Alex Lehmbeck
Mar 13, 2024
Three major individual awards by three Spartans headlined a terrific day for the Norfolk State men's basketball team, as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) unveiled the 2024 postseason accolades at the conference's annual awards show.
Jamarii Thomas earned MEAC Player of the Year as well as Newcomer of the Year, while head coach Robert Jones received the third MEAC Coach of the Year accolade of his career. Allen Betrand was named Sixth Player of the Year.
The trio led a prestigious batch of postseason recognitions for the Spartans. Thomas was named to both the All-MEAC First Team and All-Defensive Team, while Betrand earned All-MEAC Third Team Honors. Freshman Chris Fields Jr. was named to the All-Rookie Team.
Thomas, the MEAC's leading scorer, averaged 17.5 points and 3.8 assists per game during the regular season, shooting 81.3 percent from the free throw line. A 6-0 guard from Greensboro, N.C., he's scored 20+ points on 10 occasions, including a career-high 31 points at Illinois State.
A staunch defender as well, Thomas ranks second in the MEAC with 2.0 steals per game. He was named to the Lou Henson Midseason Watch List, recognizing the top mid-major players in college basketball.
Betrand has averaged 11.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, scoring in double figures on 21 occasions as a crucial boost off the bench. A three-level scorer, he's shooting 36.4 percent from behind the arc and 85.7 percent at the free throw line.
Fields has established himself as a future standout in the MEAC, averaging 6.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in his freshman campaign. Making efficient use of limited playing time, he recorded a career-high 31 points against Virginia Lynchburg on a 12-of-13 shooting day, the highest scoring performance by an NSU freshman in the program's history.
With Thomas' accolade, Norfolk State has now produced the last three MEAC Player of the Year recipients. Joe Bryant Jr. received the award in 2022 and 2023. It is the first three-year stretch of Player of the Year recognitions by a MEAC school since Coppin State from 1994-1996.
Jones is the only active MEAC coach with three Coach of the Year recognitions, earning the award in 2019 and 2022 as well.
Norfolk State opens the 2024 MEAC Basketball Tournament on Wednesday against Coppin State. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at Norfolk Scope Arena.