A historic season for Arkansas State men’s basketball second-year freshman forward Norchad Omier has earned the Bluefields, Nicaragua product Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Sun Belt honors, the league office announced Monday.
Omier is the third player in Sun Belt Conference history to earn both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. He is the first underclassman to win Player of the Year since D’Marcus Simonds of Georgia State in 2017-18 and eighth overall. He is the third player in league history to win Freshman of the Year and follow the next season with Player of the Year honors joining Simonds and Chris Gatling of Old Dominion in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.
Omier is the third player in program history to be named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and first since Chico Fletcher won the honor in back-to-back seasons of 1997-98 and 1998-99. He is the third player in program history to be named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first since Jason Jennings in 2001-02. Earning First Team All-Sun Belt recognition following his Freshman of the Year campaign a year ago, Omier is the first A-State player to repeat as a First Team All-Sun Belt selection since Jason Jennings in 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Averaging 17.2 points while shooting 64.7 percent from the floor, Omier became the first player in league history to average at least 15 points and shoot better than 63 percent from the floor. In league play, Omier became the first player in Sun Belt Conference history to average 19 or more points (19.1) and 13 or more rebounds (13.3). Among all Sun Belt players in league-only games, Omier ranked second in scoring (19.1), first in rebounding (13.3), first in field-goal percentage (.634), fifth in steals (1.7) and third in blocks (2.0).
Omier had 12 double-doubles in 15 league games, six more than the next closest player. Eight of his 12 double-doubles were outings with 20 or more points and 10-plus boards. Nationally this season, Omier ranks third in offensive rebounds per game (3.81), second in field-goal percentage (.647), fourth in rebounds per game (12.0), fifth in double-doubles (18), fourth in total rebounds (323) and sixth in defensive rebounds per game (8.15). Named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week four times this season, Omier tied the league record. He totaled 199 rebounds in 15 league games, the 10th player in league history to reach that minimum, but first to do so in fewer than 18 games.
A two-way standout on the floor, Omier is the only Sun Belt player in league-only games ranked top-five in rebounds (1st), blocks (3rd) and steals (5th). He is among 10 Sun Belt players ever to have 50 or more blocks and 40 or more steals in a single-season, first since 2010-11. He has totaled 56 blocks this season, eighth-most in single-season program history and most by an A-State player since Brandon Peterson had 61 blocks in 2009-10. He totaled 43 steals, second-most on the team and most among any post player in the league.
A-State meets ULM Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at the Pensacola Bay Center.
