NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale men's basketball captain Nick Townsend has been named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, CollegeInsider.com announced. The award, given annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball, comes a day after the senior received a trio of accolades from the Ivy League.
 
Townend, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year and a First Team All-Ivy selection, is enjoying an outstanding senior season. He leads Yale in scoring with 16.5 points per game, ranking seventh in the league, while also placing third in the conference in rebounding (7.5 rpg), first in three-point shooting (48.3%), and second in assists (4.1 apg). The Chappaqua, New York, native has reached double figures in 25 games and recorded five double-doubles this season. He has been named Ivy League Player of the Week twice, earned USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honors, and is a finalist for the Nolan Richardson Award.
 
The Lou Henson award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.

Coach Henson is the winningest coach in Illinois basketball history with 423 victories. During his 21 seasons (1975-1996), Henson led the Fighting Illini to 16 postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 1989.

Henson, who is also the all-time winningest coach in New Mexico State history with 289 victories, is one of only 11 coaches to take two different schools to the NCAA Final Four. His teams have made 19 NCAA appearances and four NIT appearances.

Coach Henson passed away on July 25, 2020.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.

The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, IN, the site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.