Three from Daemen men's basketball named to 2023-24 NABC Honors Court

Three From Daemen Earn NABC Honors Court Recognition

7/15/2024 1:06:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen University men's basketball student-athletes Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.), Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) and Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) have been named to the 2023-24 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, recognizing their academic achievements during the past academic year. It marks the 12th consecutive year that Daemen has had at least one player named to the NABC Honors Court.

In addition, the Daemen men's basketball team was a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recipient. The Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2023-24 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.

To be considered for the NABC Honors Court, student-athletes must have reached junior or senior academic standing and hold a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2. Honorees must have also matriculated at least one year at their current institution, be a member of an NCAA Division I, II or III, or NAIA Division I or II program whose head coaches is an NABC member. Over 2,100 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court in 2023-24.

"The NABC is proud to celebrate these accomplished student-athletes, along with the coaches and staff who champion success in the classroom," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "Education is a core value of the NABC, and the teams and athletes who earned these awards are proof that academic achievement remains a priority across every level of our sport."

A senior guard, Fasoyiro spent two seasons at Daemen after transferring from Ashland University. Despite missing six games due to a hand injury during the 2023-24 season, he still managed to lead the team in total points (483) and rank second on the team and fourth in the East Coast Conference (ECC) in three-pointers made (66). A first team All-ECC selection, he also earned all-region honors from the NABC and the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA). He started 28 of 34 games this past year and averaged a team-high 17.3 points per game. He scored in double figures in 24 of 28 games and netted 20 or more points 13 times. He also led the team in field goal percentage (.483) and ranked third in rebounds per game (4.6). Among the ECC leaders he ranked fourth in points per game, 25th in rebounds per game, fifth in field goal percentage, fourth in three pointers made, eighth in free throw percentage (.755), 17th in steals (32) and 20th in blocks (16). After scoring just 23 points during his two seasons at Ashland, racked up 857 points in 56 games (15.3 ppg) at Daemen. Daemen went 45-17 over his two seasons with the Wildcats. A business administration major, he maintained a 3.52 cumulative grade point average. He is the younger brother of Sean Fasoyiro, who was a two-time All-ECC pick for the Wildcats and earned ECC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22.

A fifth-year senior guard, MacDonald started all 34 games this season and averaged 30.6 minutes, 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He led the ECC and ranked 11th among all NCAA Division II players in free throw percentage (90-100/.900). He scored in double figures 20 times this past season and earned ECC Player of the Week honors after he netted a career-high 22 points in a early season win over nationally-ranked Post University. He began his career at Division I Niagara University and has spent the past three seasons with the Wildcats. A third-team All-ECC selection following the 2022-23 season, he appeared in all 91 games over the past three season and led the team to a 65-26 overall record. He averaged 10.1 points over his career and finished second in program history for career free throw percentage (.866). Including his time at Niagara, MacDonald played in 143 collegiate games and totaled 1,119 points and 364 rebounds. A business administration major, he maintained a 3.45 cumulative grade point average.

A senior guard, Mason started all 34 games this season and tied for the team lead in minutes played per game (30.8) this past year. He contributed 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and ranked second among the ECC leaders in three-pointers made (82). He drilled eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 26 points to lead Daemen to a 93-73 win over Franklin Pierce University on Dec. 19. He went 8-of-9 from downtown against FPU and established a new NCAA Division II era (2015-present) program record for three-pointers made in a game. Mason, who will return for a fifth season with the program in 2024-25, has started 101 of a possible 107 games over his four-year career and ranks 20th among the program's all-time leaders in career points with 1,086 points. He has also totaled 411 rebounds and 227 assists and is one of only six players in program history to total 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 200 assists. He ranks fourth in career three-pointers made (258) at Daemen and his career three-point field goal percentage of 46-percent (258-563) ranks third in program history. Daemen has gone 75-32 over his career and has made two NCAA Tournament appearances (2021, 2024). The Wildcats claimed the NCAA Division II Tournament East Region title his freshman season. A business administration major, he has maintained a 3.79 cumulative grade point average.

Fasoyiro, MacDonald and Mason joins the likes of Andrew Sischo, Ziv Basden, Sean Fasoyiro, Sayeed Osorio, Jeff Redband, Alex Borges, Aaron Davis and Troy Nowak as the only Daemen players with multiple NABC Honors Court selections.

Daemen closed out the 2023-24 season with a 25-9 overall record and a 12-4 mark in the ECC. The 25 wins are a NCAA Division II-era (2015-present) record for the Wildcats. The Wildcats advanced to the championship game of the ECC Tournament and earned an at-large bid to the 64-team NCAA Division II Championship. Seeded fourth in the East Regional, Daemen advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament following a 74-66 victory over fifth-seeded Jefferson, but saw its season come to an end following an 86-62 loss to top-seeded and regional host Saint Michael's in the second round. Daemen made its fourth overall appearance in the NCAA Championship and its first since the 2020-21 season.

Daemen University 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