LAKE CHARLES – Following a freshman regular season that saw him break a 44-year-old scoring record held by the great Joe Dumars, McNeese guard Larry Johnson has been selected as the 2026 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, the league office announced on Friday in conjunction with the announcing of the men's basketball all-conference team.
 
In addition, Johnson was named All-SLC first team along with junior guard Tyshawn Archie while Garwey Dual was named to the All-Defensive team.
 
Rated as the No. 2 player in the Southland Conference according to EvanMiya, Johnson has scored 532 points this season to break Dumars' previous record of 527 that was set in 1982. A native of Savannah, Georgia to transferred to McNeese from Creighton where he did not see any action, Johnson 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. He's added two double-doubles on the year with a season-high 30 points against Champion Christian on Nov. 3. Johnson has scored 20 or more points in six of the last 12 games and scored 20 or more in nine of 22 conference games while netting double-figures in all but three league games. He has been named to the Watch List for Mid-Major Freshman of the Year.
 
Johnson is just the third Cowboy to earn the freshman of the year award (Jason Coleman, 2000; Johnathan Massie, 2022).
 
Archie is ranked as the No. 6 player in the Southland Conference according to EvanMiya analytics. The first-year Cowboys was a major piece of a defense that is currently ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in turnovers forced and turnover margin as well as No. 1 in Division I ball in steal percentage and turnover percentage.
 
The junior from Houston who transferred to McNeese from Tulsa, is ranked No. 5 in the SLC with 51 total steals, sixth in steals per game at 1.65, ninth in 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.
 
Archie has recorded 26 double-digit scoring games on the year, second-most on the team, and has scored 20 or more points four times. He's the team-leader with 58 three-pointers made, 44 of those in league play.
 
Dual is ranked as the No. 1 player in the Southland Conference according to EvanMiya analytics. The junior from Houston is currently 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 NCAA with a 2.42 A/TO ratio and seventh in the league with 4.1 assists per game.
 
Dual is averaging 8.2 points per game and has recorded 10 double-digit scoring games. He's dished out five or more assists in a game 12 times with a career-high 11 against Champion Christian at the start of the season.
 
Stephen F. Austin recorded four superlative award winners – Keon Thompson as Player of the Year, Jerald Colonel as Defensive Player of the Year, Lateef Patrick as Newcomer of the Year, and Matt Braeuer for 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.
 
2025-26 Southland Men's Basketball All-Conference and Superlative Award
Player of the Year: Keon Thompson, SFA
Defensive Player of the Year: Jerald Colonel, SFA
Coach of the Year: Matt Braeuer, SFA
Freshman of the Year: Larry Johnson, McNeese 
Newcomer of the Year: Lateef Patrick, SFA
 
First Team All-Conference
Keon Thompson, SFA
Larry Johnson, McNeese
Lateef Patrick, SFA
Koree Cotton, UTRGV
Tyshawn Archie, McNeese
 
Second Team All-Conference
Coleton Benson, New Orleans
Micah Thomas, Northwestern State
Filip Brankovic, UTRGV
Jakevion Buckley, New Orleans
Davion Bailey, UIW
 
All-Defensive Team
Jerald Colonel, SFA
Garwey Dual, McNeese
Churchill Abass, New Orleans
Koree Cotton, UTRGV
Leo Torbor, A&M-Corpus Christi