Sischo Named Male Athlete of the Year

Men's basketball all-time leading scorer claims award for unprecedented fourth straight year

5/14/2021 3:48:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications | (716) 839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

sischo male athlete 2 — Andrew Sischo is Daemen's Male Athlete of the Year for the fourth time

AMHERST, N.Y. - For an unprecedented fourth consecutive year, standout basketball student-athlete Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) has been named the Daemen College Male Athlete of the Year. The announcement was made today at the Wildcat Night of Honors, an annual event held at Lumsden Gymnasium to recognize the achievements of the college's intercollegiate teams and student-athletes.

It was yet another dominant season for the 6-foot-9 center redshirt senior center who earned consensus All-American honors for the second straight year. Sischo produced 26.9 points per game - the most ever by a Daemen player for a single season - and added 12.8 rebounds per contest. His NCAA Division II-leading 13 double-doubles helped power Daemen to their first-ever East Regional title, advancing all the way to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Sischo, who was named the East Coast Conference Player of the Year for the third straight season, carried the load early this time around while the Wildcats adjusted to a lineup that included four new starters. He scored at least 30 points in four of the first six games, including a 42-point explosion in a February 8 victory over long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan - the second 40-point game of his career. Two days later, he scored 31 points and grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds in a home win over ECC newcomer D'Youville. Sischo has scored at least 20 points in 14 games of his 15 games during the 2020-21 season, and he finished second in rebounding and fourth in scoring among the Division II national leaders.

Sischo was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after leading Daemen to the first NCAA tournament victories in program history. He shot 11-for-15 from the field and totaled 25 points and 10 rebounds in an 81-69 win over Bloomfield in the regional semifinals on March 14. In the regional finals against nemesis St. Thomas Aquinas, Sischo played the full 40 minutes and put up 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 71-70 win. He scored Daemen's final seven points, helping the Wildcats overcome a 65-60 deficit with under five minutes to play.

Playing on the biggest stage of his storied career, Sischo shot 12-for-21 from the field and totaled 29 points and 16 rebounds in Daemen's Elite Eight loss to top-seeded West Texas A&M. The Wildcats concluded the pandemic-shortened season with a 10-6 overall record and ranked ninth in the final Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) national media poll.

Sischo's statistical milestones continued to pile up throughout the season. In a February 11 loss at Roberts Wesleyan, he became Daemen's all-time leading scorer, surpassing the mark of 1,962 points set by Robert Robinson who ran the Lumsden Gymnasium hardwood from 1988-92. Against Mercy on February 20, Sischo scored the 2,000th point and grabbed the 1,000th rebound of his career, becoming just the second 2,000/1,000 player in ECC history. Already Daemen's all-time leader in made field goals, he grabbed the conference record in a regular season win at St. Thomas Aquinas on February 27.

In 104 games, Sischo has totaled 2,223 points and 1,101 rebounds. His career scoring (21.4) and rebounding (10.6) averages are both program records. He is the active career rebounding leader among all Division II players, while also ranking second for career points. Sischo, who will return next season to utilize an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stands just 53 points shy of becoming the ECC's all-time leading scorer (Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas, 2,247 points). He's also 18 rebounds shy of the program record held by Hall of Famer Alex Nwora (1,103 rebounds, 1989-93).

Sischo is one of two multi-time recipients of Daemen's Male Athlete of the Year award which has now been presented to a basketball student-athlete eight times since its inception nine years ago. Past recipients include basketball standouts Casey Sheehan (2012-13), Gerald Beverly (2013-14, 2014-15) and Torrence Dyck (2015-16), as well as cross country/track and field athlete Kevin Roginson (2016-17).

Additional Male Athlete of the Year nominees for 2020-21 were track and field athletes Sullivan Keller (Alden, N.Y.) and Erik Matthews (Galway, N.Y.) and volleyball player Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.).

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Print Friendly Version