Westfield, Mass. — Junior Aaron Nkrumah of Worcester State and senior Brendon Hamilton of Westfield State are the 2023-24 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 junior from Worcester, Mass., earned his second straight MASCAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year after helping the Lancers to 10-2 MASCAC record and the regular season title. He closed out the regular season first in total points with 529, second in defensive rebounds with 198 while averaging 19.6 points and 8.1 rebounds plus 66 steals, 65 assists and 22 blocks on the year. In his best scoring output of the season, Nkrumah tallied 41 points with seven rebounds and four assists in the win over Salem State.
After earning the inaugural MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year during the 2021-22 season, Hamilton returns to his award winning ways as this year’s defensive honoree. The senior forward from Worcester, Mass., currently is fifth in blocked shots per game with three, sixth in Division III with 12.4 rebounds per game and sixth in defensive rebounds per game with 8.81. His total rebounds (334), defensive (238) and offensive rebounds (96) were best in the conference. Earlier this season he became only the second Owl in school history to collect 1,000 points and rebounds. Along with his defensive prowess, he averaged 12.9 points per game and collected a league-leading 81 blocks(second-highest in the MASCAC) with 37 assists and 19 steals.
Juju Omot of Westfield State is the 2023-24 MASCAC Rookie of the Year after averaging 16.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while tallying 65 assists, 24 steals and 14 blocks while shooting 71.4 percent from the free throw line. 19 times during the season he had double digit scoring in a game, including his season-high 33 points in the win over Salem State with seven rebounds and two assists.
After leading the Lancers to their second straight MASCAC Regular Season title and top spot in the conference tournament, Tyler Hundley of Worcester State was voted the 2023-24 BSN Sports Coach of the Year by his peers.
Joining Nkrumah, Hamilton and Omot on the 2023-24 All-Conference First Team is Precious Okoh of Bridgewater State and Quentin Gittens of MCLA.
On the Second Team are Emerson Halbleib and Dante Kikuba of Bridgewater State, Jaden Castillo and Michael Makiej of Salem State and Ryan Rubenskas of Worcester State.
2023-24 MASCAC MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Player/Institution Class Position Hometown
Precious Okoh, Bridgewater State Senior Guard Brockton, Mass.
Quentin Gittens, MCLA Senior Guard Pittsfield, Mass.
Brendon Hamilton, Westfield State Senior Forward Worcester, Mass.
Juju Omot, Westfield State Sophomore Guard/Forward Springfield, Mass.
Aaron Nkrumah, Worcester State Junior Guard/Forward Worcester, Mass.
SECOND TEAM
Player/Institution Class Position Hometown
Emerson Halbleib, Bridgewater State Graduate Center Carmel, Ind.
Dante Kikuba, Bridgewater State Sophomore Guard Framingham, Mass.
Jaden Castillo, Salem State Senior Guard Lawrence, Mass.
Michael Makiej, Salem State Junior Forward Andover, Mass.
Ryan Rubenskas, Worcester State Junior Forward/Center Bridgewater, Mass.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aaron Nkrumah, Worcester State Junior Guard/Forward Worcester, Mass.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Brendon Hamilton, Westfield State Senior Forward Worcester, Mass.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Juju Omot, Westfield State Sophomore Guard/Forward Springfield, Mass.
BSN SPORTS COACH OF THE YEAR
Tyler Hundley, Worcester State