FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Yeshiva’s Turell, Steinmetz Top All-Met MBB Div. III
NEW YORK (April 14, 2020) – Sophomore Ryan Turell of Yeshiva University has been named the All-Met Division III men’s college basketball Player of the Year for 2019-20 by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
Elliott Steinmetz of Yeshiva was selected Coach of the Year.
The rest of the All Met First Team, in addition to Turell: Fenton Bradley, Western Connecticut; Spencer Cook, Stevens; Riley Collins, Drew; Doug Levy, John Jay; Gabriel Leifer, Yeshiva.
The Second Team: Adnan Bajrami, Baruch; Chase Barneys, Rutgers-Newark; Chris LaBelle, Centenary; Elijah Lott, Purchase; Sam Toney, NJCU.
The Third Team: Gian Batista and Isaiah Geathers, Lehman; Jayson Brower, John Jay; Simcha Halpert, Yeshiva; Omar Jamaleddine, Sarah Lawrence; George Keener, Hunter.
A 6-7 guard from Los Angeles, CA, Turell --- who also was named the Skyline Conference player of the year along with his selection to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Atlantic District First Team and to the NABC All-American Second Team --- led the Skyline Conference both in scoring (23.9 ppg, 14th in the nation) and field goal percentage (63.7%, 12th in the nation). Addiitionally he shot 46.2% from 3-point range, averaged 5.9 rebounds and had 93 assists.
An All-Met Third Team pick as a freshman, Turell scored at least 20 points in 19 games and recorded at least 30 points 10 times. He scored 41 points in the Maccabees first round NCAA Tournament victory over WPI, which is tied for sixth on Yeshiva’s single-game scoring list. In two seasons he has scored 1,190 career points.
In his sixth season as head coach, Steinmetz guided the No. 13 nationally ranked Maccabees to a 29-1 record --- after losing its first game, the team won its next 29 in a row – along with a perfect Skyline record of 16-0 en route to the conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen round. Yeshiva knocked off Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Penn State-Harrisburg, respectively, in the first two postseason rounds before the rest of the NCAA Division III playoffs were canceled.
A 2002 graduate and former basketball player at Yeshiva, Steinmetz has registered a 110-53 record (.675 W-L percentage) in his six seasons at the Maccabees helm. This year’s 29 victories set a single season program record for wins and topped all of Division III for 2019-20. He also guided the Macs to a Skyline title and the NCAAs in 2018.
SUMMARY
NEW YORK (April 14, 2020) – The 2019-20 All-Met Division III men’s college basketball teams announced Tuesday by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
First Team
Ryan Turell, Yeshiva • 6-7, So., G, Los Angeles, CA
Fenton Bradley, Western Connecticut St. • 6-7, Sr., F, Mansfield, CT
Riley Collins, Drew • 6-0, Sr., G, Lacey, NJ
Spencer Cook, Stevens • 6-1, Sr., G, Washington Township, NJ
Gabriel Leifer, Yeshiva • 6-5, Sr., F, Lawrence, NY
Doug Levy, John Jay • 6-7, Sr., F, Smithtown, NY
Second Team
Adnan Bajrami, Baruch • 6-3, Jr., G, Houston, TX
Chase Barneys, Rutgers-Newark • 5-11, Sr., G, Woodbridge, NJ
Chris LaBelle, Centenary • 6-1, Jr., G, Hamilton, NJ
Elijah Lott, Purchase • 6-3, Sr., G, Albany, NY
Sam Toney, New Jersey City • 6-4, Sr., F, Plainfield, NJ
Third Team
Gian Batista, Lehman • 6-3, Jr., G, Santiago, Dom. Republic
Jayson Brower, John Jay • 6-5, Sr., F, Syracuse, NY
Isaiah Geathers, Lehman • 6-3, Jr., F, Bronx, NY
Simcha Halpert, Yeshiva • 6-3, Sr., G, Los Angeles, CA
Omar Jamaleddine, Sarah Lawrence • 6-4, So., G/F, Middle Village, NY
George Keener, Hunter • 6-3, Sr., G, Brooklyn, NY
Player of the Year: Ryan Turell, Yeshiva University • Turell's Acceptance Speech and Highlight Video
Coach of the Year: Elliott Steinmetz, Yeshiva University
For a list of previous Men's Division III Awards: Players of the Year - Coaches of the Year
--- www.metbasketballwriters.org ---