Men's Basketball | 3/11/2024 4:02:20 PM
Empire 8 men’s basketball standouts Daniel Cook of St. John Fisher University, Justice Brantley of Utica University and Logan Blankenberg of Nazareth University were named to both the 2023-24 D3hoops.com Region III Team and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 3 Team on Tuesday, March 12. Cook earned first team honors for both D3hoops and NABC and was the D3hoops.com Regional Player of the Year, while Brantley earned NABC first team plaudits and second team D3hoops.com accolades. Blankenberg was a second team selection for both organizations.
Cook is the first Empire 8 player to earn D3hoops.com Region Player of the Year since Corey McAdam of Nazareth in 2010.
Cook, who was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year for the fourth straight season last month, enjoyed another tremendous season for the Cardinals in 2023-24. He led all Empire 8 players in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game and was second in rebounding, averaging 9.7 boards to go along with 3.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest, while shooting 54.8 percent from the floor, second highest in the league. Cook scored in double figures in 26 of 27 games played this season and tallied 10 double-doubles. He was also named to the 2024 E8 Championship All-Tournament Team. He set an Empire 8 single-season record by making 212 field goals in 2023-24.
Cook, a 2023 NABC Second Team and D3hoops.com Fourth Team All-American was also named the 2023 Empire 8 Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player, as he led the fourth-seeded Cardinals to the Empire 8 title and the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
Cook is the first four-time Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. He scored 1,932 points, second most in E8 history and pulled down 947 rebounds, fourth-best in league history, while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor in four seasons at St. John Fisher. A native of Honeoye Falls, NY, Cook garnered D3hoops.com All-Region accolades for the fourth straight season and led the Cardinals to a 70-26 record in four seasons. Cook, who played the 2019-20 season at Hobart College, eclipsed the 2,000-point plateau on Feb. 2 and finished his collegiate career with 2,170 points, 1,091 rebounds, 316 assists and 142 blocks.
Brantley, a graduate student from Catskill, NY, earned All-Empire 8 first team honors for the second straight season, while leading Utica to its second Empire 8 Championship and second straight NCAA Division III Tournament berth in 2023-24. He averaged 17.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc. Brantley was named the 2024 Empire 8 Tournament Most Valuable Player after pouring in 28 points in the tile game win over Nazareth.
On Jan. 27, Brantley became the 18th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points. He finished his Utica career with 1,222 points to go along with 529 rebounds in 114 games.
Blankenberg, a graduate student from Ontario, NY native had his best season of all in his fifth year, averaging 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while leading Nazareth to 19 wins and a third consecutive Empire 8 Championship game appearance in 2023-24. Blankenberg earned All-Empire 8 first team accolades and was named to the 2024 Empire 8 Championship All-Tournament Team. He also shot 52 percent from the floor and 46.5 percent from 3-point range.
Blankenberg, a two-time All-E8 selection, eclipsed the 1,000-career point milestone at Nazareth on Feb. 3, finishing with 1,138 for his collegiate career.
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.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram