Fisher's Henderson, Alfred Trio Headline Empire 8 Conference Men's Basketball Year-End Awards
Regular Season Champion Saxons Take Home Three Major Awards
St. John Fisher's
Ryan Henderson was named the 2018-19 Empire 8 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year as the league announced it's major award winners and all-conference teams today. Henderson was among the league leaders in a number of statistical categories and helped the Cardinals earn a berth in this weekend's conference championship. The other three major award winners all represent Alfred, which won the regular season title and will host this weekend's E8 Tournament.
Sage Brown was named Defensive Player of the Year,
Elliot Bowen earned Rookie of the Year, and the Saxons' staff, led by
Russell Phillips was honored as the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
For the compete list of award winners and all-conference honorees, please see below. The awards are selected by the league's head coaches. The league also announced the recipients of the Sportsman of the Year honors.
CLOSER LOOK
Henderson, who helped lead Fisher to a 12-4 mark in conference play this winter, led the league in field goal percentage and was in the top ten in the league in points per game, rebounds per game, and free throw percentage. The senior is currently shooting a remarkable 63% from the floor and his 18.7 points per outing is third-best in the league. He's currently shooting 84% from the line (second-best) and he's currently 10th in the league with 5.9 rebounds per contest. Henderson was also named a First Team All-Conference selection.
Alfred's Brown was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year as he helped lead the Saxons to the E8 regular season crown as he led a defense that was among the league leaders in virtually all statistical categories. The senior has had more steals (39) than turnovers (28) so far this season, and currently averages 12.2 points per contest. Brown was also named a Second Team All-Conference selection for the second consecutive season and was named to the league's Sportsman of the Year team
Brown's teammate Elliot Bowen was named E8 Rookie of the Year by the league's head coaches. Bowen has started every game so far this season for the Saxons and is currently averaging 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per outing. A three-time E8 Rookie of the Week selection, Bowen has scored in double figures 14 times so far this season.
The Alfred coaching staff, led by Phillips, was recognized as the Coaching Staff of the Year by the league's coaches. A year after going 18-9, the Saxons will head into this weekend's conference championship carrying a mark of 21-4 having won their last 11 games. Alfred posted a 14-2 mark in E8 conference play this season to earn the regular season crown and will serve as the host for this weekend's conference championship action. Three Saxons - Brown,
Dom Le Morta, and
Scotty Stopera earned All-Conference accolades as well.
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR TEAM
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2018 Men's Basketball Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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.
Player of the Year - Ryan Henderson, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year - Sage Brown, Alfred
Rookie of the Year - Elliot Bowen, Alfred
Coaching Staff of the Year - Alfred
1st Team All-Conference
Dom LeMorta, Alfred
Jake Burgio, Nazareth
Tyler Stenglein, Nazareth
Ryan Henderson, St. John Fisher
Sammy Robinson, St. John Fisher
2nd Team All-Conference
Sage Brown, Alfred
Justin Porrett, Elmira
Chris Kidd, Sage
Alec DiPietrantonio, Stevens
Avery Coston, Utica
Honorable Mention
Scotty Stopera, Alfred
Kyle Bradshaw, Hartwick
Brandon LaForest, Hartwick
Brendan Wind, Nazareth
James Leone, St. John Fisher
Ryan Coffey, Stevens
Shawn Gashi, Utica
Sportsman of the Year
Sage Brown, Alfred
Anthony Abate, Elmira
Patrick Garey, Hartwick
Daniel Jacob, Nazareth
Frane Larose, Sage
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com and
https://youtu.be/wzL4HcDoUUQ