who is also the all-time winningest coach in New Mexico State history with 289 victories, is one of only 11 coaches to take two different schools to the NCAA Final Four. His teams made 19 NCAA appearances and four NIT appearances. Coach Henson passed away in July 2020.
Cleveland, Decker Jr. and Liberty (25-7) claimed the CUSA outright regular season crown for a second straight season with a 17-3 league mark, earning their seventh regular season and/or division title in the last eight years. The Flames will play at No. 3 seed (Auburn Region) George Mason (23-9) in the first round of the NIT, Tuesday night at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
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