Northwestern (Iowa) and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) Highlight 2026 NAIA Men’s Basketball All-American and Coach of the Year Honors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA announced the 2026 men’s basketball All-American teams, national player of the year, and national coach of the year awards this morning. Twelve student-athletes are represented as first- or second-team All-Americans, while 17 are represented on the third team. Three institutions received more than one honor, with Northwestern (Iowa), LSU Shreveport (La.), and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) each earning two All-American honors.

Two-time national champion head coach Drew Stutts of Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) was selected as the 2026 NAIA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Stutts led the Lions through a perfect Mid-South Conference schedule, going undefeated at 12-0. This season marked the first time FHU has done so in conference action. Furthermore, Stutts and Co. finished the 2026 season at 35-1, rattling off 32 consecutive wins that began back on November 8. Coach Stutts led FHU to wins over one team ranked inside the top five and top 10 of the national poll, two top 25 wins, and two wins against teams receiving votes in the national polls this season. 

Northwestern’s sophomore Jesse Van Kalsbeek was tabbed as the 2026 NAIA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year along with his first-team All-American honors. The Sheldon, Iowa, native led the nation in points per game, averaging 27.8 over 34 games; he also led in defensive rebounds (363) and total rebounds (421) this season, while averaging 34.1 minutes per game. He also ranked in the top three nationally in boards per game (12.4) and points per 40 minutes (32.6). Van Kalsbeek raised the bar this season, setting five new career highs in points (34), assists (7), steals (4), blocks (2), and field goals made (15).

First Team
Bradley Bunch		Pikeville (Ky.)	Big Stone Gap, Va.
Jesse Van Kalsbeek		Northwestern (Iowa)	Sheldon, Iowa
Tamaje Izuagbe		Oklahoma Wesleyan	Burleson, Texas
Cole Bowen		Graceland (Iowa)	Colorado Springs, Colo.
Jalen Langsy		Northwestern (Iowa)	Shakopee, Minn.
Caedmon Bontrager		Indiana Wesleyan	Fort Wayne, Ind.
Ian Raasch		Grace (Ind.)	Nappanee, Ind.
Micah Clark		Nelson (Texas)	Dallas, Texas
Hayden Brittingham		LSU Shreveport (La.)	Fort Worth, Texas
Omari Nesbit		Rocky Mountain (Mont.)	Sacramento, Calif.
Nick Hopkins		Hope International (Calif.)	Los Angeles, Calif.
Ese Onakpoma		Arizona Christian	Nuagatuck, Conn.

Second Team
Camerin James		Keiser (Fla.)	Apopka, Fla.
Devontre Chaney		Georgia Gwinnett	Lake Wales, Fla.
EJ McQuillan		LSU Alexandria (La.)	Port Allen, La.
Foday Sheriff		William Penn (Iowa)	Upper Darby, Pa.
Isaiah Crane		Carroll (Mont.)	Portland, Ore.
Jackson Cooper		Oregon Tech	Portland, Ore.
Jaxson Fugate		Indiana Tech	Fort Wayne, Ind.
Kameron Johnson		Loyola (La.)	New Orleans, La.
Kenyata Carbon		Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	Owensboro, Ky.
Kyle Duke		Cumberlands (Ky.)	Toronto, Ontario
Michael Klekas		Ave Maria (Fla.)	Elko, Nev.
Orlando Thomas		Langston (Okla.)	Chicago, Ill.

Third Team
Avery Jackson		The Master’s (Calif.)	Dallas, Texas
Derek Fairley		Lourdes (Ohio)	Cleveland, Ohio
Hayden Diekhans		Montana Tech	Geraldine, Mont.
Delon McCloud		Rio Grande (Ohio)	Grand Rapids, MI
Isaiah Howard		Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.)	Seattle, Wash.
Jonas Carlisle		Oklahoma City	San Antonio, Texas
Kaden Johnson		Huntington (Ind.)	Hartford, Mich.
Eli Edwards		Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)	Kokomo, Ind.
Khi Wallace		LSU Shreveport (La.)	Nashville, Tenn.
Makeem Roberts		William Carey (Miss.)	Meridian, Miss.
Mason Lockhart		Johnson (Tenn.)	Atlanta, Ga.
Phil Horton		Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)	Memphis, Tenn.
Qualen Pettus		Dalton State (Ga.)	Fort Wayne, Ind.
Deion Wesson		Williams Baptist (Ark.)	Jonesboro, Ark.
Raymond Reece		Philander Smith (Ark.)	Oakland, Calif.
Rico Sain		Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)	Jackson, Tenn.
Timothy Parker		Simpson (Calif.)	Riverside, Calif.