Thomas earns Region 24 Player of the Year, Cooper and Akanmu receive All-Region honors
VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomore and 2024 NJCAA All-American Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) headlined a trio of Vincennes University men's basketball players to receive 2025 NJCAA Division I All-Region 24 honors.
Thomas earned NJCAA Division I Region 24 Player of the Year honors this season after leading the Trailblazers by averaging 14.2 points, 5.9 assists and four rebounds per game.
"I am truly honored and blessed to be the Player of the Year," Thomas said. "It means a lot to me just being able to come out here and do what I love doing and working for. To be able to see this achievement I'm truly grateful for."
"My favorite memory from this past season is probably when we beat Kaskaskia on Sophomore Night to go 16-0 in the Region," Thomas added. "It just felt like the guys felt better about themselves and it is a great accomplishment in our lives."
Thomas has scored in double figures 17 times this season and has four double doubles already this season.
Thomas's best game this season came in a 39 point outburst in VU's win over Triton College earlier this season, a game where Thomas also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out six assists.
Thomas has a total of 939 points, 315 assists, 263 rebounds and 81 steals for the Trailblazers, scoring in double figures in 44 of his 62 games for VU.
"I say it was very important and hard at the same time," Thomas said when asked abut the importance of being a team leader as the only returning Trailblazer from the 2023-24 season. "Because the guys come in worrying and thinking too much about everything, so it's hard to get them to calm down about everything. I try to show them more than I can tell them about how things go around here. But I'm truly grateful for being with this group of guys and working with them because they truly care about their careers. Also seeing them change during this process is important to me."
VU sophomore Michael Cooper (Minneapolis, Minn.) was the second Trailblazer listed on the 10-man All-Region 24 team.
Cooper is averaging 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season for the Trailblazers, while averaging just under two assists per game.
"It means a lot because I felt I have been overlooked a lot in my career but I worked extremely hard this year and it shows it paid off," Cooper said. "My favorite memory would be after winning our last regular season game and becoming 16-0 in the Region, which hasn't been done that many times."
Cooper has scored in double figures 18 times this season for Vincennes, with a team-leading five double-doubles.
Cooper has a big run of games earlier this season for the Trailblazers, where he had three double doubles in four games to help the Blazers to wins in all four games.
Cooper kicked off this hot streak with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double against Lake Land College, before getting 24 points and eight rebounds against Olney Central.
The streak continued with 26 points and 10 rebounds against Wabash Valley and a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double against Kaskaskia College.
Cooper's best scoring game this season came when he scored 28 points in a VU win over Kankakee Community College in November.
"I think you can't beat playing at VU," Cooper added. "The coaches are the best of the best and I have learned a lot on and off the court this year. The crowd always brings energy and love. Playing at home inside the P.E. Complex has been a amazing experience that I'm definitely going to miss."
Sophomore Bryan Akanmu (Paris, France) rounded out the Vincennes trio to earn All-Region 24 honors this season.
Akanmu is currently averaging 9.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Trailblazers.
"It means a lot to earn this recognition," Akanmu said. "I wouldn't be able to get here without my team and those who have always believed in me."
"My favorite memory from this season is definitely going undefeated in the Region in the regular season with my team," Akanmu added. "This history of winning at VU is normal and expected. The fans are amazing here too."
Akanmu has scored in double figures 14 times this season and matched Cooper's team leading five double doubles this season.
Akanmu has been playing his best basketball this season lately, finishing the regular season with a streak of four-straight double doubles, including a season high 22 points and 11 rebounds in VU's win at Lake Land College.
Akanmu's best rebounding game this season came with 15 rebounds, 12 points and six assists in VU's win over Olney Central College.
This trio of VU honorees has helped guide the Trailblazers to a record of 26-4 this season, including a perfect 16-0 regular season record in Region 24 play.
The Trailblazers will be in action Saturday, March 22 in the first round of the 2025 NJCAA Division I National Championship tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.
Vincennes earned the No. 14 overall seed in the National tournament and will begin tournament play Saturday against No. 19 seed Three Rivers College from Poplar Bluff, Mo. at 9 p.m. eastern.
ALL-REGION 24 TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – LEBRON THOMAS – VINCENNES
Sam Hincapie – Lake Land
Davius Loury – John A. Logan
Johnny Anderson – Shawnee
Gabe Omoregie – Lincoln Trail
MICHAEL COOPER – VINCENNES
Matthew Elsy – Southwestern Illinois
Muja Burton – Wabash Valley
BRYAN AKANMU – VINCENNES
Ty Williams – Lincoln Trail