UL point guard Elfrid Payton was named to the first team of the 2012-13 All-Sun Belt Conference Basketball Team and big man Shawn Long is the Sun Belt’s Freshman of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.

All 11 conference coaches and 11 media members selected by member schools had votes.

Payton becomes the first Cajun to win first team All-Sun Belt honors since Tyren Johnson in 2009-10.

He’s joined on this year’s first team by Florida Atlantic senior guard Greg Gantt, the SBC’s leading scorer with an average of 21.2 points per game; Florida International junior forward Tymell Murphy, the league’s top shooter at 58.8 percent from the field; Middle Tennessee senior guard Marcos Knight, whose Blue Raiders go into this week’s conference tournament as its No. 1 seed; and South Alabama junior forward Augustine Rubit, the Sun Belt’s Player of the Year.

Rubit is the conference’s leading rebounder with an average of 10.8 points per game, and its No. 2 scorer at 18.9 points per game.

Payton, a sophomore from Gretna High, leads the Sun Belt in both assists (5.4) and steals (2.5) per game. He also averages 15.8 points with 490 in 31 games, which ranks fourth among all Sun Belt scorers.

Long, a redshirt freshman who transferred to UL from Mississippi State, was named to the All-Sun Belt second team.

With 489 in 31 games for the 12-19 Ragin’ Cajuns, he also averages 15.8 points.

At 10.3 rebounds per game, tops among all freshmen in the nation, the Morgan City High product averages — like Rubit — a double-double.

Long’s 17 double-doubles this season are fifth-most in the nation, and he’s has scored 20 points or more nine times in 2012-13.

Also on the second team: Arkansas State senior forward Brandon Peterson; Florida Atlantic freshman guard Stefan Moody; Western Kentucky sophomore guard T.J. Price; and sophomore forward Tony Mitchell, an NBA prospect from North Texas.

On the third team: Arkansas-Little Rock junior forward Will Neighbour; Arkansas State senior guard Trey Finn; Raymond Cintron and Bruce Massey, both senior guards from Middle Tennessee; and Western Kentucky sophomore forward George Fant.

Middle Tennessee’s Kermit Davis, whose Blue Raiders take a 27-4 overall record into the conference tournament, is the Sun Belt’s Coach of the Year and Massey is its Defensive Player of the Year.

UL is seeded No. 8 going into the conference tournament at Hot Springs, Ark., which for the Cajuns begins with a first-round game Friday night against North Texas.