Trey Townsend named mid-major player of the year; Oakland first school to win it twice

Trey Townsend might not be a mid-major basketball player for much longer.

But Oakland's star forward isn't done collecting honors. On Thursday, Townsend was named the winner of the Lou Henson Award, as the top mid-major player in the country.

Townsend already was named the Horizon League player of the year and the Horizon League tournament MVP. With Thursday's honor, he becomes the second Oakland player to win the award, with Keith Benson in 2010. Oakland is the only program to have won the award twice.

"Trey Townsend is a big game performer," Angela Lento, vice president of CollegeInsider.com, said in a statement Thursday. "A lot of players put up good numbers but aren’t clutch when the game is on the line. When Greg Kampe needed a bucket, Trey Townsend got the ball. In a season that produced a lot of wins for Oakland, Trey Townsend made a lot of winning plays. He is the straw that stirs the drink for the Golden Grizzlies."

Townsend scored a career-high 38 to lead Oakland past Milwaukee in the Horizon League championship game, sending the Golden Grizzlies to their first NCAA Tournament since 2011.

Then, he had two double-doubles in the NCAA Tournament, in a stunning win over Kentucky and an overtime loss to N.C. State, which has made the Final Four. Townsend scored 30 against N.C. State.

Townsend, 21, played four seasons at Oakland, and might spend a fifth college season at the high-major level. He's entered the transfer portal and will have many lucrative NIL offers at the power-conference level. He also is declaring for the NBA Draft to get an evaluation, and has left open the option to return to Oakland.

Townsend wrote on social media this week that he will "explore every option there is to me."

The Lou Henson Award is voted on by a committee of 10, and is named after the former Illinois and New Mexico coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons. He died in 2020, at the age of 88.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984