SUNYAC 2023 Men's Basketball All-Conference and Individual Awards Announced
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The SUNYAC announces the 2023 men's basketball top individual awards and All-Conference teams as nominated and voted on by the conference coaches.
Player of the Year - Austin Grunder, Cortland
Grunder repeats as the SUNYAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He started all 27 games for the Red Dragons this season and averaged 22 points and 11.3 rebounds. The 6'6" senior led his team and the conference with 306 total rebounds, 216 field goals made and 124 free throws made for a total of 594 points this season. He also made a total of 38 3-pointers. Grunder had a season high of 36 points in an 81-71 win over Plattsburgh. He also had season highs of 11 free throws made, 17 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocked shots this season. Grunder is Cortland's career leader with a total of 1,700 points. He was named to the All-SUNYAC first team and he was also the SUNYAC Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week five times this season. The Red Dragons earned the No. 3 seed going into post season and advanced to the semifinals but fell to No. 2 Brockport. The team finished the season 19-8 overall.
Defensive Player of the Year - David Grady lll, Brockport
Grady started all 27 games for the Golden Eagles this season averaging 11.7 points and 7.8 rebounds. The senior 6'5" forward had a total of 210 rebounds, 26 assists, 20 steals and a team high of 63 blocks. He had an individual high of 23 points in an 81-63 win against Plattsburgh on January 20. The second-seeded Brockport fell to Oswego in the SUNYAC Men's Basketball final and finished the regular season 20-7 overall.
Rookie of the Year - Aaron Coston, Cortland
Freshman, Coston started 17 of 26 games for the Red Dragons this season. He totaled 223 points and 97 rebounds in his rookie year. Coston had a season high of 27 points against Oneonta and 10 rebounds vs. Plattsburgh. Overall he also added 27 assists, 14 steals and 13 blocks for the team. Coston totaled 30 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in the SUNYAC tournament against Geneseo and Brockport.
Coaching Staff of the Year - Oswego
The Lakers earned the SUNYAC Men's Basketball Coaching Staff of the Year award for the second-straight year. In 2023, Oswego won its second-straight and 10th overall SUNYAC men's basketball championship after defeating Brockport, 74-63. With the win, the team earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament and will host the first and second rounds. Oswego basketball, led by head coach Jason Leone, is currently 25-2 overall and has been nationally ranked at No. 6 in D3hoops.com men's Top 25. The Lakers are assisted by Ryan Roland, Jake Pritchard and volunteer assistant Bill Farden. Oswego will take on Marymount University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 3 at 5:45 p.m.
2023 SUNYAC Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams (PDF)
| First Team | |||
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Mekhi Beckett | Brockport | So. | Westbury, NY |
| Austin Grunder | Cortland | Sr. | Trumansburg, NY |
| Joseph Bull | Oneonta | Sr. | Bronx, NY |
| Devin Green | Oswego | Sr. | Rochester, NY |
| Jeremiah Sparks | Oswego | Jr. | Jordan, NY |
| Second Team | |||
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Tony Arnold | Brockport | So. | Rochester, NY |
| David Grady lll | Brockport | Sr. | Brooklyn, NY |
| Jahidi Wallace | Brockport | Sr. | Troy, NY |
| Rylan Blondo | New Paltz | Jr. | Brooklyn, NY |
| Ahkee Anderson | Oswego | So. | Greenport, NY |
| Third Team | |||
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Kareem Lubin | Cortland | Jr. | Monroe, NY |
| Cole Kattan | Geneseo | Jr. | Scarsdale, NY |
| Daniel Derice | Oneonta | Sr. | Tampa, FL |
| Jamal Achille | Oswego | Sr. | Staten Island, NY |
| Kevin Tabb | Plattsburgh | So. | Brooklyn, NY |
| Brandon Segar Jr. | Potsdam | Sr. | Jamaica, NY |
| Ahamadou Sillah | Potsdam | Jr. | Bronx, NY |
