By: Chuck Stogel, MBWA, 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
NEW YORK (April 23, 2025) – Rick Pitino of St. John’s University, who guided the Red Storm to starry heights they had not seen in years, was named the Lou Carnesecca Coach of the Year on Wednesday when the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association announced its 2024-25 All-Met Men’s Division I teams.
Dylan Harper of Rutgers University was selected Rookie of the Year.
The winner of the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award, presented annually since 1936 by the MBWA to the area’s Division I men’s Player of the Year, will be announced Thursday morning, April 24.
The All-Met First Team: Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Rutgers; Abdi Bashir Jr., Monmouth; Isaiah Coleman, Seton Hall; Zuby Ejiofor, R.J. Luis Jr. and Kadary Richmond, St. John’s; Xaivian Lee, Princeton.
The All-Met Second Team: Terrence Brown, Fairleigh Dickinson; Malachi Davis, Long Island University; Jackie Johnson III, Fordham; Josh Pascarelli, Marist; Dejour Reaves, Iona; Jalen Rucker, Army West Point.
The All-Met Third Team: Jean Aranguren, Hofstra; Tariq Francis, NJIT; C.J. Luster, Stony Brook; Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Columbia; Will Sydnor, Manhattan; Tanner Thomas, Sacred Heart.
All-Met Honorable Mention: Mekhi Conner, Sacred Heart; Cruz Davis, Hofstra; Adam Njie Jr., Iona; Caden Pierce, Princeton; Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith, St. John’s.
Being named All-Met is a unique honor in that there are 21 colleges and universities, and more than 300 athletes, under the MBWA Division I men’s umbrella.
The 2024-25 All-Met teams will be honored at the 92nd MBWA Haggerty Awards dinner on Thursday, April 24, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY. The Haggerty dinner, which also will be Livestreamed, is the longest running, media-managed college basketball awards program in the United States.
This is just the sixth time in MBWA history that one school has placed three players on the All-Met Division I men’s First Team. On all six occasions, that school has been St. John’s. The last time three Red Storm players were selected to the First Team was in 2000 with Erick Barkley, Lavor Postell and Bootsy Thornton.
The other trifectas scored by St. John’s: 1983, Chris Mullin, David Russell, Billy Goodwin; 1985, Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, Bill Wennington; 1986, Walter Berry, Mark Jackson, Willie Glass; 1999, Ron Artest, Erick Barkley, Bootsy Thornton.
In his second season as head coach, Rick Pitino oversaw a return by St. John’s to the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years. After his inaugural 20-13 campaign in 2023-24, the Johnnies in 2024-25 were 31-5, equaling the program record for most wins in a season; captured the Big East regular season title with an 18-2 mark; won the Big East Tournament at the Garden by an average margin of victory of 17.7 points to claim an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
After a first-round victory over Nebraska-Omaha, St. John’s lost to Arkansas by nine in the NCAA second round. Ranked as high as fifth during the season by the Associated Press, the Red Storm finished No. 11 in the final AP poll.
Pitino is the fourth coach representing the sixth time since 1981 that the All-Met Coach of the Year has been awarded to St. John’s. He was preceded by Lou Carnesecca, 1983, ’85, ’86; Brian Mahoney, 1993; Mike Jarvis, 1999.
A 2013 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Pitino is the first coach to lead six different schools into the NCAA playoffs. The previous five and his years: Boston University (1978-83), Providence (1985-87); Kentucky (1989-97, winning the NCAA championship in 1996); Louisville (2001-17); and Iona (2020-23). Professionally he has coached the New York Knicks (1987-89), Boston Celtics (1997-2001) and Panathinaikos of Greece (2018-20).
Born in New York City, Pitino, 72, was raised in Bayville, NY, and was the basketball team captain at St. Dominic HS on Long Island.
Pitino’s college teams have made 24 trips to the NCAA postseason in his 37 years as a head coach. His overall career coaching record stands at 885-311 (.740 W-L pct). As a reward for this past season, he was named Big East coach of the year, USBWA and Naismith national coach of the year, and AP national co-coach of the year. 
A 6-6 freshman guard from Franklin Lakes, NJ, Harper was one of two dynamic freshmen who set the pace for Rutgers (15-17, 8-12), along with Ace Bailey. Harper --- who started 28 games --- led the Scarlet Knights with 19.2 points per game (fourth in the nation among freshmen, No. 31 in Division I overall) and 117 assists (4.0 apg) while averaging 4.6 rebounds and shooting 48.4% from the field.
He had three contests with 30+ points: 37 vs. Alabama, 36 vs. Notre Dame, 34 at Washington. He produced a triple-double with 16 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds against Columbia. Harper was the first Rutgers player to score 30+ points back-to-back since 2006 and his 15 free throws made were the most in a single game for RU since 1999.
With 564 points scored this past season, Harper, along with Bailey, was named to the All-Big Ten freshman team and overall received All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Hailing from a basketball family, Dylan Harper is the son of former NBA player and coach Ron Harper, and his older brother Ron Jr. was a recent standout at Rutgers, having been named All-Met three times, including 2022 when he won the Haggerty Player of the Year Award.
The Met Writers’ Lou Carnesecca Coach of the Year award is named in memory of the longtime St. John’s coach who is in both the Naismith and New York City Basketball Halls of Fame.
The Haggerty Awards dinner on Thursday is to be Livestreamed via the MBWA website. Here is the link: https://metbasketballwriters.org/2025haggertylivestream.
For a list of previous Men's Division I Awards:
Coaches of the Year - Rookies of the Year
SUMMARY
NEW YORK (April 23, 2025) – The 2024-25 All-Met Division I men’s college basketball team announced Wednesday by the Met Basketball Writers Association. 
FIRST TEAM
Ace Bailey, Rutgers • 6-10, Fr., G, Chattanooga, TN
Abdi Bashir Jr., Monmouth • 6-7, So., G, Omaha, NE
Isaiah Coleman, Seton Hall • 6-5, So., G, Fredericksburg, VA
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s • 6-9, Jr., F, Garland, TX
Dylan Harper, Rutgers • 6-6, Fr., G, Franklin Lakes, NJ
Xaivian Lee, Princeton • 6-4, Jr., G, Toronto, ON
R.J. Luis Jr., St. John’s • 6-7, Jr., G/F, Miami, FL
Kadary Richmond, St. John’s • 6-6, Gr., G, Brooklyn, NY 
SECOND TEAM
Terrence Brown, FDU • 6-3, So., G, Minneapolis, MN
Malachi Davis, LIU • 6-4, Jr., G, Toronto, ON
Jackie Johnson III, Fordham • 5-11, Sr., G, Wichita, KN
Josh Pascarelli, Marist • 6-3, So., G, Cambria Heights, NY
Dejour Reaves, Iona • 6-0, Sr., G, Syracuse, NY
Jalen Rucker, Army West Point • 5-10, Sr., G, Baltimore, MD
THIRD TEAM
Jean Aranguren, Hofstra • 6-3, So., G, Valencia, Venezuela
Tariq Francis, NJIT • 6-0, So., G, Pittsburgh, PA
C.J. Luster, Stony Brook • 6-3, Jr., G, Denton, TX
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Columbia • 6-2, Sr., G, Santiago, DR
Will Sydnor, Manhattan • 6-8, Fr., F, Bronx, NY
Tanner Thomas, Sacred Heart • 6-6, Jr., F, Stamford, CT
HONORABLE MENTION
Mekhi Conner, Sacred Heart; Cruz Davis, Hofstra; Adam Njie Jr., Iona; Caden Pierce, Princeton; Aaron Scott, St. John’s; Deivon Smith, St. John’s.
Lou Carnesecca Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino, St. John's • Pitino Highlight Video
Rookie of the Year: Dylan Harper, Rutgers
--- www.metbasketballwriters.org ----