The McNeese men’s and women’s basketball teams earned multiple honors on the 2025-26 All-Southland Conference teams.
McNeese guard Larry Johnson has been selected as the 2026 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and earned All-SLC first team honors. Fellow Cowboys guard Tyshawn Archie also earned first-team honors, and Garwey Dual was selected to the SLC All-Defensive Team.
Johnson has scored 532 points this season to break Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Dumars’ program record of 527 that was set in 1982. The Creighton transfer is currently ranked seventh in scoring among all freshmen in the NCAA.
Johnson led the Cowboys with 27 double-digit scoring games out of 31 played and recorded 20 or more points 11 times. He’s currently ranked fourth in the league in scoring (17.2 ppg, third in the field goal percentage (.511), and second in field goals made (191). He’s one of only six players in the conference to score 500 points on the season.
Johnson is just the third McNeese player to earn the SLC Freshman of the Year award, joining Jason Coleman (2000) and Johnathan Massie (2022).
Archie is ranked No. 5 in the SLC with 51 total steals, sixth in steals per game at 1.65, ninth in the SLC with 442 total points scored, 10th in the SLC with a 14.3 scoring average, No. 8 in the league in FG shooting .433 and No. 10 with 89 total assists.
Dual is ranked No. 2 in the SLC and 60th in the NCAA with 54 total steals and third in the league and 95th NCAA with 1.74 steals per game. A first-year Cowboy who transferred from Seton Hall, Dual is No. 2 in the conference and 94th in the NCAA with a 2.42 A/TO ratio and seventh in the league with 4.1 assists per game.
Stephen F. Austin recorded four superlative award winners – Keon Thompson as SLC Player of the Year, Jerald Colonel as SLC Defensive Player of the Year, Lateef Patrick as SLC Newcomer of the Year, and Matt Braeuer as SLC Coach of the Year.
McNeese will begin its quest to win its third-straight conference tournament championship on Tuesday night at 8:30 in the semifinal round of the SLC Tournament.
The McNeese women’s basketball team earned multiple Southland Conference honors.
McNeese senior Jalencia Pierre and freshman Dakota Howard were both named to the All-SLC teams, while Cowgirls head coach Ayla Guzzardo was selected as SLC Coach of the Year. Pierre was also named Defensive Player of the Year, and Howard earned Freshman of the Year honors.
Pierre was named SLC Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight year, and it’s the first honor for McNeese in program history. She was also named to the second team after averaging 2.1 steals per game.
Howard becomes the fourth Cowgirl to be named Freshman of the Year and is the first since 2022 when teammate Kaili Chamberlin earned the honor. Howard was also a first-team all-conference selection after leading McNeese in scoring (12.9 ppg.), steals (84), field goal percent (49.5), and rebounds (6.1 rpg.).
Guzzardo was named Coach of the Year for the second straight year and third honor in the last four years after leading McNeese to the nation’s best D1 turnaround (17-game turnaround) and win differential in the county. Guzzardo led the Cowgirls to its first SLC regular season title since 2011, a school record 27 wins (27-4) and a conference record 21 wins (21-1).