Wesson Named AMC Player of the Year

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (2/25/26) – Williams Baptist University men's basketball sophomore Deion Wesson was named American Midwest Conference Player of the Year, headlining eight individual awards for WBU at the AMC Awards Banquet Wednesday in Springfield, Mo. 

Wesson earned the conference's most prestigious on-court honor after leading the conference in points per game (25.3) and steals per game (2.3).  Wesson had 11 30+ point games this season.  He is the first Eagle to earn the honor since Kyle Harvey in 2013, and the third Eagle all-time to win the award.  He was also named AMC Newcomer of the Year and earned a spot on the AMC All-Conference First Team.

Jesse Washington joined Wesson on the All-Conference First Team after finishing second in points per game (22.8) and third in rebounds per game (8.0).  Benjamin Noonan followed up on the All-Conference Third Team.  Noonan was 16th in the league in points per game (12.1), third in total steals (51), sixth in total blocks (17), and ninth in offensive rebounds (51) in an impressive freshman campaign.

Noonan was also named to the AMC All-Freshman Team.

Kylen Kelly was named to the AMC All-Defensive team after leading the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball all season.  Kelly ranked 17th in the league in rebounds per game (4.9), 24th in total steals (24), and 12th in offensive rebounds (42).

James Blair rounded out the ceremony after being named as WBU's representative to the AMC Champions of Character Team, recognizing him as the student-athlete who best represented the NAIA's Five Core Values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership.

Benjamin Noonan, Christ Theodor, Dauren Zhenbaev, Dillon Loving, Draelon Williams, Eddrick Lard, Grant Mitchell, Jakobe Slater, Rovier Lee, Vince Hardaway, Zalin Parish, and Zion Whitmore were all named to the AMC Academic All-Conference Team.

The Eagles finished the regular season with an overall record of 20-5, tying the program record for wins in a season.  The Eagles' 10-4 record in conference play earned a third-place finish in the AMC standings, WBU's best finish in the league since the 2014-15 season.

The third-seeded Eagles will face No. 6 Mission in the quarterfinal round of the AMC Tournament on Friday, Feb. 27, in Springfield, Mo.  Tipoff against the Patriots is set for 7:30 p.m. from W.E. Dowell Fieldhouse.