NEW YORK | The 12 Skyline Conference men's basketball head coaches cast their ballots on the 2022-23 all-conference team, and Manhattanville College senior guard Tommy Lotito has been selected as Player of the Year.
Lotito (above) lifted the Valiants to the Skyline's North Division crown and the overall No. 2 seed for the postseason tournament. He finished second in scoring in the conference (16.9 points per game) as Manhattanville concluded the regular season with a 19-6 overall record and a 12-4 mark in league play, holding off USMMA and Maritime for the coveted home court advantage through the first two rounds of the tournament. Behind Lotito, the Valiants reached the Skyline final against top-seeded and eventual champion Farmingdale State. He’s also first on the team in assists (4.2) and steals per game (1.8), and second in rebounds per game (6.6).
Mount Saint Mary’s Jayden Figueroa earned Defensive Player of the Year, while Yeshiva University’s Zevi Samet takes home Rookie of the Year honors. Maritime College head coach Mike Berkun received Coach of the Year praise in voting conducted by his peers.
Figueroa (above), a sophomore forward, averaged nearly a double-double, scoring 10.9 points per game while adding team-highs in rebounds (8.6), blocks (2.3) and steals (1.6). By the conclusion of the regular season, Figueroa’s mark for rebounding was tied for the conference lead, while he paced the Skyline in blocks per game. With Figueroa anchoring MSMC, the Knights earned the final berth in the conference championship.
Samet (below), a sophomore guard and newcomer, scored 21.7 points per game during the regular season to lead the Skyline. He drained 4.04 3-pointers per contest, ranking him No. 1 in NCAA Division III. He was named Skyline Rookie of the Week a league-best seven times and helped the Macs secure the third seed in the postseason with a runner-up finish to FSC in the South Division.
Berkun (below) wins his first Skyline Coach of the Year in his sixth season. The Privateers went 15-10 overall during the regular season, including 11-5 in conference play. The Privateers' 11 conference wins are their most since going 14-6 during the 2009-10 campaign. Berkun led No. 4 Maritime to the conference semifinals, where the Privateers were defeated by eventual champion Farmingdale State.
Berkun’s top offensive option, Ryan Donovan, highlights the First Team, joining Lotito and Samet. Fellow standouts Xavier Allen of St. Joseph’s-Long Island, Bryce Bristow of U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and Nick Hurowitz of FSC, who all guided their teams to the postseason, complete the First Team.
Figueroa and tournament Most Outstanding Player Corey Powell of FSC are featured on the Second Team along with postseason partipants Joshua Cabezudo of Mount Saint Vincent, Spencer Malloy of St. Joseph's-Long Island and Max Zakheim of Yeshiva.
Below is the 2022-23 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball All-Conference Team:
First Team
Xavier Allen, St. Joseph’s-Long Island
Bryce Bristow, USMMA
Ryan Donovan, Maritime
Nick Hurowitz, Farmingdale State
Tommy Lotito, Manhattanville
Zevi Samet, Yeshiva
Second Team
Joshua Cabezudo, Mount Saint Vincent
Jayden Figueroa, Mount Saint Mary
Spencer Malloy, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Corey Powell, Farmingdale State
Max Zakheim, Yeshiva
Player of the Year: Tommy Lotito, Manhattanville
Defensive Player of the Year: Jayden Figueroa, Mount Saint Mary
Rookie of the Year: Zevi Samet, Yeshiva
Coach of the Year: Mike Berkun, Maritime (6th year)