Herd basketball trio takes home SBC honors

“That’s three of our five starters. Two of them took the top awards, and then that next award is pretty special, too,” D’Antoni said. “I’m proud of them, it’s well-deserved, but I think they would all tell you it’s a team award.”

Each of the three echoed their coach’s thought and gave credit to the team for creating opportunity for individual success when speaking to local media following the announcement.

Kinsey, a fifth-year senior from Columbus, Ohio, was named the league’s player of the year and to the All-Sun Belt Conference first team after leading the league in points per game with 22.2. He also averaged 5.4 assists per game and was voted the SBC player of the week three times during the regular season.

“Definitely blessed and just want to put God first and then obviously my team. We talked a lot about that today,” Kinsey said. “Wouldn’t be in the position I was today without my team, my coaches and just Marshall University itself, the crowd and our fans. I’m very, very grateful.”

Kinsey just wrapped up his fifth regular season with the Herd, while Handlogten completed his first. The biggest adjustment for the young seven-footer, he said, was building up endurance to play at a high level every night.

He managed to do that and was named SBC freshman of the year for his efforts after starting all 31 games in the regular season and averaging nearly 10 rebounds per game (9.9), which led the league. The Huntersville, North Carolina, native also recorded eight double-doubles (fourth in the SBC) and blocked 72 shots to rank 10th in the NCAA.

“I came here and I thought I was going to redshirt when I first got here. Then (my teammates) showed up this summer, we worked out butts off and got me to where I wanted to be,” Handlogten said.

Andrew Taylor rounds out the trio of award-winners after being named to the All-Sun Belt first team.

Taylor finished the regular season as the team’s second leading scorer (20.2 per game) good for second in the SBC. The native of Corbin, Kentucky, had 14 games of 20 or more points and accumulated 66 steals to lead the league and rank 12th in Division I. His 148 assists and 4.8 assists per game are both third in the conference.

“From the start of the year, this was hard. Especially coming back from last year was hard,” Taylor said. “We had to work at it each and every day, little things, one at a time, and it all added up to now, and I’m thankful for all the teammates that pushed me.”

Marshall will soon travel to Pensacola, Florida, for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, which begin Tuesday. Marshall opens play in the quarterfinal round after receiving a double bye.

South Alabama’s Kevin Samuel was the SBC defensive player of the year, Southern Miss’ Austin Crowley newcomer of the year and James Madison’s Terrence Edwards sixth man of the year. USM’s Jay Ladner was coach of the year after leading the Golden Eagles to a regular season title after losing 26 games last season.