Men's Basketball | 3/14/2023 4:00:26 PM
Empire 8 men’s basketball standouts Daniel Cook of St. John Fisher University and Jonathan Park of Nazareth College were named to both the 2022-23 D3hoops.com Region 3 Team and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 3 Team on Tuesday, March 14. Cook earned first team honors for both D3hoops and NABC, while Park was a second team selection for both organizations.
Cook, who was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year for the third straight season last month, enjoyed another tremendous season for the Cardinals in 2022-23, as he finished second among all Empire 8 players in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.3 points and 9.0 boards to go along with 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per contest, while shooting 53.4 percent from the floor, third highest in the league. Cook scored in double figures in 27 of 29 games played this season and recorded nine double-doubles. He poured in a season-high 38 points on Jan. 28.
Cook was also named the 2023 Empire 8 Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player, as he led the fourth-seeded Cardinals to the Empire 8 title. He averaged 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting 56 percent from the floor in five postseason games, as the Cardinals advanced to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
Cook is the first three-time Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. He has scored 1,340 points and pulled down 677 rebounds, while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor in three seasons at St. John Fisher. A native of Honeoye Falls, NY, Cook garnered D3hoops.com All-Region accolades for the third straight season and has 1,578 career points. Cook has led the Cardinals to a 52-17 record in three seasons.
Park, a graduate student from Angola, NY native had his best season of all in his fifth year, averaging 13.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.41 blocks per game. The 12.5 rebounds per game was the seventh best mark in the nation among all Division III schools. He was a walking double-double throughout the year, finishing with 18 in 27 games for the Purple and Gold. The 18 double-doubles were ninth in Division III. Park was named the 2022-23 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-Empire 8 first team accolades. In addition, Park was named to the 2023 Empire 8 Championship All-Tournament Team, as Nazareth advanced to the title game.
A three-time All-Empire 8 selection, Park finished his career with 108 career games play, among the top-10 at Nazareth. Earlier in the year, he joined the 1,000-point club and ended his illustrious career with 1,107 points, 985 rebounds, and 218 blocks. The 985 rebounds and 218 blocks both rank first all-time at Nazareth and both are third in Empire 8 history. Park has led Nazareth to a 92-29 record and a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament in his tremendous career.
Players were nominated for the D3hoops.com awards by the Sports Information Directors. The ballot was then made available to SIDs, who voted for a predetermined number of players in their region. Players from these lists are eligible for the
D3hoops.com All-America teams, which will be released Saturday, March 18. NABC All-District selections were voted on by NABC-member coaches across Division III.
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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