MBB ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM ANNOUNCED; DiRIENZO NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Penn State Behrend senior guard Tommy DiRienzo has been named the AMCC Men's Basketball Player of the Year.
Penn State Behrend senior guard Tommy DiRienzo has been named the AMCC Men's Basketball Player of the Year. DiRienzo led the AMCC with 468 points during the regular season and was first in the conference in free-throw percentage (83.7). He was also second in the conference in points per game (18.7) and fourth in the AMCC in field-goals per game (6.3). To go along with his top-scoring mark, DiRienzo finished second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game and 2.0 assists per game. This season, he recorded double-figures in 23 of 25 games and 16 of 18 conference games. During two contests this year, DiRienzo tallied 30-plus points, scoring a season-high 32 points against Baldwin Wallace. DiRienzo notched a double-double in four games, one of which was an AMCC game. He led the team in scoring in 14 games, in rebounding in five games, in assists in seven games, in steals in five games, and in blocks in nine games this season.
Penn State Altoona junior forward Dwayne Jones has been tabbed as the Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year. In AMCC play, he ranked first in blocks (50), blocks per game (2.1), and points per 40 minutes (22.9). He also finished the regular season second in total rebounds (215) and rebounds per game (9.0), third in defensive rebounds (161), sixth in steals (42), and eighth in steals per game (1.8).
Pitt-Greensburg freshman forward Trent Rozich has earned Newcomer of the Year honors. Rozich finished the regular season 10th in the AMCC with 16.2 points per game in conference play and third in the AMCC in rebounding with 8.7 rebounds per game. He averaged 4.2 assists per game as a forward, which is third in the AMCC. He made 97 free throws which wass first in the AMCC, making them at a 77.6 percent rate, good enough for eighth.
Coach of the Year honors goes to Alfred State College head coach Jack Dignan. The Pioneers saw a vast improvement from last season, as they went 3-11 in conference play in 2022-23, missing out on the AMCC postseason tournament. This season, Alfred State improved to 12-6 in AMCC games, earning themselves the #3 seed in the championship tournament and advancing to the semifinal round.
Click here for the complete men's basketball all-conference team and postseason awards.