Mihalich, Willard Named Top Div. I Men’s Coaches
Honor Selected Rookie of the Year
NEW YORK (April 29, 2019) – Joe Mihalich of Hofstra and Kevin Willard of Seton Hall have been selected the All-Met Division I men’s college basketball Peter A. Carlesimo Co-Coaches of the Year, it was announced Monday by the Met Basketball Writers Association. 
Nick Honor of Fordham was named Rookie of the Year.
Players who repeated as All-Met First Team selections were Shamorie Ponds of St. John’s, the MBWA Player of the Year in 2018, and Justin Wright-Foreman of Hofstra.
Also named to the All-Met First Team: E.J. Crawford and Rickey McGill of Iona; Darnell Edge of Fairleigh Dickinson; and Myles Powell of Seton Hall.
The winner of the 86th Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award as All-Met Men’s Player of the Year will be announced on Tuesday.
Named to the All-Met Second Team for 2018-19: Raiquan Clark, LIU Brooklyn; Mustapha Heron, St. John’s; Abdul Lewis, NJIT; Eugene Omoruyi, Rutgers; Eli Pemberton, Hofstra; Akwasi Yeboah, Stony Brook.
The Third Team:Tajuan Agee, Iona; Geo Baker, Rutgers; Zach Cooks, NJIT; L.J. Figueroa and Justin Simon, St. John’s; Sean Hoehn, Sacred Heart; Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall.
The All-Met First and Second Team players, coach and rookie of the year will be honored Tuesday, April 30, at the 86th NIT/MBWA Haggerty Awards dinner at the Westchester Marriott, Tarrytown, NY.
With Hofstra winning the Colonial Athletic Association regular season
title, Mihalich --- who also was named the CAA and NABC District 10 coach of the year --- guided the Pride to a school-record 27 wins (27-8 overall, 15-3 CAA). The first Hofstra coach to win conference coach of the year honors since current Villanova coach Jay Wright did it in 2001 in the America East Conference, Mihalich’s team produced the nation’s best (at the time) 16-game in-season winning streak and advanced to the CAA Championship game for the second time under his tutelage, earning a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.
In what was considered a “rebuilding year,” Willard --- who also was named the NABC District 5 coach of the year and captured the MBWA coaching honor for the third time in the past four seasons (2016-17-19) --- guided the Pirates to a 20-14 overall record and an NCAA berth for the fourth consecutive year. Seton Hall finished in third place (9-9) during the Big East Conference regular season. Along the way, the team defeated four opponents who were nationally ranked when they played: AP No. 9 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden; Coaches No. 24 Maryland on the road; AP No. 16 Marquette and AP No. 23 Villanova at home. SHU won two games in the Big East Tournament, then lost to Villanova in the conference championship before advancing to the NCAAs as an at-large selection.
Named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and the only Ram to start all 32 games, Honor averaged 36.1 minutes while leading Fordham in scoring (15.3 ppg) and assists (95). He was the top scoring freshman in the conference and 14th best in NCAA Division I. He made 70 3-point goals, the second best single season total in Fordham annals.
SUMMARY
NEW YORK (April 29, 2019) – The 2018-19 All-Met Division I men’s college basketball teams announced Monday by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
First Team
E.J. Crawford, Iona 6-6, Jr., G/F Hartford, CT
Darnell Edge, Fairleigh Dickinson 6-2, Sr., G Saugerties, NY
Rickey McGill, Iona 6-1, Sr., G Spring Valley, NY
Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s 6-1, Jr., G Brooklyn, NY
Myles Powell, Seton Hall 6-2, Jr., G Trenton, NJ
Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra 6-2, Sr., G Queens, NY
Second Team
Raiquan Clark, LIU Brooklyn 6-6, Sr., G/F New Haven, CT
Mustapha Heron. St. John’s 6-5, Jr., G Waterbury, CT
Abdul Lewis, NJIT 6-10, Sr., F Newark, NJ
Eugene Omoruyi, Rutgers 6-7, Jr., F Rexdale, Ontario
Eli Pemberton, Hofstra 6-5, Jr., G Middletown, CT
Akwasi Yeboah, Stony Brook 6-6, Jr., G/F Chigwell, England
Third Team
Tajuan Agee, Iona 6-9, Jr., F Chicago, IL
Geo Baker, Rutgers 6-4, So., G Derry, NH
Zach Cooks, NJIT 5-9, So., G Lawrenceville, GA
L.J. Figueroa, St. John’s 6-6, So., G/F Lawrence, MA
Sean Hoehn, Sacred Heart 6-2, Sr., G Morristown, NJ
Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall 6-4, Jr., G Bridgeport, CT
Justin Simon, St. John’s 6-5, Jr., G Temecula, CA
Peer A. Carlesimo Co-Coaches of the Year: Joe Mihalich, Hofstra, and Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
Rookie of the Year: Nick Honor, Fordham, 5-10, Fr., G, Orlando, FL
For a list of previous Men's Division I Awards: Coaches of the Year - Rookies of the Year
--- www.metbasketballwriters.org