MAAC Men's Basketball Major Award Winners Announced
ALBANY, NY – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has announced the 2018-19 men’s basketball major award winners.
The 2018-19 MAAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year is Cameron Young of Quinnipiac University. The Bobcat was a unanimous choice for Player of the Year and was a unanimous choice on the All-MAAC First Team. Young led the MAAC in scoring this season at 23 points per game. The California native poured in 55 points in a triple-overtime win at Siena on February 17. The 55 points established a new single-game MAAC scoring record, a Times Union Center scoring record, and was the most in a NCAA game this season. That performance helped Young earn National Player of the Week from CBS Sports. Young also broke his own Quinnipiac Division I scoring record with 666 points that he set last season.
The 2018-19 MAAC Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year is Jalen Pickett of Siena College. Pickett was the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year. The freshman won 11 MAAC Rookie of the Week honors, which is a new conference record for a single season. Pickett was also named National Freshman of the Week on February 19 after averaging 28.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks while shooting an even 50-percent from the field. That includes have 46 points and 13 assists against Quinnipiac. The first-year Saint was also named to the All-MAAC First Team becoming the first freshman since Lionel Simmons of La Salle in 1986-87 to make the first team as a freshman.
The 2018-19 MAAC Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year is Jonathan Kasibabu of Fairfield University. Kasibabu becomes the sixth Stag to win the honor. The senior was second in the MAAC in rebounding at 7.5 overall. In league games, Kasibabu averaged a steal a game and 0.75 blocks a game. Kasibabu had seven games recording multiple blocks; including a four-block game at Manhattan. On the defensive glass, the Stag grabbed over five rebounds a game, which was third in the MAAC in league play.
Ryan Funk of Marist College is the 2018-19 MAAC Men’s Basketball Sixth Player of the Year. Funk averaged 11.4 points while dropping 2.6 from beyond the arc. The Red Fox hit 45-percent from 3-point in league games and 40-percent overall. Funk’s best game came on January 27 at Rider, where the Senior dropped 32 points, hitting seven 3-pointers. He grabbed five rebounds and added an assist in the game. The New York native hit seven threes on two other occasions. Funk is the first Red Fox to win Sixth Player of the Year.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.