TAMPA, Fla. – The Sun Conference announces its major award winners for the 2024-25 men’s basketball season.

Latavious Mitchell of Florida Memorial has been named the Sun Conference Player of the Year. The senior forward from Indianapolis led the Lions to a 12-4 conference record, averaging 17.3 points per game in Sun Conference games. Starting in every game, Mitchell averaged a double-double across 29 games, with 17.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Additionally, he recorded 48 assists, 24 steals, and 16 blocks in conference play.

New College of Florida’s Diego Eslava has earned the Freshman of the Year award. In the team’s inaugural SUN season, Eslava has participated in every game, starting 27 of 28, and averaged 26 minutes per game. He has scored 12.9 points per game in conference games, ranking third on the Mighty Banyans team. Eslava helped his team secure a Sun Tournament spot with an overall record of 14-15 and 7-9 in the conference, contributing 68 rebounds, 17 assists, and 11 steals.

Matthew Lentz of Southeastern has been awarded this year’s Champion of Character. A two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete, Lentz is a community leader at Southeastern, dedicating time to serving underprivileged youth, working at a local food bank in Lakeland, and assisting the Pathways School of Excellence, which serves middle and high school students with special needs.

Marcus “Chief” Bryant of Keiser has been named Coach of the Year. In his fifth season as head coach, Bryant has led the Seahawks to their first Regular Season Title since 2015 and the top seed in this year’s Tournament Championship. The Seahawks boast a record of 24-4 overall and 14-2 in the conference. Under Bryant’s leadership, the team has excelled defensively, allowing only 64.8 points per game, the best in the league, with a 9.2 rebounding margin, and leading the league in forced turnovers (15.7), blocks (4.7), and steals (10.1).


2024-25 Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Award Winners
 
Player of the Year
Latavious Mitchell, Florida Memorial
 
Freshman of the Year
Diego Eslava, New College of Florida

Champion of Character
Matthew Lentz, Southeastern
 
Coach of the Year
Marcus Bryant, Keiser

Click here to view all of this year's All-Conference honorees.

The 2024-25 Sun Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Championship resumes on Friday, February 28th with two semifinal matchups. Fourth-seeded Southeastern will take on top-seeded Keiser on their home floor at 5:00 p.m. while third-seeded Florida Memorial will face No. 2 Ave Maria at 7:00 p.m. The Championship Game will take place in West Palm Beach at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 1st. For more information on the 2024-25 Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, click here. 
   
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now in its 35th year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 24 NAIA sports. Learn more at thesunconference.com