McNeese’s Wells finalist for two awards
Published 6:28 am Friday, March 22, 2024
- McNeese State Cowboys guard Shahada Wells (13) runs the offense against College of Biblical Studies at McNeese H&HP Complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Friday, November 10, 2023. (Kirk Meche)
SALT LAKE CITY — Shahada Wells keeps getting national attention.
Prior to the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the McNeese State guard was named a finalist for two national player honors.
Wells is in the final running for both the Lute Olson and Lou Henson national player of the year awards.
The Lute Olson Award is presented to the top Division I player while the Lou Henson Award is given to the best at a mid-major program.
Wells was named the Southland Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year and National Association of Basketball Coaches District 22 Player of the Year and earned SLC All-Tournament MVP honors.
A three-time national player of the week recipient this season, Wells led McNeese to its best season in school history as a Division I school by posting a 30-3 record.
Wells, one of five mid-major players on the Olson list, ranks second in the nation in steals per game and is third with 95 steals.
The Cowboys’ top scorer has reached double digits in 28 of his 32 games.
SHIRT FUN: A minor uproar was created when members of the McNeese staff wore their receipt T-shirts for Wednesday’s workout.
It is a shirt that has comments from those who were down on Will Wade at the end of his time at LSU.
While some national folks were upset, the shirts have been around all season and no players wore them.
CLOSE TO FAMILY: Gonzaga and the Cowboys never played until last night but they do have a connection, sort of.
Last season McNeese had Walker Timme, a 6-foot-7 forward on the team. He is the brother of former Zag all-American Drew Timme. However, Walker never played for McNeese and left the team prior to the start of last season.
He transferred to the College of Southern Idaho where he played this season.
GAME CHANGES: South Lake Charles Little League pushed back its games scheduled for Thursday night so players and parents could watch the Cowboys.
The games will be played on May 2.
BIG COMEBACK: The Dayton Flyers rallied from 19 points down in the final 7 minutes to win the opener of the West Regional over Nevada 63-60 prior to McNeese taking the floor.
