FIU Men’s & Women’s Basketball Receives Postseason Awards

As the regular season winds down and CUSA tournaments are set to begin, FIU men’s and women’s basketball received postseason awards for some of their best players.

Men’s Awards

Jayden Brewer and Vianney Salatchoum represented the men’s basketball team. Brewer was named an Honorable Mention selection to the All-CUSA team, while Salatchoum earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.

Brewer led FIU in offense, averaging 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He also ended the regular season on a 12-game double-digit point streak, all of which came in CUSA play. He had six games this season in which he scored over 20 points.

Salatchoum blossomed as the Panthers’ playmaker on defense. The Cameroon native blocked 53 shots in the regular season, the ninth-most all-time by a Panther. He also averaged 1.9 blocks per game – the second-best in CUSA and 30th-best in the nation.

It’s now back-to-back years that a Panther has earned both of these awards. Javaunte Hawkins was an honorable mention last season, while Arturo Dean was a member of the 2023-24 CUSA All-Defensive.

Women’s Awards

For women’s basketball, three players earned spots on CUSA awards. Isnelle Natabou won CUSA Newcomer of the Year as well as a spot on the CUSA All-First Team, while Parris Atkins earned a spot on the CUSA All-Conference Second Team, and Fantasia James made the CUSA All-Freshman Team.

In her final season, Natabou was a dominant center in conference play, averaging 16.2 points (Fourth in CUSA) and 7.7 rebounds per game. She scored in double digits 16 times and had five double-doubles in CUSA action.

Atkins was a solid all-around player for the Panthers. Scoring-wise, she finished the season with 13.7 points per game, including a career-high 23 points over Western Kentucky. On defense, she ranked third in CUSA with 2.4 steals per game.

Finally, Fantasia was a solid redshirt freshman, averaging 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in conference play. She was named CUSA Freshman of the Week in mid-February.