TOLEDO, Ohio – Sophomore guard Ryan Rollins was named to the 2021-22 Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List on Thursday. The award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player and Rollins is one of six sophomores and three Mid-American Conference players to be included on the list.
 
A Macomb, Mich. native, Rollins received MAC Freshman of the Year and was a finalist for the Kyle Macy Freshman of the Year award last season. Rollins paced MAC freshmen and ranked second on team with 13.7 ppg. He was also second on the team with 5.2 rpg, 2.7 apg and scored in double digits in 25 contests. Rollins tallied a season-high 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting vs. Central Michigan (Jan. 19) and registered a 20-point performance at Xavier (Nov. 27) en route to earning all-tournament team honors at the season-opening Xavier Invitational.

Former Rockets Marreon Jackson (2021), Tre'Shaun Fletcher (2018), Nathan Boothe (2016) and Julius Brown (2014, 2015) have been previously selected to the Lou Henson All-America Team.

The award honors Henson, the former Illinois and New Mexico State coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.  Henson is the winningest coach in Illinois basketball history with 423 victories. During his 21 seasons (1975-1996), Henson led the Fighting Illini to 16 postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 1989.

Henson, who is also the all-time winningest coach in New Mexico State history with 289 victories, is one of only 11 coaches to take two different schools to the NCAA Final Four. His teams have made 19 NCAA appearances and four NIT appearances.
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