By R.G. Mason
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State guard Jamarii Thomas was named to the 2023-24 Lou Henson Mid-Season Watch List this week, a prestigious recognition for one of the top awards in mid-major basketball.
The Lou Henson award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
Players on teams from the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, CUSA, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC, West Coast.
Through 18 games, Thomas is averaging 17.7 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per contest, shooting 43.0 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from behind the arc. He also has gotten to the line at an efficient rate, shooting 121-of-143 (84.6 percent) from the charity stripe.
Thomas has helped anchor the Spartans defensively as well, ranking second in the MEAC with 2.3 steals per game. He was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 6.
Thomas and the Spartans return to Echols Hall on Monday, Jan. 15 to face Virginia Lynchburg at 7 p.m.
LOU HENSON AWARD MID-SEASON WATCH LIST
| Tyson Acuff | Eastern Michigan |
| De’Sean Allen-Eikens | CSUN |
| Rasheed Bello | Purdue Fort Wayne |
| T.J. Bickerstaff | James Madison |
| Jalen Blackmon | Stetson |
| Tommy Bruner | Denver |
| Terrell Burden | Kennesaw State |
| Clarence Daniels | New Hampshire |
| Tucker DeVries | Drake |
| Terrence Edwards Jr. | James Madison |
| Enrique Freeman | Akron |
| Tyon Grant-Foster | Grand Canyon |
| Marcus Hill | Bowling Green |
| Xavier Johnson | Southern Illinois |
| Dillon Jones | Weber State |
| Xaivian Lee | Princeton |
| Malik Mack | Harvard |
| Issac McBride | Oral Roberts |
| Duke Miles | High Point |
| Riley Minix | Morehead State |
| Ajay Mitchell | UC Santa Barbara |
| Jonathan Mogbo | San Francisco |
| Drew Pember | UNC Asheville |
| Elijah Pepper | UC Davis |
| Caden Pierce | Princeton |
| Xander Rice | Monmouth |
| Kyle Rode | Liberty |
| Reyne Smith | Charleston |
| TreVon Spillers | Appalachian State |
| Isaiah Swope | Indiana State |
| KyKy Tandy | Jacksonville State |
| Jamarii Thomas | Norfolk State |
| Tyler Thomas | Hofstra |
| Trey Townsend | Oakland |
| Marques Warrick | NKU |
| Shahada Wells | McNeese |
| Trazarien White | UNCW |
| Amari Williams | Drexel |
| Danny Wolf | Yale |
| Vonterius Woolbright | Western Carolina |
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