ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 10, 2025) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), today announced the 2025 Men’s Basketball Major Award, as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches.
Headlining postseason major award winners were Quinnipiac University and Manhattan University, earning two winners each. Quinnipiac garnered the MAAC Player of the Year, in Amarri Monroe and the MAAC Coach of the Year, in Tom Pecora. Manhattan’s duo of Devin Dinkins and Will Sydnor were selected as MAAC Sixth Player of the Year and MAAC Rookie of the Year, respectively. Also winning a major award was Bryan Etumnu of Merrimack College, being named as MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
A unanimous All-MAAC First Team choice, Quinnipiac’s junior forward, Monroe was named Player of the Year after having been selected as the Preseason Player of the Year at the start of the season. Hailing from Newburgh, NY, he appeared in 30 games for the Bobcats, making 29 starts, while posting averages 17.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.3 steals, and just under one block (0.8) per game. Monroe led the league in rebounds and compiled 14 double-doubles this season, a mark that led the MAAC and was the 12
th most in the NCAA. He was the conference leader in total rebounds (276), rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game (7.0). Moreover, Monroe placed second on the MAAC leaderboard in steals and third in points.
In just his second season at the helm of the Quinnipiac Bobcats, Pecora was named as MAAC Coach of the Year for the second straight year. In 2024-25, Pecora led the Bobcats to the program’s second consecutive MAAC Regular Season title, just the second ever in program history, after finishing the MAAC stanza with a league-best mark of 15-5 and overall record of 19-12. The 15 league wins matched the most-ever in program history for Quinnipiac and he holds a 30-10 MAAC regular season record through two seasons. Under Pecora this season, Quinnipiac led the MAAC in scoring margin, rebounds, and rebound margin.
The MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, Etumnu, was the front court rim protector for one of the league’s best defensive teams in Merrimack. A native of Sugar Land, TX, Etumnu was the top shot blocker in the MAAC, pacing the league with 69 total blocks and 2.3 blocks per game. His total blocks ranked 13
th nationally and his blocking average was 15
th in the country. On the defensive boards, he snagged 4.9 rebounds per game, which ranked third on the conference leaderboard.
An All-MAAC Third Team choice Dinkins was named as the best reserve in the MAAC, garnering unanimous MAAC Sixth Player of the Year honors. Appearing in all 29 games for the Jaspers, coming off the bench in all but one game, Dinkins logged over 30 minutes of action per game and averaged 13.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, ranking 11
th in the MAAC in points per game. A native of Washington, DC, he led the MAAC in free throw percentage, ranked third in free throws made, ninth in three-pointers per game, and 11
th in total three-point field goals made.
Sydnor, a unanimous All-Rookie Team choice and an All-MAAC Second Team member, claimed MAAC Rookie of the Year accolades. From Bronx, NY, the freshman forward averaged 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game this season. Sydnor’s scoring and rebounds both ranked ninth in the MAAC. He was second in defensive rebounds, fourth in blocks, fifth in field goal percentage, eighth in double-doubles, and ninth in field goals.
The 2024-25 campaign culminates with the 2025 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 11-15 at Atlantic City's Historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the sixth consecutive year dating back to 2020. For all information regarding the 2025 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on Twitter.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 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 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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