Sophomore forward Jared Suderley of conference regular season champion Hartwick College was selected as the Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year as the conference named its 2012 Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team. He was named to the all-conference first team for the first time after earning second-team and Rookie of the Year honors last season.
Suderley enters the conference tournament averaging 18.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game overall and averages a conference-best 20.3 points per game in Empire 8 play. He also leads the conference with a free throw percentage of 88.7 percent.
Joining Suderley on the first-team all-conference unit was senior teammate Chris Ryder, a repeat selection. Ryder is averaging 13.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He ranks third in the conference in rebounding.
Senior forward Simon Smith of Stevens Institute of Technology repeated as a first-team choice and teammate Sheldon Jones was also named to the all-conference first team. Smith enters the postseason averaging a double-double (17.7 points, 12.4 rebounds), leading the Empire 8 overall and in conference play in rebounding and field goal percentage. Jones leads the conference in overall scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game.
Senior guard Jason Corletta of Nazareth College was named to the all-conference first team and leads four Golden Flyers’ double figure scorers by averaging 15.2 points per game.
Junior point guard Sean Rossi of Ithaca College made the all-conference first team for the second consecutive year. He has ranked among the nation’s leaders all season, averaging 9.5 assists per game overall and leads the Empire 8 in conference play with 10.1 assists per game.
Aaron Nevins of Utica College was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year after averaging 9.0 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.
Todd McGuinness was named Empire 8 Coach of the Year for leading Hartwick to its first Empire 8 regular season title in program history and the top seed for the Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2012 Men’s Basketball Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
2012 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Honors
Player of the Year: Jared Suderley, Hartwick College
Rookie of the Year: Aaron Nevins, Utica College
Coach of the Year: Todd McGuinness, Hartwick College
2012 Men's Basketball All-Conference Release