FORT SMITH, Ark. – On Wednesday, the Great American Conference announced its 2025-26 Men’s Basketball superlative awards, released the All-GAC teams and named its top Scholar Athletes. Oklahoma Baptist’s Terry Coner, Jr. won Player of the Year and the Bison’s Jason Eaker garnered Coach of the Year. Ouachita Baptist’s Christian Parks and Devon Hancock claimed Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, respectively. Harding’s Reggie Webster earned Freshman of the Year. East Central’s Rustin Coffey received the Elite Scholar Athlete Award - Presented by Conway Regional Health System.
Coner, Jr. made program history by becoming the first Bison recognized as Player of the Year. In helping Oklahoma Baptist complete a 26-2 regular season, he averaged 20.2 points per game and 1.7 steals per game. He tallied 13 20-point games. Eaker joins former Arkansas Tech coach Doug Karleskint and Southern Nazarene coach Adam Bohac as the only coaches in league history to win multiple Coach of the Year accolades.
2025-26 GAC BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
Christian Parks and Devon Hancock gave the Tigers consecutive Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Year recipients. Parks leads the conference and ranks ninth nationally in blocked shots. He ranks fourth in rebounds per game. Hancock averaged 17.4 points per game and he paced the conference in free-throw percentage.Webster became the first Bison since 2014 voted as the GAC’s top freshman. He averaged 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He notched six 20-point games.
Coner, Jr. and Hancock added First-Team All-GAC honors to their postseason accolades. The Bison placed a second player on the First Team in Jackson Greene. He ranks second on the team to Coner, Jr. in scoring, 13.0 points per game. He added 5.2 rebounds per game. Senior guards Baron Bracey, from Southern Nazarene, and Harding’s Keyln McBride claimed spots on the team as did East Central’s Jaden Miller. Bracey leads the league with 10 double-doubles and in rebounds per game, 8.4. His 14.1 points per game lead the team. McBride leads the league in 3-point field-goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio. His 5.3 assists per game ranks second. Miller leads Division II and ranks third across all of college basketball in assists per game, 8.2
Parks and Webster headlined the All-GAC Second Team. Each had a teammate join him on the team in the Tigers’ PJ Neal and the Bisons’ Wesley Booker. Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Max Alexander claimed the final spot on the team.
The Honorable Mention team consisted of two from Oklahoma Baptist - center Erik Madrid and guard Joshua Udoumoh - ECU’s Coffey, Arkansas-Monticello’s Isaac Jackson, Henderson State’s Zaveion Okoh, Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Robbie Armbrester, Ouachita Baptist’s Jaxon Conley, Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Chandler Dickinson, Southern Nazarene’s Tracy Godfrey, Jr. and Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Ty Frierson.
The GAC Academic Honor Roll featured a total of 36 student-athletes to have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50, or higher, combined with at least one year of one-year of full-time college residency.