Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Justin Hill was outstanding as a sophomore for the Longwood men’s basketball team, and the Lancer guard was named a finalist for the 2022 Lou Henson Award.

Hill is one of 40 finalists on the 2021-22 Lou Henson All-America Team. He joins players like Darius McGhee of Liberty and Max Abmas of Oral Roberts, among others. Hill is the only player selected to the team from the Big South.

The Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball. It is named after the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.

Players from a total of 20 mid-major conferences are eligible for the award: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt and West Coast.

Hill was a top player for a Longwood team that qualified for the NCAA National Tournament for the first time at the Division I level. The dynamic sophomore led Longwood in scoring at 14.2 points per game while also finishing third in the Big South in the player of the year vote.

He was a First Team All-Big South honoree while also earning a slot on the Big South All-Tournament Team and being named to the NABC District 3 Second Team. The Texas native stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game in addition to his points.

The Lancers (26-7) claimed both the regular season and tournament crown in the Big South after ripping off a 15-1 record in Big South play. That run included 10 straight conference wins and 11 wins overall, both program bests in Division I play.