Division II Basketball End of the Year Awards
Norfolk, VA- The United State Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) announced it’s End of the Year awards of Division II basketball during its National Championship Banquet at Seven Springs Resort on Saturday, March 7th.
The 2020 Women’s Basketball Division II Student-Athlete of the Year, from Penn State Lehigh Valley, is Ebony Sanders. This student-athlete is an incredible example of what excellence should look like as a student-athlete. A psychology major who is also minoring in Rehab and Human Services, has been on the Dean’s List every semester since being at her institution. Sanders was named PSUAC All-Academic 3 times and USCAA National All-Academic twice. She was named PSULV Student-athlete of the year twice. On campus and in the community, she is a student-athlete ambassador for the athletics open house, she has worked basketball clinics for the youth, she was a part of the psychology club, she has volunteered during Spring Breaks Week of Giving by helping out at a Food Bank and has also stepped up as the Nittany Lion mascot for an event. She is part of the PSULV Black Student Union, she is on the Student-Athlete Leadership committee, she has visited the Children’s hospital during the holidays and is a Peer Mentor for young athletes struggling during their adolescent years. She was named the PSUAC 2019 John S. Egli award winner, to be considered for the prestigious award, a student-athlete must have had a distinguished athletic career, own a minimum grade point average of 3.0, be active in additional campus activities and exemplify high morals, leadership and outstanding character. She was chosen out of 1,500 PSUAC student-athletes. Sanders accomplished all of this being 3,000 miles away from home being from California, she took a risk, a chance to venture into the unknown and 4 years later she has come out to be one of the best people to ever represent Penn State Lehigh Valley, the PSUAC and the USCAA.
The 2020 Women’s Basketball Division II Coach of the Year is Tim Moore from Penn State Beaver. Coach Moore has guided his team to their best start in school history thus far in just his first season back. He finished the season with an overall record of 27-4 and 17-0 in the conference. His team’s ability to score quickly on offense and their lockdown defense ranked them #1 in the USCAA. He has had great success at this institution in the past but believe it or not this year was the most wins he has ever earned in this program. He earned his 150th collegiate victory this year against Penn State DuBois on February 2nd, 2020.
The 2020 Women’s Basketball Division II Player of the Year is Niki Velez from Penn State Brandywine. The senior guard from New Jersey was the spark for her team throughout the season. She averaged 19.4 points per game, while shooting an impressive 40.2% from behind the arc. She ranked fourth in the association in points per game and in three-point percentage. She was named to the USCAA First Team All-American twice and Second Team All-American once throughout her years at Penn State Brandywine.
The 2020 Men’s Basketball Division II Student-Athlete of the Year is Iman Young from Penn State Fayette. This student-athletes is a force on the court and in the classroom holding a 3.96 GPA. He is a member of our THON team. As a member he has raised on his own $538 and contributed 50 hours of volunteering for pediatric cancer research. He is also a Student Government senator and sits on the faculty senate as our student affairs committee representative. He is vice president of the student’s veteran’s association on campus. He also actively serves in the United States Army reserves. On top of that, Young is working 20-30 hours a week on the midnight shifts at UPS. He is also a work study student in our fitness center during the day as an intramural official. He works with many groups outside of our campus and at home in Maryland during the summer.
The 2020 Men’s Basketball Division II Coach of the Year is Steve Ellis from University of Cincinnati Clermont. Coach Ellis has put in endless amounts of hours in recruiting primarily local talent to lead his team to a 24-5 record. He has been able to assemble a staff and a group of student-athletes that have all bought into the same goal and how to achieve that goal. In the classroom, the team had a fall semester GPA over 3.0. He has also worked very hard to get the local community and local media involved with the program. Lastly, coach has created an environment of respect for our opponents and pride in competing and representing UC Clermont and the USCAA.
The 2020 Men’s Basketball Division II Player of the Year is Noah Baylor from Central Penn College. This senior forward has taken his game to another level this season. He is one of the most efficient players in the association, averaging over 17 points per game while playing just over 23 minutes per contest. He is averaging a double-double by pouring in 17.6 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting an impressive 63.1% from the floor.