The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year awards for the 2017-18 men’s basketball season. The conference coaches vote on the awards and all-conference teams.
The Player of the Year award goes to Nazareth College’s
Tyler Stenglein, marking the fifth time a Golden Flyer has earned the honor since the league started in 1999-2000. In conference only game games, Stenglein led the league with 20.3 points per game on a 51.6 shooting percentage. In overall games, he ranks second in points per game with 19.9, first in free throw attempts (179) and sixth in field goal percentage (.474). Among Division III players his free throw attempts currently ranks 23
rd, while his points per game ranks 65
th. Stenglein started all 23 games he played in during the regular season posting four double-doubles and finishing in double figures in 21 of the 23 games. His season high of 35 points came on January 19, against Stevens Institute of Technology.
Utica junior
Ivan Iton was voted the Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Ivan started all 25 regular season games and averaged 16 points and 9.4 rebounds. His 9.4 rebounds led the conference and ranks 56
th in Division III. Ivon also leads the league with 60 blocks and 2.4 blocks per game which 14
th and 15
th, respectively, in Division III. Iton is shooting 61.1 percent from the field which ranks him first in the conference and 32
nd among Division III. In conference only games, Iton averaged 16.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
Hartwick College freshman
Kevin Townes was named the Rookie of the Year, marking the sixth Hawk in E8 history to earn the honor. Townes, who was named Rookie of the Week six times, averaged 16.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in conference play. Overall on the season, he played in 24 games, making 23 starts and averaged 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. His 16.3 points per game ranked him fourth in the conference, while his rebounding average ranked him seventh. He reached double figures in 18 games including a season high of 30 points against Skidmore. Townes shot 39 percent from the field , 35 percent from the arc and 87.3 percent from the free throw line.
Nazareth College was named the Coaching Staff of the Year for second time in three seasons. The Golden Flyers finished the regular season with an 18-7 record and a 13-3 mark in conference play and will host the E8 Championship this weekend for the first time in program history. The 18 wins marks the fourth time in Head Coach Kevin Broderick’s 9-year stint that the Golden Flyers have won 18 or more games in a season. Nazareth shot 48.9 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from the arc in conference only games to lead the league in both categories.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2017-18 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.
Empire 8 2017-18 Men’s Basketball All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year: Tyler Stenglein, Nazareth College
Defensive Player of the Year: Ivan Iton, Utica College
Rookie of the Year: Kevin Townes, Hartwick College
Coaching Staff of the Year: Nazareth College