LEXINGTON, Va. – The awards keep coming in for the Norfolk State men's basketball team after one of the best seasons in program history. Senior Joe Bryant Jr. has been named First Team All-State by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) for the Men's Basketball University Division.
Bryant is the first Spartan to be named to an All-State team since Jonathan Wade was a Second Team selection for the 2016-17 season. The last First Team honoree was Pendarvis Williams during the 2012-13 season.
The Norfolk native was recently named the Lou Henson National Player of the Year, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I and honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach, who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
Bryant, the MEAC Player of the Year and MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, finished the season leading the conference in scoring with 519 points while second in scoring average with 16.7 points per game. For the second year in a row, he broke the program record for free-throw percentage. He set the record last season going 62-68 (.912) but moved the bar up higher going 130-142 (.915) this season. The percentage also ranked as the sixth best in all of Division I.
He led the Spartans in the 2022 MEAC Tournament with 17.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in the three games. For his efforts he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, becoming only the second Norfolk State player to be named the MEAC Player of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player (Kyle O'Quinn, 2012).
2021-22 VaSID University Division Men's Basketball Teams
Player of the Year: Darius McGhee, Liberty
Rookie of the Year: Honor Huff, VMI
Defensive Player of the Year: Jacob Gilyard, Richmond
Coach of the Year: Mike Young, Virginia Tech
First Team
Darius McGhee, Liberty
Keve Aluma, Virginia Tech
Jake Stephens, VMI
Josh Oduro, George Mason
Joe Bryant Jr., Norfolk State
Second Team
Justin Hill, Longwood
Jayden Gardner, Virginia
Jacob Gilyard, Richmond
Vince Williams Jr., VCU
Tyler Burton, Richmond
Justyn Mutts, Virginia Tech
