Parker, Walkup Named First Team All-Academic
4/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FRISCO, Texas -- Stephen F. Austin senior Jacob Parker and junior Thomas Walkup were both named first team selections to the 2014-15 Southland Conference Men's Basketball All-Academic team, announced today by the league office. It is the third-straight all-academic honor for both players.
Walkup's academic adds to his impressive postseason award collection as he was named an AP and Lou Henson All-American, a first team NABC All-District 23 selection and is a finalist for the Mid-Major Player of the Year. The Southland Conference Player of the Year, Walkup posted a breakout season for the Lumberjacks leading the team in scoring (15.6 ppg), shooting percentage (.567) and rebounding (6.5 rpg), ranking among the Southland Conference leaders in a number of categories.
Walkup was even more productive during Southland Conference play, averaging 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 61.2 percent from the floor. Four of his five double doubles of the year came in SLC play, including three-straight to close out the regular season in the wins over Incarnate Word, Northwestern State and Sam Houston State to secure SFA's third-straight regular season SLC title.
Parker also added to his impressive collection of accolades, being named an NABC All-District 23 selection and was selected to the NABC Reese's Division I All-Star Game. The senior capped his final season as a Lumberjack averaging 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, shooting 51.1 percent from the floor. A second team All-SLC selection, Parker was the SLC's top three-point shooter for the 2014-15 season, connecting on 44.0 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
The 2013-14 SLC Player of the Year, Parker finished the year with four double doubles, including a 16-point, 10-rebound performance against Northwestern State in the SLC tournament semifinals. He closes out his SFA career with 1,251 points, ranking 15th all-time in program history and fifth at the Division I level, while adding 627 rebounds to rank 10th all-time (third at Division I level).
SFA was the only school in the Southland Conference with two first team selections and was joined by Incarnate Word as the only school with two selections to the team.
The all-academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and academic advisors from each Southland Conference university. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team's competition to qualify for the all-academic squad.
2014-15 Southland Conference Men's Basketball All-Academic Teams
First Team
Zeek Woodley -- Northwestern State
Parker Wentz -- Abilene Christian
Kyle Hittle -- Incarnate Word
Thomas Walkup -- Stephen F. Austin
Kevin Hardy -- McNeese State
Jacob Parker -- Stephen F. Austin
Second Team
DeMarcus Gatlin -- Sam Houston State
Kevin Hill -- New Orleans
Bryce Douvier -- A&M-Corpus Christi
Mitchell Badillo -- Incarnate Word
Student-Athlete of the Year: Zeek Woodley -- Northwestern State
