Westfield, Mass. — Sophomore Aaron Nkrumah of Worcester State and graduate student Emerson Halbleib of Bridgewater State are the 2022-23 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player and Defensive Player of the Year and headline the All-Conference team which is voted on by the seven coaches around the conference.

 

Nkrumah, a sophomore from Worcester, Mass., earned the 2022-23 MASCAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year after finishing at the top of the conference in several categories and helping the Lancers to a perfect MASCAC record of 12-0. He closed out the regular season first in total points with 431 and steals with 66, third in points per game at 17.2 and seventh in blocks with 22. He also averaged 7.8 rebounds per game with a total of 195, a 43.1 field goal percentage and 53 assists on the year. In the win over Bridgewater State, he had a season-best 30 points with 11 rebounds and three steals. 

 

Earning this year’s MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year, Halbleib, a graduate student from Carmel, Ind., rocked the stat sheet with 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game (267 total), 68 blocks, 42 steals, 43 assists, a 68.2 field goal percentage and 72.3 free throw percentage all which are in the top six of the MASCAC. Halbleib set the Bears’ single-season records for blocked shots and field goal percentage. On the national stage, Halbleib is third in all of Division III in field goal percentage, tied for 13th in total blocks and tied for 14th in blocks per game. In the win over MCLA, Halbleib scored 23 points and added 26 rebounds while 68.8 percent from the field. 

 

Dante Kikuba of Bridgewater State is the 2022-23 MASCAC Rookie of the Year after averaging 13.5 points while leading the MASCAC in assists with 153, second in steals at 62, fifth in three point percentage at 37.1 with 106 rebounds in his first season with the Bears. Kikuba is 16th in all of Division III in assists per game (5.9) and 31st in steals per game (2.38). During the season, he was named MASCAC Rookie of the Week five times. He had a season-high 30 points while shooting 66.67 percent with six rebounds and five assists in the game against Christopher Newport

 

After leading the Lancers to their first-ever 20 win season, perfect league record and the MASCAC Regular Season title, Tyler Hundley of Worcester State was voted the 2022-23 BSN Sports Coach of the Year by his peers. 

 

Joining Nkrumah and Halbleib on the 2022-23 All-Conference First Team is Noah Yearsley of MCLA, Brendon Hamilton and JT Thompson of Westfield State.

 

On the Second Team are Juran Ligonde of Framingham State, Conner Byrne and Chris MacDonald of Salem State and Erik Bjorn and Ryan Rubenskas of Worcester State.