Men's Basketball | 4/13/2021 10:00:00 AM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021 Men’s Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team on Wednesday, April 14. Utica senior center Kimedrick Murphy was named Empire 8 Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Pioneers to their first league title on April 11.
Murphy averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in the two postseason contests. He pulled down 11 boards and scored nine points in the E8 semifinal win over Nazareth. On Sunday versus St. John Fisher, Murphy scored 11 points, including four straight baskets midway through the second half to help the Pioneers withstand a Cardinals run and roll to an 89-65 win. Fellow Utica senior Kobe Lufkin joined Murphy on the All-Tournament Team after averaging 15.0 points and 3.5 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field over the two games.
Junior guard Ryan Gentile drained five 3-pointers in the championship game for runner-up St. John Fisher to earn All-Tournament Team accolades. Senior forward Stephen Gabel of Nazareth and junior guard Amani Cummings of Russell Sage were also named to the All-Tournament Team. Gabel averaged 17.5 points per contest in the tournament, including a 25-point effort in the opening round versus Elmira to garner All-Tourney honors for the second straight season. Cummings averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the tournament for Russell Sage, who knocked off Keuka in the opening round and battled St. John Fisher in the semifinals.
2021 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team
Stephen Gabel, Sr., F, Nazareth
Amani Cummings, Jr., G, Russell Sage
Ryan Gentile, Jr., G, St. John Fisher
Kobe Lufkin, Sr., G, Utica
Kimedrick Murphy, Sr., C, Utica *
* Named Most Outstanding Player
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.
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