University of New Orleans basketball player Coleton Benson was named to the All-Louisiana Men’s Basketball First Team by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association on April 21.
Benson’s recognition comes after a strong season in which he led the Southland Conference and ranked third nationally in free-throw percentage, making 92.8% of his attempts. This performance set new single-season records for both the University of New Orleans and the Southland Conference. He also finished second in the league for three-point percentage at 35.9% and for total three-pointers made, with 89 successful shots from beyond the arc—the second-most in a single season in school history.
During the regular season, Benson averaged 16.2 points per game, ranking sixth in the conference. He scored at least twenty points in ten games and had four games with thirty or more points, which was a league high. In November, he was named Southland Player of the Week after scoring thirty-three points against previously undefeated Tulane.
Benson is now the eighth University of New Orleans men’s basketball player to earn All-Louisiana honors since joining the Southland Conference before the 2013-14 season and is their first first-team selection since Bryson Robinson during the 2019-20 campaign. He becomes only the eighteenth Privateer ever to be selected for an All-Louisiana first team since John Hamilton received this honor in 1972.
The full list of major award winners includes Larry Johnson from McNeese as Player and Freshman of the Year, Max Mackinnon from LSU as Newcomer of the Year, and Bill Armstrong from McNeese as Coach of the Year.
