NEW ORLEANS – Luke Wilson has been named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year, while
Kasen Jennings and
Alonzo Dodd have earned second-team and third-team All-Sun Belt honors, respectively, the league announced Monday.
Wilson is the second App State Men's Basketball player in the last three seasons to be named the league's Defensive Player of the Year, joining Justin Abson (2024). App State's two All-Sun Belt players were tied for the most in the league, marking the third straight season the Mountaineers have had at least a pair of players named to an all-conference squad.
Dustin Kerns has now coached 15 players to Sun Belt honors in his seven seasons.
"We have a very connected locker room," Kerns said. "We have a lot of love for one another and truly celebrate each other's success. That is a huge reason why we have players recognized as All-Sun Belt players. Kasen, Alonzo and Luke have all worked extremely hard and have earned these awards. I'm super happy for them individually, but our team's success is the main factor in them being rewarded with these honors."
Luke Wilson | Defensive Player of the Year
Wilson has made significant strides in his redshirt sophomore season. He ranked second in the Sun Belt with 55 blocked shots on the season, a mark that ranks 32nd nationally. Wilson also ranks fifth in the league in rebounding (8.2 per game), leading the Mountaineers in both categories. Wilson is one of just two players in the Sun Belt (Matt Van Komen, Marshall) with multiple five-block games this season and one of only three Sun Belt players with 50 or more blocks.
The Augusta, Ga., native's rim protection has led App State's defense to top-15 national rankings in both field-goal percentage defense and scoring defense this season.
The Mountaineers' third-leading scorer, Wilson averages 10.7 points per game on the season, which has helped him collect 11 double-doubles – the second most in the conference. Wilson joins Tre'Von Spillers (2024) and
CJ Huntley (2025) as the only players to record at least 10 double-doubles in a season since the 1980-81 campaign. This includes an 18-point, 16-rebound game against James Madison on Feb. 14 and a 19-point, 10-rebound contest against Georgia Southern on Feb. 21.
Wilson has been dominant in Sun Belt play, raising his averages to 11.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game against league opponents. Wilson has also grabbed 3.1 offensive rebounds per game this season, a rate that ranks third in the Sun Belt and has helped the Mountaineers pull in over 32 percent of their misses, the best mark in the
Dustin Kerns era.
Kasen Jennings | Second Team All-Sun Belt
As the team's leading scorer, Jennings has made an immediate impact in his lone season at App State. He is averaging 15.2 points per game on the season, which ranks 16th in the Sun Belt. Jennings has totaled a team-best 24 double-digit games, which includes eight 20-point games and two 30-point games this season. He is one of only 18 Sun Belt players with eight or more 20-point efforts this season.
Jennings became the first Mountaineer since the 2018-19 season (Justin Forrest and Ronshad Shabazz) to post multiple 30-point games this season after scoring 31 against Georgia Southern on Feb. 11. His first 30-point outing of the season came in a 22-point road win over Troy, the Sun Belt regular-season champion, on Jan. 31. Jennings hit seven-three pointers in the victory and became the first Mountaineer since Adrian Delph in the 2021-22 season to record a 30-point game. He was subsequently named the Sun Belt Player of the Week on Feb. 3.
The Atlanta native has also proven to be clutch this season, as he hit the game-winning shot with less than two seconds on the clock in App State's win over Charlotte on Nov. 21, while also nailing the game-tying shot to force overtime against Big South regular-season champion High Point on Dec. 14. Jennings is also a great defender, as he leads the team with 32 steals and regularly guards the opposing team's top player.
Alonzo Dodd | Third Team All-Sun Belt
KenPom's fifth-best player in the Sun Belt Conference, Dodd has been a crucial piece in helping App State tie for second place in the regular season standings. In league play, Dodd has averaged 15.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He has reached double figures in all but three league games this season and has eclipsed 20 points five times against Sun Belt teams. Additionally, he scored 25 points against High Point on Dec. 14, which helped him garner Sun Belt Player of the Week honors on Dec. 16.
Not only can the St. Paul, Minn., native score the ball, but he has been one of the Sun Belt's best passers this season, as he ranks tied for fifth in assists per game at 4.3. Dodd has been especially reliable at taking care of the basketball, boasting the fifth-best assist/turnover ratio in the league (1.75), helping the Mountaineers rank second in the Sun Belt and 37th nationally in fewest turnovers per game.
The senior guard has tallied two 10-assist games this season, which makes him the only Sun Belt player with multiple 10-assist games this season. He is also the only player in the league with four or more games with at least nine assists. Dodd has also been one of App State's best rebounders, pulling in 5.3 per game, which ranks 20th in the Sun Belt. Dodd is one of only two players listed at 6-2 or smaller in the Sun Belt to rank in the top 25 in the Sun Belt in rebounding (AJ Dancler, Coastal Carolina).
He has recorded three double-doubles this season, which ranks third on the team, doing so with points and rebounds as well as points and assists. He has also totaled two of App State's top four scoring outputs this season, which includes a career-high 27-point contest against Old Dominion on Jan. 17, and each of App State's top four assist games.
The Sun Belt Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., awaits App State next. The Mountaineers have earned the fourth seed at the tournament and will play on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT) against either No. 5 seed Texas State, No. 8 seed Southern Miss, No. 9 seed James Madison, No. 12 seed Louisiana or No. 13 seed Georgia State.
With a win, App State will then face top-seeded Troy the following day in a Sunday semifinals match. All games at the Sun Belt Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+, with the exception of the championship game, which will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2.
2025-26 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Postseason Awards
Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year
Scott Cross, Troy
Player of the Year
Chaze Harris, South Alabama
Defensive Player of the Year
Luke Wilson, App State
Newcomer of the Year
Joshua Beadle, Coastal Carolina
Freshman of the Year
DJ Hall, Texas State
Sixth Man of the Year
Joey Chammaa, Arkansas State
All-Sun Belt First Team
Joshua Beadle, Coastal Carolina
Thomas Dowd, Troy
Wyatt Fricks, Marshall
Chaze Harris, South Alabama
Tylik Weeks, Southern Miss
All-Sun Belt Second Team
DJ Hall, Texas State
Jelani Hamilton, Georgia State
Kasen Jennings, App State
Adam Olsen, South Alabama
Jalen Speer, Marshall
All-Sun Belt Third Team
Cliff Davis, James Madison
Alonzo Dodd, App State
Christian Harmon, Arkansas State
Justin McBride, James Madison
Victor Valdez, Troy
