BOSTON, Mass. – Gardner-Webb sophomore Jose Perez was named to the 2019-2020 Lou Henson Award Watch List, announced Tuesday by CollegeInsider.com.

The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player. This year's award will be announced in April 2020 in Atlanta, Ga., site of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

Perez (Bronx, N.Y. / Putnam Science Academy) earned numerous preseason honors following a standout freshman campaign. He was named first-team preseason All-Big South Conference by the league's coaches and media, Athlon, Lindy's Sports and Blue Ribbon College Basketball Handbook.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound wing was named preseason Big South Conference Player of the Year by both Athlon and Blue Ribbon College Basketball Handbook in September.

Perez scored 19 points Tuesday night to lead all scorers in the season opener vs. Furman and posted averages of 15.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game last season in his stellar debut. That production helped Gardner-Webb to 23 wins (school Division I record), a Big South Conference tournament title and the program's first trip to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Perez led Gardner-Webb with 19 points in that NCAA Tournament debut, helping the Runnin' Bulldogs to a big first-half lead against eventual national champion Virginia.

The award honors Henson, the former Illinois and New Mexico State coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.  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.

Players on teams from the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.