MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The SSAC announced its Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team for the 2025-26 season. Redshirt sophomore forward Tanner Vogel earned a spot on the team for his performance in the classroom and on the court. In his first season as an Eagle, the Aussie big man helped lead Faulkner to its first NAIA Men's Basketball First and Second Round victory and trip to Kansas City for the Round of 16 in four seasons.
The honors keep coming in for the First Team All-SSAC honoree, as he led the SSAC with 289 total rebounds, 119 offensive rebounds and 10 boards per game. He was also fourth in the conference with 170 defensive rebounds, fifth with a 55.3% field goal percentage on 120 makes and eighth with a team-leading 20 blocks. The Western New Mexico transfer racked up 331 points and 11.4 per game in 29 games played and 22.6 minutes per game with a 77.3% mark from the free throw line while taking home two Offensive and two Defensive Player of the Week awards from the conference. His most productive games came at William Carey, in which he scored 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting in 35 minutes off the bench, and in grabbing 20 boards in the SSAC Championship Quarterfinals against Brewton-Parker Christian. The Busselton, Western Australia, native is majoring in business marketing and carries a 3.38 cumulative GPA.
The full release from the SSAC can be found below.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Southern States Athletic Conference announced the 2025-26 SSAC Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Life's Shane Stevensen was named 2025-26 SSAC Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The senior interdisciplinary studies major has a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. On the court, he earned First-Team All-Conference honors and was named Newcomer of the Year after averaging 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while shooting 60% from the field.
2025-26 Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team
Shane Stevensen, Life
Josh Baugher, Life
Kenton Steele, Point
Gil Gonzalez, Brewton-Parker Christian
Tanner Vogel, Faulkner
Mike Bell Jr., UT Southern
Tommy Tisdale III, Brewton-Parker Christian
Additional Notes
· Stevensen and Baugher lead with 4.0 GPAs, while Steele (3.79) and Bell (3.73) are next on the list
· Stevensen, Steele, Gonzalez and Vogel all earned First-Team All-Conference honors, with Baugher and Tisdale taking home Second-Team honors
· To be eligible, student-athletes must be a sophomore or above in both academic and athletic standing, must be starters or important reserves, have at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA and have competed in 50% of competitions
· Graduate students and transfers must have completed one semester at the school
