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FARMVILLE – Longwood’s Isaiah Wilkins was named to the Watch List for the 2022-23 Lou Henson Award late on Tuesday.

The award is annually given to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball. It’s named after Lou Henson, a coach at Illinois and New Mexico State who won 775 games over 41 seasons.

Wilkins came back as Longwood’s top returning scorer from a season ago, where he was one of the team’s most consistent players. He earned a spot on the Big South Preseason All-Conference First Team. So far this year, he has averaged a team-best 11.5 points per game this year for the Lancers. The graduate student has scored in double figures in four of the team’s six games.

Last season, Wilkins scored in double figures 23 times. He averaged 12.7 points per game on the way to earning both Big South Tournament MVP and All-Big South First Team honors.

He was also an All-Big South First Team selection after averaging 12.7 points per game and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game. Wilkins had a pair of double-doubles and shot .394 from three-point range.

Coming off a historic season

Longwood put together a historic season last year, winning the Big South Championship thanks to a whirlwind three-day run at the Big South Tournament after claiming the regular season title. The taste of March Madness at the Division I level was a program first.

The success extended off the court as well. This fall, the team moved into the fully donor-funded Basketball Performance Center, yet another milestone in Longwood’s rise to be a nationally relevant mid-major program. In addition, the Joan Perry Brock Center is set to open in the summer of 2023. Willett Hall, the team’s current home court, will become a practice facility at this point. The growth has been years in the making and is all part of the plan.

Up next

This season, the Lancers are 3-3 on the young season heading into the weekend. They host Mary Baldwin on Friday at noon to wrap up a five-game homestand. That game is free to attend.