LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Basketball sophomore guard Jalen Pickett has been named to the 2019-20 Lou Henson Award preseason Watch List. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player.
 
Pickett is one of 50 Division I mid-major players who was named to the watch list, and one of only two from the MAAC along with Iona's E.J. Crawford. Pickett is the first Saint to be named to the Lou Henson Award preseason Watch List in program history. O.D. Anosike (2012) and Edwin Ubiles (2010) were both previously named postseason Lou Henson Mid-Major All-Americans.
 
The 2019-20 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Pickett is coming off an historic freshman campaign in which he was named the unanimous 2018-19 MAAC Rookie of the Year. The Rochester, New York standout won a league-record 11 MAAC Rookie of the Week awards last season, which was tied for the second most overall in NCAA Division I history. Pickett became just the second freshman in conference history to be named First Team All-MAAC, and also racked up NABC District I First Team, ECAC Rookie of the Year, and Second Team All-ECAC honors amongst numerous other accolades. He set Siena freshman records for both scoring (521) and steals (66), while also achieving the fourth highest single-season assist total overall (221) in school history. Pickett ranked in the top-four nationally amongst all freshmen in assists (6.7 – third), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.76 – fourth), and steals (2.0).
 
Pickett got off to a strong start to his 2019-20 season, scoring a game-high 22 points in last night's season-opening 96-80 victory over American at the Times Union Center. He added five rebounds and four assists.
 
The Lou Henson Award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons and made a pair of Final Four appearances. The 2019-20 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award will be announced in April 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia, site of the men's Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.
 
Pickett and the Saints return to action Friday night when they take on 19^th ranked Xavier at 7 p.m. in Cincinnati, Ohio.