LAKE CHARLES – Christian Shumate is returning to McNeese.
The Chicago native — who led the team in both scoring and rebouding last season — announced on Tuesday that he will return to the Cowboys’ basketball program for his junior season.
Shumate guided McNeese to the Southland Conference tournament semifinal round, becoming the first eight-seed to do so in tournament history, while setting a new tournament record with 41 rebounds in three games, breaking a 33-year-old mark.
“We are excited to have Christian back,” Will Wade said. “He has proven himself as an elite player in the Southland. I have really enjoyed getting to know Christian throughout this process and I believe the best is yet to come for him on the court.
“We cannot wait to get to work with him in the summer. I know Lake Charles and all of our fans are so excited to get a player of Christian’s caliber back to McNeese.”
In 2022-23, Shumate finished second in the SLC with 9.7 rebounds per game and led the league while ranking 11th in the nation with 16 double-doubles. He also scored in double-figures 26 times on the season including 15-consecutive games to finish out the year.
Shumate will enter the 2023-24 basketball season with 550 career rebounds, which ranks 21st all-time in McNeese basketball history.