@RaginCajunsMBB Gant Named To USBWA All-District Team
Senior one of three Sun Belt players on 10-man team
By: Matt Sullivan, Associate Director of Athletics Communications
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ST. LOUIS, Mo. –One day after being named the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Year and earning first-team honors, Louisiana'sJaKeenan Gantpicked up more postseason accolades on Tuesday when he was selected to the 2018-19 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Men's Basketball All-District VII team.
The USBWA has selected All-District Teams since the 1956-57 season, its founding year. The selection of Gant marked the second consecutive year a Ragin' Cajuns standout was named to the team withFrank Bartleynamed after the 2017-18 season.
Gant, a 6-foot-8 forward, was one of 10 players selected to the all-district team, comprised of all Division I schools in the states of Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. Gant was one of three Sun Belt Conference players named to the squad, joining Arkansas State's Ty Cockfield and ULM guard Daishon Smith.
Gant finished the regular season ranked third in the Sun Belt in scoring (20.4) and led the league in blocked shots (2.7) for the second consecutive year. He finished second in the league in both rebounds (8.6) and field goal percentage (.541) while recording 15 games with 20 or more points, highlighted by a career-high 45 points in a win over Little Rock on Jan. 5.
The Springfield, Ga., native grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a dozen games during the regular season, with a career-best 17 boards coming at Texas State.
In Sun Belt games, Gant averaged 23.1 points – third among all SBC players – while finishing second in field goal percentage (.562) and pacing the conference in both rebounds (9.2) and blocked shots (2.2).
Louisiana (19-12), the No. 5 seed in this week's Sun Belt Conference Tournament at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena, will return to action on Thursday at 5 p.m., against the first-round winner between South Alabama and Arkansas State.
U.S BASKETBALL WRITERS 2018-19 MEN'S ALL-DISTRICT VII TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
COACH OF THE YEAR
Chris Beard, Texas Tech
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (10)
Desmond Bane, TCU
Ty Cockfield, Arkansas State
Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
Corey Davis, Houston
Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
JaKeenan Gant, Louisiana
Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA
Isaiah Joe, Arkansas
Daishon Smith, ULM
Tremont Waters, LSU
SUN BELT CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT TICKETS AVAILABLE
• Tickets booklets for the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, scheduled for March 13-17 at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena, are currently on sale on-line at RaginCajuns.com, using Account Manager, or by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• For more information, call the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2357.
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