ECAC Upstate Men’s Basketball All-Stars
The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced its 2014-15 ECAC Division III Upstate Men’s Basketball All-Stars. Freshman Marc Chasin from Ithaca College claimed Rookie of the Year honors. Head Coach Rob Kornaker of St. John Fisher College was voted as the 2014-15 ECAC Coach of the Year. The voting was completed by coaches within the ECAC Division III Upstate Region.
Chasin started 23 of 24 games played in a spectacular first season with the Bombers. The versatile rookie put together averages of 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 84.5 percent from the free throw line. It did not take long for Chasin to acclimate with the college game as he poured in 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting in his collegiate debut on Nov. 15. The Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Year would go on to score a career-high 38 points against Stevens Institute of Technology on Feb. 14th, a game after recording his first career double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) against Hartwick College. Chasin was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Week a conference-best three times this season. He was also honored by the ECAC three times, winning Rookie of the Week accolades twice and claiming ECAC Division III Upstate Player of the Week honors on February 3.
Kornaker was at the helm of one of the best seasons in St. John Fisher history in 2014-15. The Cardinals finished the season with a 25-5 record after winning the Empire 8 Championship and making their way to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Kornaker guided St. John Fisher to post-season victories over Ithaca College and Alfred University in the Empire 8 Conference Championship before knocking of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Amherst College in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals defeated teams by an average of 15.1 points per game, a scoring margin that ranked fifth in the country. Also during St. John Fisher’s outstanding season, the Cardinals compiled 18-consecutive wins, spanning from Dec. 6, 2014 to Feb. 17, 2015. The Cardinals’ win streak this season was the third-best in the history of the 52-year old program.
Keegan Ryan of St. John Fisher and Mitch Ford of Nazareth were named to the All-Star first team, while Chaz Lott of Fisher and Alfred University's Dalton Walsh earned second team accolades.
Ryan led the nationally-ranked Cardinals in points (15.1) and rebounds per game (9.1). The Empire 8 Player of the Year also paced the entire conference in field goal percentage, shooting 56.2 percent from the floor. As a post player, Ryan also did some damage from the free throw line going 122-for-181 (67.4 %) on the season.
During the Cardinals' 30 games this season, Ryan was held under double-digits in just five contests including notching 10 double-doubles on the season. Ryan helped Fisher's scoring offense put up 77.4 points per game, second-best in the Empire 8 Conference, while leading the Cardinals in scoring in 14 of 30 games.
Ford led the E8 with a 21.4 points per game scoring average. He also averaged 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field (155-for-312) and 73.4 percent from the free throw line (105-for-143). He was named three times as E8 Player of the Week. His season also was highlighted by a school-record shattering 49-point performance against Ithaca on Feb. 17.
Lott faciliated the high-powered Fisher offense with an average of 6.2 assists per game, the 10th best statistic among all Division III players. The junior guard registered five or more assists in 18 of 30 games this season and dished out 12 (career-high) and 11 assists, respectively, in the Empire 8 Conference tournament against Ithaca College and Alfred University. Lott amassed 166 assists on the season, which ranks fourth on Fisher's single-season all-time list and good for sixth in the nation. The versatile guard also put up points for Fisher, averaging 10.2 during the season, while shooting 53 percent from the floor, the second best mark behind fellow teammate Ryan.
Walsh led his team in scoring (15.9 points per game), rebounding (9.1 per game) and blocked shots (2.04 per game); he ranked fourth, sixth and second, respectively, in those categories among E8 players.
Walsh led the Saxons to a 19-87 record and a second place finish in the Empire 8 standings. AU made it to the championship game of the E8 tournament before falling to top-seeded St. John Fisher. It marked the second straight year AU qualified for the four-team conference tournament, and the Saxons' 11-5 record in conference play was the best in program history.
2014-15 ECAC Division III Upstate Men’s Basketball All-Star Team
ECAC Player of the Year
Gordon Lyons, Senior, SUNY Geneseo
ECAC Rookie of the Year
Marc Chasin, Freshman, Ithaca College
ECAC Coach of the Year
Rob Kornaker, St. John Fisher College
First Team *
Gordon Lyons, Senior, SUNY Geneseo
Keegan Ryan, Sophomore, St. John Fisher College
John Coleman, Senior, Clarkson University
Aldin Medunjanin, Junior, Skidmore College
Brian Sortino, Sophomore, Oswego State
Mitch Ford, Junior, Nazareth College
Second Team*
Chaz Lott, Junior, St. John Fisher
Reggie Williams, Senior, Plattsburgh State
Dalton Walsh, Senior, Alfred University
Connor Rehbaum, Senior, Hobart College
Zach Mager, Senior, SUNY Oneonta
Christopher Cartwright, Senior, Buffalo State College
*Additional players were added due to ties