COLUMBUS, Miss. – The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) announced its men's basketball awards for 2025-26, and The W's Tray Huguley (Saks, Ala.) was voted as the league's Player of the Year, headlining several honors for MUW players. Huguley was also a first-team All-SLIAC selection, with fellow sophomore teammate Joe Haze Austin (Pontotoc, Miss.) garnering second-team all-conference recognition.

Additionally, Austin was tabbed on the All-Defensive Team and picked by the coaches as the SLIAC's Defensive Player of the Year, as well. Senior Jackson Reid (New Braunfels, Texas) was honored on the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

"We are proud of the honor that both Tray and Joe have brought to themselves, their families, their teammates, and our program," MUW Head Coach Dean Burrows said. "With their individual stories, and to be recognized within our conference, and on a national level regarding certain statistical categories, with their achievements to date, are a testament to who both of these young men are as people. They both have overcome adversity, while also acknowledging that they, like us all, are always 'works in progress.' From my perspective, the best is that they, like our entire team, still have room to continue to improve, which excites me."

Huguley's POTY award is the first by an MUW basketball player in the school's three years as a SLIAC member. It might have also been the easiest vote placed before the league coaches, considering that the 6-foot-6 inch forward was also voted as the SLIAC Player of the Week an unprecedented six times during the 2025-26 campaign. 

Huguley finished the regular season among the SLIAC leaders in numerous categories. Huguley ranked No. 1 in rebounds (11.7 rpg), No. 2 in scoring (22.7 ppg), No. 2 in field goal percentage (64.1%), No. 8 in free throw percentage (75.3%), No. 3 in blocks (1.4 bpg), and No. 2 in minutes played (34.7 mpg). Huguley posted 16 double-double games (an MUW school record), scored in double digits in all 23 games played, had 16 games with 20-plus points, and had four games with 30 or more points scored (including a school-record 51 points versus SLIAC foe Greenville University back on December 6).

Austin was the Owls' "Swiss Army Knife," doing a little bit of everything, but excelling on defense. Austin, at 6-foot-5 inches, ranked second in the SLIAC for blocked shots at 1.6 per game, while topping the circuit in steals with3.4 thefts per contest, as well. As if that were not enough, Austin was No. 2 in SLIAC assists (3.8 apg), No. 5 in assist-to-turnover ratio (a plus-1.2 pg), and No. 4 in free throw percentage (81.0%), while also scoring at a 13.8 points per game clip.

Reid is a graduate student who came to The W in 2024-25 after earning his Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity from Schreiner University (Texas) in two years. A two-year starter, Reid averaged 5.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season while battling injuries. He is a two-time SLIAC All-Academic Team member, as well as an Academic All-District honoree, as well.

The W – seeded second in the SLIAC tournament – begins play on Thursday evening (Feb. 26/5:30 p.m.) versus No. 3-seeded Lyon College. The SLIAC semifinals and final is being played in St. Louis, Mo., at top-seeded Webster University.