AMHERST, N.Y. -- Nine players from Daemen University men's basketball have been named to the 2024-25 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 to earning Honors Court recognition, 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 2024-25 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 2,400 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court in 2024-25 and nearly 400 programs received Team Academic Excellence awards.
"Education is one of the NABC's five core values, and we are proud to recognize the academic accomplishments of these programs and individual student-athletes across our sport," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "The dedication and hard work of these athletes, along with their coaches and support staff members who prioritize academic success, deserves to be widely celebrated."
Andrew Mason, graduate student, guard, Webster, N.Y. -- One of four players to start and play in all 29 games this season, Mason ended his collegiate career as Daemen's all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 324. His 324 triples also rank third all-time in ECC history as well. The Webster, N.Y., native ended the year as the team leader in 3-pointers (66), second in free-throw percentage (.857) and fourth in minutes played (25.1). He finished the season shooting 46.5% from the field (80-of-172) and led the team with a 43.4% shooting percentage from beyond the arc (66-of-152). Mason eclipsed double-digits in scoring on 12 occasions, highlighted by a season-best 19 points against Mercy on Dec. 15. Twice this year, the graduate student guard knocked down five 3-pointers, doing so against Mercy (Dec. 15) and Roberts Wesleyan (March 1). Over five seasons, Mason appeared in 132 games played, ranking second all-time and one game shy of the program record of 133 set by Andrew Sischo (2017-22). Graduating with his masters in business administration this spring, Mason finished his Daemen career with a 3.8 GPA.
Ayden Harrison, redshirt sophomore, forward, Clifton, N.Y. -- Played in 16 games this season while tallying two-or-more points on seven occasions. Harrison grabbed a season-high three rebounds at District of Columbia on Dec. 8 and played a season-high nine minutes at Molloy (Jan. 10). A marketing major, Harrison posted a 3.3 GPA in the spring semester.
Benjamin Bill, redshirt sophomore, center, Hamburg, N.Y. -- Compiling one of the most dominant seasons in Daemen men's basketball history, Bill was named to the NABC Division II All-America Team, ECC Player of the Year, a D2CCA All-East Region First Team selection, an All-ECC First Team honoree, NABC All-District First Team pick and was selected to the Bevo Francis Watch List Top 25. He became the second consensus All-American in program history, earning Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Third Team All-American accolades at the end of March. Bill ended the year as the team leader in field goals made (209), field goal percentage (.708), points (488), points per game (16.8) and total blocks (62) while playing less than 25 minutes per game. The Hamburg, N.Y., native set the program record for field goal percentage in a season at .708. His 62 total blocks this past season rank sixth all-time while his 209 made shots rank 10
th all-time for a single season. Bill also paced Daemen in bench points per game (38.2 per game) which ranked second in the nation at the end of the regular season. The redshirt sophomore center ended the 2024-25 campaign tied for the team lead in double-doubles with eight, highlighted by a 25-point, 11 rebound outing against Roberts Wesleyan (March 1). Across 29 games, Bill tallied 10-or-more points in all but three games and notched 10-or-more rebounds eight times. This season, Bill earned six weekly awards 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). Majoring in business administration, Bill finished with a 3.2 GPA in the spring.
Jackson Kulik, redshirt sophomore, guard, Webster, N.Y. -- Appeared in 20 games and scored in nine games this season. Kulik scored a season-high six points against #10/#10 California (Pa.) after going 2-of-4 from the three-point line. He nabbed a season-high two rebounds in three games this season, against Cal (Pa.) (Nov. 26), Molloy (Jan. 10), and Staten Island (Jan. 31) while also tallying a steal at Molloy. He finished with four points against Staten Island in the semifinal round of the ECC Championship. A sports management major, Kulik has maintained a 3.2 GPA.
Josh Haskell, redshirt sophomore, forward, West Seneca, N.Y. -- Appeared in two games before being sidelined due to an injury. Made his season debut against Chestnut Hill on Nov. 8 and recorded a steal. Haskell played in his final game of the season against Saint Anselm on Nov. 9, finishing with four points after going 2-of-2 from the field and six rebounds. Majoring in sports management, Haskell has a 3.39 GPA.
Justin Glover, junior, guard, Buffalo, N.Y. -- Glover earned All-ECC Second Team honors for the first time in his career and collected all-conference honors for the second consecutive year. One of four players to start all 29 games this year, Glover ended the year as the team leader in minutes per game with an average of 27.2 and ranked second on the Wildcats for steals (33), third in 3-pointers (50) and fourth in points per game (9.6). The junior guard ended the year scoring in the double-figures in 17 games, including posting a season-high 20 points against St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 13 after shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 beyond the arc. He tied his career-high in rebounds (6) twice this season, first against UDC (Feb. 2) and again against St. Thomas Aquinas in the second round of the NCAA East Regional (March 16). He notched four assists on three occasions (vs St. Anselm, vs UDC & at Mercy and tallied a season-high four steals at Post on Nov. 23. A sports management major, Glover posted a 3.45 GPA this spring.
Matt Becker, graduate student, guard, Fairfield, Conn. -- In his lone year with the Wildcats, Becker made his impact felt as he started in all 28 games he appeared in and led the team in 3-point percentage (.553), ranked second in total assists (95) and ended the year second in the ECC for assists/turnover ratio at 2.2. In just his second game with Daemen, Becker dropped a season-high 18 points and nearly secured a double-double with eight rebounds in the 'Cats 96-55 win over Saint Anselm (Nov. 9). The Fairfield, Conn., native followed that performance with a 15 point, 10 rebound double-double two games later in his home state against Post (Nov. 23). Becker helped Daemen win a program record 28 games and secure the No. 1 national ranking for the final three weeks of the regular season as well. The Wildcats claimed their third ECC Regular Season Title and first ECC Championship with an 88-80 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on March 9 with Becker in the starting lineup for that game. Becker ended his time with the Wildcats by securing CSC Academic All-District honors for the second time of his career. Graduating with his MBA, Becker posted 3.6 GPA in his one-year Daemen career.
Phil Nwugwo, redshirt sophomore, forward, Rochester, N.Y. -- One of seven players to appear in all 29 games, Nwugwo ended the year averaging 4.7 points per game and 2.3 rebounds per game while also totaling 17 blocks and 13 assists. Nwugwo finished the year shooting 59.6% after going 53-of-89 from the field. The redshirt sophomore scored a season-high 12 points against Bridgeport in the first round of the NCAA East Regional on March 15 after shooting 5-of-6 from the field. He collected a career-high eight rebounds and three assists against D'Youville on Jan. 16 while adding 11 points, two boards away from his first career double-double. Nwugwo amassed a career-high three blocks at Staten Island on Jan. 31. Majoring in health science, Nwugwo has maintained a 3.5 GPA.
Ryan Salzberg, graduate student, guard, Manlius, N.Y. -- Returning for his final season as a Wildcat after sitting out last season with an injury, Salzberg was one of four players to start all 29 games and ended the year averaging 8.6 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per game. The graduate student finished the season ranking second in 3-pointers (52) and minutes per game (25.9) for Daemen while shooting 40.6% both from the field (88-of-217) and beyond the arc (52-of-128). He finished with double-digit points on 10 occasions, highlighted by a career-high 22 points against Staten Island (Jan. 31). Salzberg grabbed a season-high eight rebounds versus Southern Connecticut State on Dec. 20 and notched a season-high five assists twice this season, at Molloy (Feb. 14) and on senior day against Roberts Wesleyan (March 3). Scoring multiple triples in 17 games this season, Salzberg knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers against Staten Island on Jan. 31. Closing out his Daemen career with his MBA, Salzberg finished with a 3.2 GPA.
Daemen put together their best season in program history in 2024-25, setting a program record for single-season wins with 28 after going 28-1 and spending four weeks ranked as the No. 1 team in the NABC poll for the first time in program history. The Wildcats collected their first East Coast Conference Championship in program history with an 88-80 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on March 9. Daemen's 28 game winning streak was the longest this season of any Division I, II or III men's basketball team across the nation and set a new program record for consecutive wins. The 'Cats 28 wins also marked the seventh consecutive full season that they earned 20-or-more wins, the longest active streak of any Western New York school. Daemen joined C.W. Post (1989-90 & 2008-09), Adelphi (2000-01) and Philadelphia U. (1992-93 & 1993-94) as the only four schools in ECC history to finish the regular season undefeated as Daemen went 25-0, winning by an average of 22.6 points. The Cats also set the record for the largest postseason win during the Division II Era (2015-Pres.) with a 90-57 win over Staten Island in the semifinal round of the ECC Championship on March 8. Daemen, who was ranked within the top five in at least one national poll dating back to Dec. 17, claimed their third ECC Regular Season Title and earned the right to host the ECC Tournament in Lumsden Gymnasium for the first time in program history. MacDonald and the Wildcats also hosted the 2025 NCAA East Regional at home, becoming the first ECC team since former conference member Bridgeport during the 2020 season to be tabbed as NCAA East Region Tournament hosts.
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