RUSSELLVILLE, Ark.  -  The Great American Conference selected Henderson State's Matthew Mayes as its newest GAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Mayes, a junior guard from Inglewood, California, earned the honor by recording five steals and two blocks in Saturday's 55-52 win at Arkansas-Monticello. His five steals matched a season high set on December 12 at Arkansas Tech. The Californian has also posted two blocks in each of his last three games.

As of this writing, Mayes is first in the conference with 3.1 steals per game. His average is nearly a full steal per game higher than that of any other player in the league. Per the most recent national stats reports available, that average also places the junior in the top 10 for NCAA Division II.

At the rim, Mayes is tied for fourth in the GAC with 1.2 blocks per game.

This is Mayes' first weekly award selection since joining the Reddies and the Great American Conference ahead of the 2024-25 season. He is HSU's first weekly award winner for the current campaign.

Mayes and the Reddies are set to return to the Duke Wells Center on Thursday, January 9, to face Southwestern Oklahoma State. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.