Women's Basketball | 2/3/2025 2:50:00 PM
AMHERST, N.Y. -- Daemen University student athletes
Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) of the men's basketball team and
Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.) of the women's basketball team have been named the January Athletes of the Month after successful months on the court. The Daemen Athletics Athlete of the Month series is sponsored by WNY Knee and Orthopedic Surgery and is given out monthly to a male and female student athlete that put together a standout month in their respective sport.
Hemphill earns Athlete of the Month for the first time in his career after being a key player for the Wildcats on their historic run this season. The Wildcats rank #2/#3 in Division II men's basketball and are 19-0 overall and 10-0 in East Coast Conference play this season.
One of two players this year from Daemen along with
Benjamin Bill to be named to the Bevo Francis Watchlist which is awarded to the player who is deemed to have had the finest season within Small College Basketball. Hemphill is one of three players to ever be nominated within the top 100 in program history. Hemphill averaged 12 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and totaled three double-doubles over the seven games in the month of January. On the year, the 6-foot-6 redshirt senior forward ranks second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) while shooting 50% from the field and leads the team with 7.2 rebounds per game.
Buntley is named the Athlete of the Month after starting all six of Daemen's games in the month of January and helping the Wildcats to a 5-1 record in the month. The Wildcats are 14-6 overall and 10-0 in ECC play this year. Buntley is just the second freshman to earn Athlete of the Month since the series was brought back for the 2023-24 school year.
Buntley joined the Daemen starting lineup in mid December and has shined on the court for the Wildcats ever since. The 5-foot-10 freshman forward averaged 14 points per game while shooting at 50% from the field and added 6 rebounds per game over the month of January. She added 10 assists and seven steals in the month as well. Twice shooting 61.5% from the field in January, Buntley posted a month-high 19-point performance against D'Youville University on Jan. 18.
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.
