Conference USA Men's Basketball Player of the Year

Conference USA Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Awarded for the most outstanding basketball player in Conference USA
Country United States
First awarded 1996
Currently held by Speedy Smith, Louisiana Tech

The Conference USA (C-USA) Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to Conference USA's most outstanding player. The award was first given following C-USA's inaugural 1995–96 season. Two players have received the award multiple times: Danny Fortson (1996, 1997) and Steve Logan (2001, 2002). Coincidentally, both players attended the University of Cincinnati. Another Bearcat, Kenyon Martin, won the C-USA Player of the Year award the same season he was selected as the consensus National Player of the Year (2000).

Cincinnati and Memphis have the most awards, with five each; Memphis has the most individual winners, with all of its awards having been won by different players. However, neither school is currently a member of the conference. Due to C-USA having lost many members in both the 2005 and early-2010s conference realignment cycles, only five of its current 14 members have had a winner. The only current C-USA member with more than one winner is Charlotte, a charter member that left the conference in 2005 but returned in 2013.

Key

Quentin Richardson is profiled looking to the left while he is holding a basketball. He is wearing a blue New York Knicks uniform.
Quentin Richardson is the only freshman to ever win the C-USA Player of the Year award.
MDwyane Wade is driving to the basketball in an NBA game for the Miami Heat.
NBA star Dwyane Wade rose to national prominence during his junior season in which he won the award.
Chris Douglas-Roberts is walking during a college basketball game while wearing the white Memphis University uniform. He is holding a mouthguard and his white socks are almost up to his knees.
Like Wade, Chris Douglas-Roberts won the award as a junior (2008).
† Co-Players of the Year
* Awarded a national Player of the Year award:
Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1904–05 to 1978–79)
UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1954–55 to 1995–96)
Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present)
John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present)
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Conference USA Player of the Year award at that point

Winners

Season Player School Position Class Reference
1995–96 Fortson, DannyDanny Fortson Cincinnati Power forward Sophomore
1996–97 Fortson, DannyDanny Fortson (2) Cincinnati Power forward Junior
1997–98 Johnson, DeMarcoDeMarco Johnson Charlotte Forward Senior
1998–99 Richardson, QuentinQuentin Richardson DePaul Shooting guard/Small forward Freshman
1999–00 Martin, KenyonKenyon Martin* Cincinnati Power forward Senior
2000–01 Logan, SteveSteve Logan Cincinnati Point guard Junior
2001–02 Logan, SteveSteve Logan (2) Cincinnati Point guard Senior
2002–03 Wade, DwyaneDwyane Wade Marquette Shooting guard Junior
2003–04 Burks, AntonioAntonio Burks Memphis Point guard Senior
2004–05 Basden, EddieEddie Basden Charlotte Shooting guard/Small forward Senior
2005–06 Carney, RodneyRodney Carney Memphis Small forward Senior
2006–07 Almond, MorrisMorris Almond Rice Guard Senior
2007–08 Douglas-Roberts, ChrisChris Douglas-Roberts Memphis Shooting guard Junior
2008–09 Taylor, JermaineJermaine Taylor UCF Guard Senior
2009–10 Culpepper, RandyRandy Culpepper UTEP Guard Junior
2010–11 Johnson, AaronAaron Johnson UAB Point guard Senior
2011–12 Barton, WillWill Barton Memphis Shooting guard Sophomore
2012–13 Jackson, JoeJoe Jackson Memphis Point guard Junior
2013–14 Jones, ShawnShawn Jones Middle Tennessee Power forward Senior
2014–15 Smith, SpeedySpeedy Smith Louisiana Tech Point guard Senior

Winners by school

School (year joined) Winners Years
Cincinnati (1995)[a 1] 5 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002
Memphis (1995)[a 2] 5 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013
Charlotte (1995/2013)[a 1][a 3] 2 1998, 2005
DePaul (1995)[a 1] 1 1999
Louisiana Tech (2013) 1 2015
Marquette (1995)[a 1] 1 2003
Middle Tennessee (2013) 1 2014
Rice (2005) 1 2007
UAB (1995) 1 2011
UCF (2005)[a 2] 1 2009
UTEP (2005) 1 2010
East Carolina (2001)[a 4] 0 —
FIU (2013) 0 —
Florida Atlantic (2013) 0 —
Houston (1996)[a 2][a 5] 0 —
Marshall (2005) 0 —
North Texas (2013) 0 —
SMU (2005)[a 2] 0 —
Southern Mississippi (1995) 0 —
Tulane (1995)[a 4] 0 —
Tulsa (2005)[a 4] 0 —
UTSA (2013) 0 —
Western Kentucky (2014) 0 —
  1. 1 2 3 4 Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul and Marquette were founding members of C-USA in 1995, but all joined other conferences in 2005. Charlotte left for the Atlantic 10 Conference while the other three left for the Big East Conference. Following the 2013 split of the Big East into a non-football Big East and the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference (The American), Cincinnati is in The American while DePaul and Marquette are in the new Big East.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF joined The American in 2013.
  3. ↑ Charlotte rejoined C-USA in 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 East Carolina, Tulane, and Tulsa joined The American in 2014.
  5. ↑ The University of Houston was a founding member in 1995, but did not begin competing until 1996 because of its commitments to the final year of competition of the Southwest Conference.

References

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