SWAC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
20. Gary Blackston
A 6’2 guard from Baltimore, Blackston began his career at Angelina CC, spending a pair of years there before getting his shot in the SWAC. Blackston was recruited to Prairie View A&M and was a major piece of the puzzle for the Panthers for those next two seasons, between 2017 and 2019.
In his junior year, Blackston averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, wasting no time becoming a standout player in the SWAC. He’d even score a career-high 32 points in a SWAC Tournament loss against Texas Southern, the final game of a season where the Panthers finished in 2nd place. Year two at Prairie View was even better, as he’d help lead the Panthers to regular season and tournament titles in the SWAC. Blackston would later drop 26 points on Fairleigh Dickinson in their loss in the First Four, his final collegiate performance.
He’d earn a pair of All-SWAC honors, leading the league in field goals in his junior year before that phenomenal final season. As a senior, Blackston was named First Team All-SWAC and the Tournament MVP, finishing among the conference’s Top 5 in scoring, rebounding, and steals. Blackston was a major part of Prairie View A&M’s most recent trip to the Big Dance and significant success and was a fantastic backcourt addition to this program earlier in the decade.