NEW YORK (April 27, 2021) – Sandro Mamukelashvili of Seton Hall University was named winner of the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award on Tuesday, presented annually since 1936 to the area’s Division I men’s college Player of the Year by the Met Basketball Writers Association.

Steve Pikiell of Rutgers was selected as the MBWA Peter A. Carlesimo Coach of the Year for a second consecutive season and for the fourth time overall.

Posh Alexander of St. John’s was acclaimed Rookie of the Year for 2020-21.

Both Mamukelashvili and Alexander were selected on the First Team.

The rest of the All-Met First Team: Julian Champagnie, St. John’s; Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers; Alex Morales, Wagner; Jalen Ray, Hofstra; Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall; Isaiah Ross, Iona.

The All-Met Second Team: Geo Baker, Myles Johnson and Jacob Young, Rutgers; Asante Gist, Iona; Deion Hammond, Monmouth; Isaac Kante, Hofstra; Eral Penn, LIU.
 

Mamukelashvili represents the 14th player and 15th time a Pirate has been named recipient of the Haggerty Award. This is the third season in a row and the fifth year in the past six that a player from Seton Hall has been named the Met area’s best. SHU’s Myles Powell won the award back-to-back in 2019-20.

A 6-11 senior forward from Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, Mamukelashvili also was named an Associated Press All-America honorable mention, the Big East player of the year and a unanimous choice on the all-conference first team, and to the NABC All-District 5 first team. He was an All-Met third team selection in 2020.

Starting all 27 games for the Pirates (14-13) this past season, Mamukelashvili led the team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg), along with averaging 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals. He was one of only two players in the Big East to rank in the conference’s top-five in scoring and rebounding, and one of just two to rank in the top 15 in scoring, rebounding and assists.

Mamukelashvili produced seven double-doubles and 13 games scoring 20 points or more. He shot 43.4% (168-of-387) from the field and scored a single game career-high 32 points along with grabbing nine rebounds in a December win over Met rival St. John's. 

Other former Haggerty Award winners from Seton Hall, in addition to Mamukelashvili and Powell: Walter Dukes, 1953; Nick Werkman, 1964; Nick Galis, 1979; Dan Callandrillo, 1982; Mark Bryant, 1988; John Morton, 1989; Terry Dehere, 1993; Arturas Karnishovas, 1994 (co-winner); Adrian Griffin, 1996; Andre Barrett, 2004 (co-winner); Isaiah Whitehead, 2016; Angel Delgado, 2017.

A 6-0 freshman guard from Brooklyn, NY, Alexander --- who was selected as both the Big East freshman and defensive player of the year --- averaged 10.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.6 steals for the Red Storm (16-11). He is one of only four freshmen in the conference to earn the defensive player accolade; the others are Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson. His 2.6 steals per game led the Big East and ranked sixth in the nation. He scored in double figures 13 times and led St. John’s in assists on 12 occasions.

In his fifth season at Rutgers and his 29th overall in college coaching, Pikiell’s Scarlet Knights --- with a schedule ranked as eighth toughest in the nation --- finished 16-12 overall in 2020-21 and 10-10 in the Big Ten, their second straight season with double-digit wins in the conference. RU spent seven weeks ranked nationally in the Associated Press poll, peaking at No. 11.
 

Rutgers earned an opening round bye in the Big Ten playoffs for the second year in a row and then advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991. As a No. 10 seed, the Scarlet Knights won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1983 by defeating No. 7 Clemson 60-56 in the first round. Rutgers challenged but lost its second round matchup 63-60 to eventual Final Four qualifier Houston.

A native of Bristol, CT, Pikiell was a four-year letter winner and two-time team captain in basketball at UConn, from which he graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor’s degree in finance. He previously was named All-Met Coach of the Year last season (20-11) with the Scarlet Knights, plus in 2010 and 2013 while at Stony Brook, and his four Coach of the Year designations are the most by any coach dating back in the MBWA records to 1981. His overall won-loss record in 16 seasons as a head coach is 272-233 (.539 pct).
 
The MBWA encompasses 72 Met area college men’s and women’s teams across Divisions I, II and III.
 
First presented in 1936, the Haggerty Award arguably is the oldest and most prestigious award given to a Met area college basketball player. The award is named in memory of Lt. Frank J. Haggerty, a shortstop in baseball and co-captain/forward on the basketball team who was the first student from St. John’s killed in World War II.
 
The Met Writers’ Peter A. Carlesimo Coach of the Year award is named in memory of the longtime athletic director at Fordham University and former executive director of the National Invitation Tournament who passed away in 2003 at age 87.
 
SUMMARY
NEW YORK (April 27, 2021) – The 2020-21 All-Met Division I men’s college basketball team announced Tuesday by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
 

First Team
Posh Alexander, St. John’s • 6-0, Fr., G • Brooklyn, NY
Julian Champagnie, St. John’s • 6-8, So., G/F • Brooklyn, NY
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers • 6-6, Jr., G/F • Franklin Lakes, NJ
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall • 6-11, Sr., F • Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia
Alex Morales, Wagner • 6-6, Sr., G • Paterson, NJ
Jalen Ray, Hofstra • 6-2, Sr., G • Hampton, VA
Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall • 6-6, Jr., F • Baldwin, NY
Isaiah Ross, Iona • 6-3, Sr., G • Davenport, IA

Second Team
Geo Baker, Rutgers • 6-4, Sr., G • Derry, NH
Asante Gist, Iona • 5-10, Sr., G • East Orange, NJ
Deion Hammond, Monmouth • 6-5, Sr., G • Mitchellville, MD
Myles Johnson, Rutgers • 6-11, Jr., C • Long Beach, CA
Isaac Kante, Hofstra • 6-7, Jr., F/C • Brooklyn, NY
KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s • 6-7, Jr., F • Elmont, NY
Eral Penn, LIU • 6-7, Jr., F • Brooklyn, NY
Jacob Young, Rutgers • 6-2, Sr., G • Houston, TX
 
Haggerty Award / Player of the Year: Sandro, Mamukelashvimi, Seton Hall
Mamukelashvili 's Highlight Video • Mamukelashvili 's Acceptance Video

Rookie of the Year: Posh Alexander, St. John’s

Coach of the Year: Steve Pikiell, Rutgers
Pikiell's Acceptance Video

For a list of previous Men's Division I Awards:
Year-by-Year Haggerty Award Winners • Coaches of the Year • Rookie of the Year • List of Haggerty Award Winners