AMHERST, N.Y. – Three members of the Daemen University men's basketball team collected National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District honors; the office
announced in a press release Monday morning. The 80 NABC all-district selections represent the top players from each region throughout the country. The East Region consists of the top players from the East Coast Conference (ECC), the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). This is the second regional honor Hemphill and Bill have earned this season, as both were also recently named All-East Region honorees by the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA).
For Bill and Hemphill, it is the first time either Western New York native have earned NABC distinctions while for MacDonald, it marks the first time since the 2018-19 season that he has netted coach of the year accolades from the NABC.
An NABC All-District honoree for the first time in his career, Bill ended the year as the team leader in field goals made (209), field goal percentage (.708), points (488), ppg (16.8) and blocks (62) while playing less than 25 minutes per game. Bill also helped pace Daemen in bench points per game with an average of 38.2 which ranked second in the nation. The Hamburg, N.Y., native set the program record for field goal percentage in a season at .708, breaking a record that was set during the 1991-92 season by Stefan Van Duluitgaarden. Bill ended the year with eight double-doubles, highlighted by a 25-point, 11 rebound afternoon against Roberts Wesleyan (March 1). Across 29 games, the redshirt sophomore center eclipsed double-digits in all but three games and notched 10-or-more rebounds eight times. This season, Bill earned six weekly awards this year as he was named the ECC Player of the Week on four occasions (Dec. 2, 9, 23 & Feb. 15) and the ECC Defensive Player of the Week twice (Dec. 9 & Jan. 13). Bill was also named to the Bevo Francis Watch List Top 25, D2CCA First Team selection, East Coast Conference Player of the Year, All-ECC First Team selection and is the first Daemen player to be tabbed to the NABC All-District First Team since Andrew Sischo during the 2021-22 season.
Also an NABC All-District honoree for the first time in his career, Hemphill also was tabbed to the D2CCA Second Team, All-ECC First Team, a Bevo Francis Watch List Top 50 selection and was tabbed the ECC Player of the Week twice (Nov. 18 & Jan. 20). The Buffalo, N.Y., native ended the year as the Daemen leader in rebounds (215), rebounds per game (7.4), assists (116) and steals (43). Hemphill notched eight double-doubles of his own, highlighted by a 16 point, 11 assist and eight rebound outing against then No. 21/7 Gannon on Jan. 18. In the ECC final against St. Thomas Aquinas (March 9), Hemphill joined Bill as the first Daemen duo to score 20-or-more points each as they combined to score 44 of Daemen's 88 points to propel the Wildcats to their first ECC Championship. Hemphill also finished in double-figures in 20 games this season, highlighted by a 22-point outing against St. Michael's on Dec. 21.
For the second time, MacDonald was tabbed the NABC Coach of the Year within the East District after leading the Wildcats to their first ECC Championship. This season under MacDonald, the Wildcats 28 wins set a new record for wins in a single season during the "Modern Era" while their one loss also set a record for the least number of losses as well. The longtime lead of the 'Cats led Daemen to a No. 1 national ranking for three consecutive weeks, becoming the first Division I or II school in New York to accomplish the feat since Syracuse was ranked No. 1 in three consecutive AP Polls from Feb. 3 - Feb. 17, 2014. The Wildcats, who were ranked top five in at least one national poll dating back to Dec. 17, claimed their third ECC Regular Season Title in program history and earned 20-or-more wins for the seventh consecutive full season under MacDonald, the longest such streak of any Western New York school. Daemen also became the first team since C.W. Post during the 2008-09 campaign to go undefeated during the regular season as they went 25-0 ahead of postseason play.
First Team
Tray Alexander, Pace
Benjamin Bill, Daemen
Aliou Cisse, Bridgeport
Deng Deang, Post
Dayshaun Walton, Adelphi
Second Team
Antonio Chandler, Southern Conn. St.
Paul Greene, Southern New Hampshire
Justin Hemphill, Daemen
Jaden Honis, Dominican
Cash McClure, Bentley
Coach of the Year:
Mike MacDonald, Daemen
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.
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