NORFOLK, Va. – For a second consecutive season, Norfolk State guard Joe Bryant Jr. has been named HBCU National Player of the Year by BOXTOROW, the organization announced on Thursday.
 
Bryant was joined on the BOXTOROW All-America First Team by his teammate, Kris Bankston. They become the first Norfolk State pair to be named to the First Team in the same season.

Bryant averaged 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game this season en route to a second consecutive MEAC Player of the Year award. He scored 25 points in the Spartans' MEAC Tournament Quarterfinal win over Coppin State, 23 in the semifinals against North Carolina Central, and 18 against Howard in the title game.
 
He becomes the first player in Norfolk State history to win the BOXTOROW HBCU Player of the Year award twice. Kyle O'Quinn and Pendarvis Williams each received the accolade once, albeit in consecutive years, with O'Quinn winning in 2011-12 and Williams taking it in 2012-13.
 
Bankston averaged 14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game this season, earning All-MEAC First Team and All-Defensive Team honors. In two years at Norfolk State, he ranks first and second in program history for single-season field goal percentage, posting a 71.1 percent clip in 2021-22 and 68.8 percent rate in 2022-23.