Huguley Named SLIAC Player of the Year as MUW Men’s Basketball Earns Multiple Honors

Columbus, Miss. — Mississippi University for Women’s Tray Huguley was named the SLIAC Player of the Year as the league announced its men’s basketball awards for the 2025-26 season. Huguley, a 6-foot-6 forward from Saks, Alabama, was also a first-team All-SLIAC selection, while teammate Joe Haze Austin earned second-team all-conference honors.

Austin, a 6-foot-5 sophomore from Pontotoc, Mississippi, was named to the All-Defensive Team and was voted the SLIAC’s Defensive Player of the Year by coaches. Jackson Reid, a senior from New Braunfels, Texas, was recognized on the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

MUW head coach Dean Burrows praised the players’ achievements. “We are proud of the honor that both Tray and Joe have brought to themselves, their families, their teammates, and our program,” he said. “Their individual stories and conference recognition reflect who they are as people. Both have overcome adversity, and they still have room to improve, which excites us.”

Huguley’s Player of the Year award marks the first for an MUW basketball player in the school’s three years in the SLIAC. He was also named SLIAC Player of the Week six times during the season, an unprecedented feat.

He finished the regular season among the league leaders in multiple categories, including leading in rebounds with 11.7 per game and ranking second in scoring at 22.7 points per game. Huguley also ranked second in field goal percentage (64.1%), eighth in free throw percentage (75.3%), third in blocks (1.4 per game), and second in minutes played (34.7 per game). He recorded 16 double-doubles, scored in double digits every game, and had four games with 30 or more points, including a school-record 51 points against Greenville University on Dec. 6.

Austin contributed on both ends, ranking second in the league in blocked shots at 1.6 per game and leading in steals with 3.4 per game. He also averaged 13.8 points, was second in assists at 3.8 per game, and posted an 81% free throw percentage. Reid, a graduate student who transferred from Schreiner University, averaged 5.6 points and 2.5 rebounds while battling injuries. He has been a two-time SLIAC All-Academic Team member and an Academic All-District honoree.

The Owls, seeded second in the SLIAC tournament, open postseason play Thursday at 5:30 p.m. against No. 3 seed Lyon College. The semifinals and finals are scheduled at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.

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