Following another exhilarating season of SWAC basketball, the conference announced its award winners for the 2023-24 season for both the men's and women's teams. The conference committee released their award winners shortly before the start of the SWAC tournament.

For the women's postseason awards, Florida A&M's Ahriahna Grizzle headlined as the Player of the Year. Despite the Rattlers finishing in the middle of the conference, Grizzle played outstanding basketball, leading her team in four major categories. The former Alabama transfer averaged 18.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game and shot 76.5% from the free throw line.

Grizzle improved drastically on the offensive end, increasing her previous scoring average by eight points and her overall shooting percentage by nine percent. The senior from Canada crossed the 30-point line thrice this season, most recently in early February against Texas Southern. In Florida A&M's 71-57 victory, Grizzle put up 31 points, four assists, five steals, and sunk four of seven three-pointers.

While Grizzle proudly represented Florida A&M as the Player of the Year, Jackson State swept up a considerable number of awards. As the top team in the SWAC with an undefeated conference record, Lady Tigers' head coach Tomekia Reed garnered Coach of the Year honors. Jackson State finished with a 24-6 overall record, though all of their losses came during their non-conference schedule.

Against SWAC opponents, the Lady Tigers had more double-digit wins than single-digit. While Reed schemed up the best defense in the conference, she couldn't have done it without Defensive Player of the Year Angel Jackson. The 6'6โ€ณ transfer from Southern California led the conference with 83 total blocks and 2.8 per game. Jackson finished in the top 10 in rebounds per game with 6.3, and she averaged one steal per game as well.

Despite her defensive dominance, Jackson landed on the All-SWAC Second Team. On the first team, Miya Crump and Ti'lan Boler represented the Lady Tigers. Crump has started in all 30 games for Jackson State, averaged 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.5 steals. Her teammate Boler finished with similar stats, putting up 11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.

Rounding out the awards for the women, Prairie View A&M's Ryann Payne won the Newcomer of the Year award. After bouncing from TCU to LSU, Payne found a home with PVAMU. She had the best season of her career, averaging 16.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. The other award winner was Alabama A&M's Kaylah Turner, who was named Rookie of the Year. Turner recorded 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals.

On the All-SWAC First Team, Grizzle, Crump, Boler, Payne, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Zaay Green comprised the roster. For the Second Team, Alabama A&M's Amiah Simmons, Alcorn State's Destiny Brown, and Arkansas Pine-Bluff's Coriah Beck and Maya Peat joined Angel Jackson.

A similar situation played out for the men's basketball teams for the Player of the Year. Like Florida A&M, Jackson State didn't finish particularly high in the SWAC standings, but their star guard Ken Evans Jr. won the most prestigious award. Evans led the conference in total points (601) and points per game (18.8). He also averaged 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and shot 39.2% from three-point range.

Evans scored more than 30 points on three separate occasions, including a ballistic performance against Arkansas Pine-Bluff on March 7. In Jackson State's 89-84 win, Evans rained seven three-pointers on the Golden Lions' heads, finishing with 37 points and six rebounds. Unfortunately, Evans struggled in the opening round of the SWAC tournament, shooting 3-14 in a 73-62 loss to Texas Southern.

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Evans' teammate Jordan O'Neal also took home some hardware as the Defensive Player of the Year. O'Neal led the SWAC with 43 total blocks and 1.4 blocks per game. He finished eighth with six rebounds per game, but he tied for seventh in total rebounds. The 6'7โ€ณ forward helped anchor a defense that ranked fourth best in points allowed.

Although Jackson State received two major awards, Grambling State finished the year as the top team in the conference. They had the best overall record at 19-14, and they edged out Alcorn State for the regular season title with a 14-4 conference record. The Tigers' regular season performance manifested in just two awards.

Head coach Donte Jackson won Coach of the Year for securing Grambling's first regular season title since the 2017-18 season. Jackson enlisted the help of Kintavious Dozier, a transfer from Gadsden State Community College, in pursuit of Grambling State's first SWAC tournament championship in history. Dozier averaged 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals for the Tigers.

Dozier's play this season earned him a spot on the All-SWAC First Team. He's surrounded by Evans, Bethune-Cookman's Zion Harmon, Alcorn State's Jeremiah Kendall, and Texas Southern's Zion Harmon. On the Second Team, Kylen Milton and Rashad Williams represent Arkansas-Pine Bluff along with Bethune-Cookman's Jakobi Heady, Alabama State's TJ Madlock, and Southern's Tidjiane Dioumassi. Williams earned the Newcomer of the Year award as a transfer from Saint Louis, while Alabama A&Mโ€s Chad Moodie won Freshman of the Year.