The award, established in 2010, is named for esteemed men's college basketball head coach Lou Henson.
[1] Henson, who coached at Hardin–Simmons, New Mexico State, and Illinois, compiled 779 all-time wins.
[2] Following major conference realignment that peaked in 2013, the WAC, which dropped football after the 2012 season, was added to the eligible list, while both offshoots of the original Big East Conference—the FBS American Athletic Conference and the current non-football Big East—were excluded from eligibility.
Definitions of the term "mid-major" in the context of college basketball vary widely.
For purposes of both the Henson Award, Collegeinsider.com has established its own definition of the term, which includes members of the following conferences, as well as any basketball independents.