Walkup Captures Spot on Southland Conference All-Academic First Team
3/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
2015-16 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team Release
FRISCO, Texas – For the fourth time in his career, Stephen F. Austin men’s basketball senior Thomas Walkup parlayed his hard work in the classroom to a spot on the Southland Conference Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team. Walkup was placed on the SLC All-Academic First Team for the third consecutive season, it was announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.
Carrying a 3.12 GPA in marketing, the Pasadena, Texas, product is the only four-time SLC All-Academic Team selection among the 10 men that comprise the 2015-16 first and second teams. This latest honor adds to a lengthy list of basketball-related accolades accumulated by the ‘Jacks’ star through the course of his final collegiate campaign.
Hands down the best player in the 13-team league, Walkup captured SLC Player of the Year honors for the second-straight season, becoming the first player in over 20 years to do so and just the third player in league history to win back-to-back awards of that nature.
By averaging 18.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game – all team bests – Walkup led the ‘Jacks to a 28-6 record which featured a perfect 18-0 mark in Southland Conference play. SFA was the only team in the nation to put up an undefeated conference record in the 2015-16 campaign and constructed the nation’s longest active winning streak (21 games) before bowing out of the NCAA Tournament by way of a one-point loss to Notre Dame in the round of 32.
Earlier in the week, Walkup became the first player in SFA’s Division I history to earn AP All-America Honorable Mention accolades in back-to-back seasons following a penultimate game of his career in which he engineered one of the most lopsided upsets in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
Pitted against number-three seeded and No. 8-nationally ranked West Virginia, the ‘Jacks upset the Mountaineers 70-56 in Brooklyn, becoming the 20th 14-seed to defeat a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament. SFA’s 14-point win is tied for the largest margin of victory in a 14-over-three upset, too.
Walkup is one of 20 players fro around the nation who will showcase their talents in the 2016 Reese’s Division I College All-Star Game in Houston on Friday at 4:30 p.m., in NRG Stadium. That game will be televised on CBS Sports Network at noon central time Saturday as well.
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.
2015-16 Southland Conference Men's Basketball All-Academic Teams
| First Team | ||||||
| Name | University | Class | Hometown | GPA | Major | |
| Kyle Hittle^,*,1,3 | UIW | Sr. | New Braunfels, Texas | 3.62 | Business Administration | |
| Thomas Walkup1,4 | Stephen F. Austin | Sr. | Pasadena, Texas | 3.12 | Marketing | |
| Jordan Howard1 | Central Arkansas | So. | Chandler, Ariz. | 3.74 | Marketing | |
| Aurimas Majauskas | Sam Houston State | Jr. | Marijampole, Lithuania | 3.82 | International Business | |
| Parker Wentz3 | Abilene Christian | Sr. | Lubbock, Texas | 3.65 | Biology/Pre-Dental | |
| | ||||||
| Second Team | ||||||
| Name | University | Class | Hometown | GPA | Major | |
| Bryce Douvier2 | A&M-Corpus Christi | Sr. | Sedgwick, Kan. | 3.43 | Communication | |
| Sabri Thompson | Northwestern State | Jr. | Newark, Del. | 3.71 | Business Administration & Accounting | |
| Mitchell Badillo2 | UIW | Sr. | Houston, Texas | 3.45 | Business Administration | |
| Reveal Chukwujekwu | Houston Baptist | Jr. | Houston, Texas | 3.47 | Accounting | |
| Kevin Hill2 | New Orleans | Sr. | Westwego, La. | 3.24 | Interdisciplinary Studies | |
^2015-16 Southland Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year
*Capital One Academic All-District
1Automatic selection
2Two-time all-academic selection
3Three-time all-academic selection
4Four-time all-academic selection
-SFA-
