Men’s Basketball: Louisiana’s Bartley, Gant, Washington Named To NABC All-District Team

Matt Sullivan, Director of Athletics Communications

Trio among 10-member team selected by NABC coaches

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball players Frank Bartley, Bryce Washington and JaKeenan Gant were honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as they were selected to the 2017-18 NABC Division I All-District team, that was announced on Tuesday.
 
The trio highlighted a 10-member District 24 squad that featured players from the Sun Belt Conference. Bartley and Washington were each named to the first team with Gant named to the second team. The teams were selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC in Division I.
 
Bartley, a senior from Baton Rouge, has led Louisiana in scoring (17.7) during the 2017-18 season, scoring in double figures in 31 consecutive games with 11 games of 20 points or more. The two-year letterwinner earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors and became the 47th player in Ragin’ Cajuns history to reach the 1,000-point scoring mark.
 
Washington, a senior from New Orleans, averaged a double-double for the second consecutive year for Louisiana, scoring 10.5 points while grabbing a SBC-leading 10.6 rebounds per game. The first-team All-SBC product recorded 12 double-doubles on the season for the Ragin’ Cajuns and joined former letterwinner Shawn Long as the only players in school history to score 1,000 career points and grab 1,000 career rebounds in both school and SBC history.
 
Gant, a junior from Springfield, Ga., averaged 13.8 points, grabbed 5.8 rebounds and blocked 2.3 shots per game in his first season with the Ragin’ Cajuns after spending his first two seasons at Missouri. The 6-foot-8 forward earned third-team All-SBC honors for the Ragin’ Cajuns and was named both the league’s Newcomer and Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Louisiana (27-6) will open play in the NIT on Wednesday when it travels to Baton Rouge to face LSU in a 6 p.m. contest at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
 
District 24
First Team
D’Marcus Simons, Georgia State
Kevin Hervey, UT Arlington
Tookie Brown, Georgia Southern
Frank Bartley, Louisiana
Bryce Washington, Louisiana
 
Second Team
Jordan Varnado, Troy
Ronshad Shabazz, Appalachian State
JaKeenan Gant, Louisiana
Rodrick Sikes, South Alabama
Travis Munnings, UL Monroe