Wichita State basketball success garners American Conference postseason honors
Wichita State’s bounce-back season under Paul Mills was recognized when the American Conference released its postseason men’s basketball honors Tuesday morning.
The Shockers landed two players on the all-conference team, as senior guard Kenyon Giles earned first-team honors and senior forward Karon Boyd picked up third-team recognition, while junior center Will Berg was named Sixth Man of the Year.
South Florida’s Izaiyah Nelson was the unanimous Player of the Year and also claimed Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors after averaging 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks. After leading the Bulls to the regular-season title, USF’s Bryan Hodgson was named Coach of the Year.
It came as little surprise to see Giles recognized as one of the American’s top five players after his brilliant senior season. The dynamic guard is averaging 19.4 points per game and has already knocked down a school-record 105 3-pointers while shooting 38% from beyond the arc. He was joined on the first team by East Carolina’s Jordan Riley, Tulsa’s David Green and South Florida teammates Nelson and Wes Enis. Giles was also one of 10 players selected to the All-Newcomer team.
In the American era, Giles became the fifth Wichita State player to earn first-team all-conference honors, joining Landry Shamet and Shaquille Morris in 2017-18, Tyson Etienne in 2020-21 and Xavier Bell in 2024-25. He is also on pace for the best scoring season by a Shocker since Jason Perez averaged 20.2 points in 1999-2000.
Berg earned the top reserve honor in the conference after flourishing in a bench role that helped unlock Wichita State’s identity. The 7-foot-2 junior began the season as a starter, but after an ankle injury sidelined him for the DePaul game, Berg asked to come off the bench when he returned. Berg believed the move would help him avoid the early foul trouble that often disrupted his starts and allow him to enter the game later in the first half with a clean slate.
The move paid off. In 10 games as a starter, Berg averaged 7.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 51% from the field and 61% from the free-throw line. In 20 games off the bench, including all of conference play, Berg improved those numbers to 9.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 56% from the field and 69% at the line.
It was a fitting honor for Berg, who selflessly gave up his starting spot to Emmanuel Okorafor and developed into a force as part of WSU’s center tandem. His impact alongside Okorafor helped turn the Shockers into one of the best offensive-rebounding teams in the country. Berg is the fourth Shocker to win a conference Sixth Man of the Year award, joining Aaron Hogg (2002-03), Ben Smith (2010-11) and Ricky Council IV (2021-22).
Boyd also received recognition after producing the best season of his career. The senior forward averaged 10.9 points and emerged as a much-improved perimeter shooter, drilling 36 3-pointers this season after making just 21 combined during his two previous seasons at East Tennessee State. He also served as the team’s top perimeter stopper and gave the Shockers a dependable two-way presence all season.
The honors were a sign of respect after the Shockers (21-10, 13-5 American) notched their best finish in conference play in five seasons. WSU is the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament in Birmingham and will play in Saturday’s 4 p.m. semifinal at Legacy Arena.
American Conference men’s basketball postseason honors
Player of the Year
Izaiyah Nelson, sr., F, South Florida
Defensive Player of the Year
Izaiyah Nelson, sr., F, South Florida
Freshman of the Year
Josiah Parker, fr., G, Florida Atlantic
Newcomer of the Year
Izaiyah Nelson, sr., F, South Florida
Most Improved Player
Devin Vanterpool, so., G, Florida Atlantic
Sixth Man of the Year
Will Berg, jr., C, Wichita State
Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award
Asher Woods, sr., G, Tulane
Coach of the Year
Bryan Hodgson, South Florida
First team all-conference
Wes Enis, jr., G, South Florida
Kenyon Giles, sr., G, Wichita State
David Green sr., F, Tulsa
Izaiyah Nelson, sr., F, South Florida
Jordan Riley, sr., G, East Carolina
Second team all-conference
Miles Barnstable, sr., G, Tulsa
Rowan Brumbaugh, jr., G, Tulane
Tylen Riley, jr., G, Tulsa
Je’Shawn Stevenson jr., So., G, North Texas
Chance Westry, so., G, UAB
Third team all-conference
Karon Boyd, sr., F, Wichita State
Derrian Ford, sr., G, Temple
Dezayne Mingo, sr., G, Charlotte
Joe Pinion, sr., G, South Florida
Devin Vanterpool, so., G, Florida Atlantic
All-Newcomer Team
Miles Barnstable, sr., G, Tulsa
Wes Enis, jr., G, South Florida
Derrian Ford, sr., G, Temple
Kenyon Giles, sr., G, Wichita State
David Green sr., F, Tulsa
Izaiyah Nelson, sr., F, South Florida
Joe Pinion, sr., G, South Florida
Tylen Riley, jr., G, Tulsa
Je’Shawn Stevenson Jr., so., G, North Texas
Chance Westry, so., G, UAB
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