The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team continues to be well-represented with postseason honors, as the annual Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association awards were released on Thursday. Head Coach Matt Capell, was named the All-Met Division II Co-Coach of the Year, while DeVante Jamison was tabbed as a All-Met First Team Selection and teammate James Patterson takes home an All-Met Second Team selection.
In his first season at the helm of the powerhouse STAC squad, Matt Capell was awarded his first All-Met Coach of the Year honors. Capell piloted his Spartans to an 26-5 overall record and a 15-1 mark within the ECC. The team won its sixth Regular Season title and seventh ECC Tournament crown in the last eight seasons in 2022-23, while also earning a bid to the NCAA Division II Tourney for the eighth consecutive year.
DeVante Jamison previously received first team honors from the ECC, and second team accolades from both the D2CCA (All-Region) and NABC (All-District) in its post-season awards, to go along with his All-Met accolades. Averaging 14.8 points per game (7th ECC), the red-shirt junior from Dorchester, Mass. led STAC in scoring. His 5.8 assists per game ranked first on the team and second in the ECC.
In his inaugural season in maroon and gold, James Patterson earned the ECC's Rookie of the Year award along with first team status, in addition to his selection to the All-Met squad. The freshman from Richmond, Va. placed second on the team with 14.4 points per game (8th in ECC), while finishing first with 7.1 rebounds per contest for the Spartans.
Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Division II Men's Basketball Awards
FIRST TEAM
Isayas Aris, Alliance
Darnell Evans, Caldwell
Darren Fergus, Molloy
Andres Fulgencio, Bloomfield
DeVante Jamison, St. Thomas Aquinas
Wahaad Johnson, Dominican
Brandon Powell, Pace
Ronnie Silva, Adelphi
SECOND TEAM
Tyler Carey, Queens
Messiah Mallory, Staten Island
Josh Morris, Bloomfield
James Patterson, St. Thomas Aquinas
Bryan Powell, Pace
Player of the Year: Darren Fergus, Molloy
Co-Coach of the Year: Matt Capell, St. Thomas Aquinas
Co-Coach of the Year: Dean Johnson, Caldwell