West Babylon, N.Y. - For the third year in a row the men's basketball coaches of the East Coast Conference have selected Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) of Daemen College as the league's Player of the Year. In addition, Kevin Lynch (Palisades, N.Y.) of St. Thomas Aquinas and Amari Lee (Newport News, Va.) of Roberts Wesleyan shared the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award, while Mercy's Kerwin Prince (Waterbury, Conn.) was named the league's Rookie of the Year.
Sischo continued his career-long outstanding play in 2021, leading the ECC with 27.3 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, and a 64.0 field goal percentage. He ranks among Division II's best, as well, leading the nation in rebounds per game, while ranking second in points per game. Sischo also ranks sixth in Division II with nine double-doubles in only 10 games played. Despite the abbreviated season, Sischo also reached some career milestones. He reached marks of 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, becoming only the second player in conference history to accomplish both feats. He also set the ECC's career record for field goals made in Daemen's final regular season contest. He currently has 832 career field goals, passing the old mark of 825.
Lee earns one of the conference's major awards for the second straight season, after being named the ECC's Rookie of the Year a season ago. Lee ranks second in the ECC with 24 total steals and 1.7 steals per game. He pulls down 4.6 rebounds per game and blocked four shots on the season, as well.
Lynch splits the Defensive Player of the Year award after helping the Spartans hold opponents to 75.8 points per game, second-lowest in the ECC. Lynch, an imposing presence in the paint for the Spartans, pulls down 4.3 rebounds per game while also ranking in the top-five in the ECC with 17 steals and just outside the top-10 with seven blocked shots.
Prince had an outstanding debut season to claim the honor as the league's top rookie. The freshman forward finished second in the conference with 19.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Prince also ranked third in the conference with a 55.6 field goal percentage and 12 blocked shots.
The league's Coach of the Year honor goes to St. Thomas Aquinas' Tobin Anderson. St. Thomas Aquinas finished 11-1 and also earned the No. 1 seed and Regular Season Championship. This marks the third time that Anderson has been named the ECC Coach of the Year.
The ECC also announced its Men's Basketball All-Conference teams on Thursday afternoon. Sischo was joined on the All-Conference First Team by Osbel Caraballo (Jr., F, St. Thomas Aquinas), Reggie Clark (Sr., G, Roberts Wesleyan), Sean Fasoyiro (Gr., G, Daemen), James Montgomery (So., F, Molloy), Demetre Roberts (Jr., G, St. Thomas Aquinas), and Grant Singleton (Jr., G, St. Thomas Aquinas).
All-Conference Second Team honorees are Prince, Kyle Harris (Sr., G, Daemen), Isaiah Lewis (Gr., G, Roberts Wesleyan), Armon Nasseri (Sr., F, Roberts Wesleyan), and Steven Torre (Sr., G, Molloy).
2020-2021 ECC Men’s Basketball All-Conference
First Team
Osbel Caraballo, St. Thomas Aquinas
Reggie Clark, Roberts Wesleyan
Sean Fasoyiro, Daemen
James Montgomery, Molloy
Demetre Roberts, St. Thomas Aquinas
Grant Singleton, St. Thomas Aquinas
Andrew Sischo, Daemen
Second Team
Kyle Harris, Daemen
Isaiah Lewis, Roberts Wesleyan
Armon Nasseri, Roberts Wesleyan
Kerwin Prince, Mercy
Steven Torre, Molloy
Player of the Year: Andrew Sischo, Daemen
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Amari Lee, Roberts Wesleyan
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Lynch, St. Thomas Aquinas
Rookie of the Year: Kerwin Prince, Mercy
Coach of the Year: Tobin Anderson, St. Thomas Aquinas
* - tie in the voting led to seven players on the All-Conference First Team
