By Jacob Plecker. NEW ORLEANS – App State Men’s Basketball standouts Myles Tate and CJ Huntley each garnered All-Sun Belt honors, the Sun Belt Conference announced Monday. Tate was named All-Sun Belt first team, becoming the fifth Mountaineer in the Dustin Kerns era to receive first-team distinction, while Huntley was named to the second team.
Tate’s first-team honor marks the second consecutive season that App State has had at least one player named to the All-Sun Belt first team. Additionally, two Mountaineers were named all-conference for the second straight year and the third time overall under Kerns (2023-24 and 2020-21). Tate and Huntley are also the 11th and 12th players to earn postseason All-Sun Belt distinctions in the Kerns era.
App State’s two All-Sun Belt honorees were tied for the most in the league.
Myles Tate | First Team All-Sun Belt
Tate, who was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt third team, earned his first career postseason all-conference honor after posting one of the best statistical seasons by an individual in the league this season. Tate finished the regular season by averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest. Tate is currently the only player in the country to average at least 16 points, five assists, five rebounds and 1.9 steals a game. He has accounted for 12 20-point games this season, making him one of only two players in the conference with that distinction, along with Cesare Edwards of Georgia State.
The Spartanburg, S.C., native was KenPom’s Player of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference. He finished in the top 15 in the league in scoring (second), assists per game (first), field-goal percentage (12th), free-throw percentage (10th), 3-pointers made per game (T-12th), steals (second) and minutes per game (fourth). Additionally, the senior point guard carries top-50 marks nationally in assists, assists per game and steals.
Tate has scored 496 points this season and has dished out 162 assists. He sits just four points away from becoming the 24th member of the Mountaineers’ single-season 500-point club and currently owns the third-most assists in a season in program history. He is the only Mountaineer in the Sun Belt era with multiple 10-assist games in the same season, doing so against William & Mary (Nov. 24) and Southern Miss (Feb. 5). He also has two double-doubles this season, one with assists (William & Mary on Nov. 24) and one with rebounds (Coastal Carolina on Jan. 13). He is one of just two Sun Belt players to post at least one double-double with both assists and rebounds (Dezayne Mingo, Marshall).
“I am so happy for Myles,” Kerns said. “He has earned this recognition with his play and leadership. He has worked extremely hard, and being named first-team All-SBC is a big deal. Myles Tate is a winner, and this is another accolade that is well-deserved.”
CJ Huntley | Second Team All-Sun Belt
A second-team All-Sun Belt Preseason selection, Huntley earned the first postseason distinction of his five-year career. He has blossomed into a star in his fifth and final year as a Mountaineer, averaging career highs in scoring, 3-point percentage, rebounding and assists. He enters the Sun Belt Tournament in fifth place in the league in scoring at 15.6 points per game and is sixth in rebounding at 7.9 boards per game. He is one of five players in the conference to be in the top five in the league in both scoring and rebounding entering the Sun Belt Tournament.
Huntley posted a career-best nine 20-point games this season, which makes him one of seven players in the conference to boast at least nine 20-point games for the year. He has also recorded a team-best 10 double-doubles for the year, which is the third-highest total in the Sun Belt. He tallied his first career double-double on Jan. 4 against Texas State and recorded a double-double in 10 of his final 16 contests to close the regular season.
After hitting four 3-pointers and grabbing a career-best 15 rebounds against Coastal Carolina on Jan. 8, he became the first player in the country to tally 15 rebounds and four made 3s in the same game. He also became the first Mountaineer since Marshall Phillips in 1998 to post a 20-point, 15-rebound game. Huntley capped off a 20-point, 12-rebound contest against Southern Miss with a buzzer-beating dunk to beat the Golden Eagles on Feb. 5 and matched his career high of 27 points against Marshall on Senior Day.
“CJ has had an incredible season,” Kerns said. “He is among the league leaders in many statistics. I am really proud of all of the hard work CJ has put in, and his hard work has paid off. Being All-SBC is a huge honor, and this is another accolade that adds to his legacy at App State. He has certainly earned this with his consistent play and mindset. I am so happy for CJ.”
App State now turns its attention to the Sun Belt Tournament, which will be played at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. App State earned the sixth seed and will play its first game of the tournament on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT). Due to the new tournament format, the Mountaineers will not know their opponent until the conclusion of Thursday’s matchup between No. 7 Texas State and either No. 10 Old Dominion, No. 11 Louisiana or No. 14 ULM at 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT). All Sun Belt Tournament games will be streamed on ESPN+, with the championship game on March 10 also broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
2024-25 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards
Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year: Richie Riley, South Alabama
Player of the Year: Tayton Conerway, Troy
Defensive Player of the Year: Obinna Anochili-Killen, Marshall
Newcomer of the Year: Mark Freeman, James Madison
Freshman of the Year: Bryce Lindsay, James Madison
Sixth Man of the Year: Bryce Lindsay, James Madison
All-Sun Belt First Team
- Tayton Conerway, Troy
- Barry Dunning Jr., South Alabama
- Mark Freeman, James Madison
- Myles Tate, App State
- Taryn Todd, Arkansas State
All-Sun Belt Second Team
- Obinna Anochili-Killen, Marshall
- Cesare Edwards, Georgia State
- Denijay Harris, Southern Miss
- C.J. Huntley, App State
- Tylan Pope, Texas State
All-Sun Belt Third Team
- Myles Corey, South Alabama
- Sean Durugordon, Old Dominion
- Adante’ Holiman, Georgia Southern
- Bryce Lindsay, James Madison
- Izaiyah Nelson, Arkansas State
