STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton State Men’s Basketball freshman Keitenn Bristow was tabbed the 2025 WAC Freshman of the Year the league office announced on Monday afternoon.
Bristow joins Freddy Hicks as the only two Texans to earn the WAC Freshman of the Year. Hicks was named the freshman of the year after the 2020-21 season.
“Congratulations to Keitenn,” said head coach Billy Gillispie. “This is a great honor for any freshman. Freddy Hicks won the honor in our first year of our Division I era and has become an icon to the city of Stephenville and Tarleton State. Keitenn has that same ability as his career continues to evolve. Way to go!”
Bristow earns his first WAC honor after his first regular season in Stephenville. The freshman played all 16 regular season conference games, the only freshman Texan to accomplish this feat. He missed the first nine games of the season but played the next 22. He scored in double digits in eight of his first 11 games after returning.
The Holiday, Texas, native, leads WAC freshmen in two categories and ranks in the top three in four. Bristow is the only freshman to score in double figures per game in WAC play (10.06). The forward also leads in steals per game in conference play for freshmen. Among freshmen during conference play, he also ranks second in rebounds and three-point field goals made. He is third in blocks per game.
He is the only Texan to score at least 20 points in a pair of conference games this season. He posted a career-high 24 points in his second WAC game of the season in Southern Utah. The forward notched his first double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds last week at California Baptist. Spanning from Jan. 16 to Feb. 27, he made 25 consecutive free throws including a perfect nine-for-nine in a single game at Seattle U. He has sunk a season-high four triples in two games this season against Southern Utah and Oklahoma State.
Tarleton State will make its third-straight appearance in the WAC Tournament this week. The Texans will be the sixth seed and take on the third-seeded California Baptist Lancers. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+ but will be 30 minutes after the end of the first game between Seattle U and Abilene Christian. The Texans will need to win three games in three days to win the WAC Tournament Championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament, in their first season eligible to reach the ultimate goal.
2024-25 WAC Men’s Basketball Awards (as voted by the conference’s head coaches)
WAC Player of the Year: Dominick Nelson, G, Utah Valley
WAC Defensive Player of the Year: Carter Welling, F, Utah Valley
WAC Freshman of the Year: Keitenn Bristow, F, Tarleton State
WAC Sixth Player of the Year: Lök Wur, F, Grand Canyon
WAC Coach of the Year: Todd Phillips, Utah Valley
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