Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams & Major Award Winners Announced

LANCASTER, Pa. - The Atlantic East Conference announced the Men's Basketball All-Conference teams and major award winners on Sunday morning, as Neumann University and Marymount University grabbed major honors. 

Neumann earned three major awards, as Jalen Vaughns grabbed Player of the Year, Tony James earned Defensive Player of the Year and the coaching staff was awarded Coaching Staff of the Year. This is Neumann's first time earning a Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year award since the inception of the Atlantic East conference.

Vaughns earned Player of the Year after a sensational season. The sophomore led the conference in points with 619 and rebounds with 272. Vaughns had a 63.7% FG shooting percentage on the season and also blocked 32 shots. For his efforts, Vaughns was named the ECAC South Player of the Month in Janaury and was awarded conference player of the week 5 times this season.

James earned Defensive Player of the Year after being Neumann's top defensive threat. The junior had 184 rebounds (130 defensive rebounds), 9 blocked shots, 18 steals and also dished out 65 assists and 316 points. James earned tournament MVP after guiding his team to their first Atlantic East Men's Basketball title.

Neumann was awarded Coaching Staff of the Year after impressive regular season victories and winning the 2022 conference title. Head Coach, Jim Rullo, is assisted by Fran Maxwell and Phil D'Ambrosio.

Marymount's Montell Cooper earned Rookie of the Year after exploding in his fist collegiate season. Cooper scored 310 points, had a 71.9% free throw percentage and handed out 76 assists. The sophomore was also a defensive menace with 14 blocked shots, 45 steals and 118 rebounds. This is Marymount's first time earning a Rookie of the Year honor in men's basketball with the Atlantic East.

Finally, the Atlantic East Elite 20 award winner for men's basketball, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing at the finals site at each of the Atlantic East's 20 team championships, is Roey Stern from Marymount University. Stern, a member of runner-up Marymount, maintains a 3.992 cumulative GPA as a Business Administration/Marketing major. For the entire selection criteria and process, click here.

For the full list of All-Conference teams, check out below...

First Team - 
- Jalen Vaughns, Neumann
- Xavier Reaves, Marymount
- Chris LaBelle, Centenary
- Brandon McCullough, Immaculata
- Jason Holman, Marywood

Second Team - 
- Aquil Stewart, Cabrini
- Tyler Tillery, Immaculata
- Tony James, Neumann
- Ty Jones, Gwynedd Mercy
- Montell Cooper, Marymount
 
Player of the Year - Jalen Vaughns, Neumann
Defensive Player of the Year - Tony James, Neumann
Rookie of the Year - Montell Cooper, Marymount
Coaching Staff of the Year - Neumann University
Elite 20 Winner - Roey Stern, Marymount