Six ENMU players earn All-LSC status
Mar. 9—FRISCO, Texas — Eastern New Mexico University senior guard Greg Johnson earned men's first-team All-Lone Star Conference recognition in a banquet on Wednesday night prior to the start of the LSC tournament.
Johnson, from Little Rock, Ark., helped the Greyhounds win 19 regular-season games, averaging 17.8 ppg and 2.7 assists per contests. He has scored 30 or more points four times.
Named LSC offensive player of the week twice during the campaign, Johnson shot 51 percent from 3-point range (60-of-118) and also posted 99 rebounds. A 3.62 student in university studies who will graduated in May, Johnson was also selected to the All-LSC academic team.
After graduation, he plans to pursue professional basketball opportunities and coaching.
Two other Hounds were honored by the conference — senior guard/forward Jahcoree Ealy was named to the second team while 7-foot-3 center Conrad Luczynski was chosen to the five-man all-freshman squad.
In 21 games, Ealy led the LSC in scoring (20.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (61 percent) en route to his second consecutive second-team berth. A native of Conway, Ark., Ealy was named the NCAA Division II national player of the week after scoring 31 points in a 67-66 win at Texas-Tyler and a personal-best 42 points in a 104-97 upset at then-No. 7 and LSC East Division champion Dallas Baptist two days later.
He will graduate in May with a degree in university studies and plans to pursue professional basketball opportunities.
Luczynski, a native of Poland who came to ENMU after graduating from Bartlett (Ill.) H.S., delivered 6.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg off the bench while blocking 33 shots, including a school-record seven in a December triumph over Northern New Mexico. Perhaps his best game came in a late-season victory over Arkansas-Fort Smith where he scored 14 points.
West Division and LSC regular-season champion West Texas A&M dominated the league's special awards, led by senior guard Larry Wise who earned first-team All-LSC status for the third consecutive year and was also named the LSC's player of the year.
Senior guard Ryland Holt, who led the league with 42 blocked shots, who chosen the defensive player of the year, while guard Kieran Elliott was the freshman of the year and Tom Brown earned coach of the year honors. Other awards went to Keyshawn Embery-Simpson of Angelo State, newcomer of the year, and Trevor Frank of Dallas Baptist, sixth man of the year.
On the women's side, senior guard/forward Deja Adrian was named to the All-LSC second team, junior forward Ishauna Hunter earned third-team status and freshman guard Jaz Salon was chosen to the all-freshman squad.
Adrian, from Houston, the league's newcomer of the year for 2022-23, finished 10th in the LSC in scoring (14.2 ppg) and fifth in the league in free throw shooting at 80 percent. She was a first-team selection in 2022-23 and the conference's newcomer of the year.
Hunter, from Trenton, N.J., became eligible at the semester, compiled five double-doubles in 18 games in averaging 14.4 ppg and 8.3 rpg.
The 5-foot-3 Salon, from Melbourne, Australia, became the first Hounds player named all-freshman since the league established the award in 2019-20. She was ninth in the LSC in minutes (32.6 mpg), averaging 8.3 ppg with team highs of 45 3-pointers and 70 assists.
Texas-Permian Basin's Rae Boothe and Texas Woman's Beth Jillson were chosen LSC co-coaches of the year. Other special awards went to Ashley Ingram of TWU, player of the year; Alexus Quaadman of UTPB, defensive player of the year; Taylor Haggan of St. Mary's, freshman of the year; Zarria Carter of Midwestern State, newcomer of the year, and Shelby Ray of Texas A&M-Kingsville, sixth man of the year.
