NEW YORK (April 8, 2025) --- Joseph Henry, a junior at Fordham University, has been selected to receive the 2025
Jim O’Connell Sports Communications Scholarship Award from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association.
The award will be presented at the 92nd MBWA All-Met Haggerty Awards dinner scheduled Thursday, April 24, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY. The Haggerty dinner is the longest running, media-managed college basketball awards program in the United States.
Henry, who hails from Duxbury, MA, and is majoring in Economics with minor studies in Sports Journalism and American Studies, has an academic cumulative GPA of 4.00. He has relevant experience in sports writing, broadcasting, broadcast production, graphic design, reporting, interviewing and content management.
“Joe Henry has been a star in and out of the classroom,” said Bobby Ciafardini, sports director at Fordham’s WFUV radio station. “He is an up-and-coming young media professional. He is resolute and creative; he is enthusiastic and eager. He is an ideal candidate for this scholarship that will assist in his pursuits.”
Henry’s college experience includes announcing games for various Fordham sports teams, managing digital content, broadcasting sports podcasts and live radio shows, along with writing and editing for the Fordham Ram newspaper. He is adept at utilizing numerous modern technological assets. A Dean’s List student who has won several scholarship honors, he also is an elected member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the international Jesuit honors society, and is in contention to be named valedictorian of the Class of 2026.
Speaking glowingly of his time so far at Rose Hill, Henry said, “In so many ways, Fordham is home. It is the birthplace of relationships that I will forever cherish. It is the birthplace of my love for college sports. Most pertinently, it is the birthplace of my career.”
The Oc Award, which includes a check for $4,000, represents a one-time grant to a Met area college student with studies in sports journalism, communications, information or sports management. The scholarship is named in memory of Jim O’Connell, the longtime Associated Press national college basketball editor who passed away in July 2018 at the age of 64. Oc, as he was known, was a member of the MBWA Executive Committee as well as the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
For a list of the MBWA’s previous honorees:
MBWA Jim O’Connell Sports Communications Scholarship Grant (year-by-year).