Seton Hall senior Myles Powell was named a repeat recipient of the Haggerty Award on Tuesday, presented annually since 1934 to the area’s Division I men’s college Player of the Year by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
Steve Pikiell of Rutgers was selected the MBWA Peter A. Carlesimo Coach of he Year for 2019-20 for a third time, although it is his first such accolade as head of the Scarlet Knights.
Julian Champagnie of St. John’s was acclaimed Rookie of the Year.
The Haggerty is the latest in a slew of awards for Powell, the 6-foot-2 Trenton native who was also named the Big East Player of the Year, a first-team All-America by The Associated Press and won the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard. Powell was also one of five finalists each for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy.
Powell was one of three Seton Hall players on the All-Met First Team, along with Romaro Gill and Quincy McKnight. Geo Baker of Rutgers; Desure Buie of Hofstra and E.J. Crawford of Iona round out the first team.
The Second Team: E.J. Anosike, Sacred Heart; Raiquan Clark, LIU; Deion Hammond, Monmouth; Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers; Eli Pemberton, Hofstra; Dimencio Vaughn, Rider.
The Third Team: Zach Cooks, NJIT; L.J. Figueroa, St. John’s; Tommy Funk, Army West Point; Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall; K.C. Ndefo, Saint Peter’s; Mike Smith, Columbia.
A 6-2 senior guard from Trenton, NJ, Powell — an Associated Press All-America First Team selection who also was named the Big East Conference player of the year and the 2020 Jerry West National Shooting Guard of the Year by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame — was second in the conference and 17th in the NCAA ranks with 21.0 points per game. He also averaged 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Pirates (21-9), who were ranked No. 15 in the final A.P. poll.
Often the focus of opponents’ defensive efforts, Powell’s top performances of the season included 37 points against then No. 3 Michigan, 34 points at Georgetown, 32 points against then No. 11 Oregon, 29 points at then No. 5 Butler and 24 points with nine rebounds at Xavier.
Among his many postseason honors, Powell was picked on the NABC All-District 5 first team and on the NABC All-America second team, named the U.S. Basketball Writers Assn.’s District II player of the year and a unanimous selection on the Big East’s All-Conference first team. He previously earned All-Met Second Team honors in 2018 in addition to collecting the Haggerty Award last year.
Powell finished his college career as Seton Hall’s third-best scorer all-time with 2,252 points (No. 24 on the All-Met all-time/all divisions List) and the Pirates leader in 3-pointers made with 348 and fifth in field goals with 736.
A 6-8 forward from Brooklyn, NY, Champagnie — who was named to the Big East All-Freshman team — appeared in all 32 games and made 26 starts for the Red Storm (17-15). He averaged 9.9 points with 45.3% shooting accuracy from the field, and had 6.5 rebounds, 40 steals and 28 blocks. He led St. John’s with four double-doubles, scored in double figures 17 times and had two 20-plus scoring performances.
In his fourth season at Rutgers and his 28th season overall in college coaching, Pikiell steered the Scarlet Knights to a 20-11 record (11-9, T5 in Big Ten regular season), the program’s first 20-win campaign since 2003-04 and its most victories in a conference since 1990-91. Rutgers posted the most regular season wins at home in the nation (18-1) and registered four double-digit victories over ranked teams, the most ranked wins for the school in 18 years. Ranked in the A.P. Top 25 at times during the season, RU — which finished eighth nationally in defensive field goal percentage (38.3%) and 18th in scoring defense (62.6 ppg) — earned its first opening round bye in a tournament in 25 years and was projected to receive a berth in the NCAA Tournament, which eventually was canceled.
A native of Bristol, CT, Pikiell was a four-year letter winner and two-time team captain in basketball at UConn, from which he graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor’s degree in finance. He previously was named All-Met Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2013 while at Stony Brook. His overall won-loss record in 15 seasons as a head coach is 256-221 (.536 pct).
In the Haggerty Award’s 87-year history, Powell represents the 14th time a player from Seton Hall has captured the MBWA’s top honor and the 11th time a Pirate has been named an Associated Press All-American. Previously honored by the A.P.: Powell in 2019, honorable mention; Angel Delgado in 2017 and 2018, honorable mention; Isaiah Whitehead in 2016, honorable mention; Andre Barrett in 2004, honorable mention; Terry Dehere, a second-team All-American in 1993; Dan Callandrillo, a third-team All-American in 1982; Nick Werkman, a third-team All-American in 1963; Walter Dukes, a 1953 first-team All-America selection; and Bob Davies, a 1942 first-team All-America pick.
Delgado (in 2017), Whitehead, Barrett, Dehere, Callandrillo, Werkman and Dukes all won the Haggerty Award. Other Pirates to capture the MBWA’s premier accolade were: Adrian Griffin, 1996; Arturas Karnishovas, 1994; John Morton, 1989; Mark Bryant, 1988; and Nick Galis, 1979.
The All-Met Player of the Year award is named in memory of Lt. Frank J. Haggerty, a former co-captain who played forward for St. John’s in 1939-40 and was the first student from the school who was killed in World War II.
The Met Writers’ Peter A. Carlesimo Coach of the Year award is named in memory of the longtime athletic director at Fordham University and former executive director of the National Invitation Tournament who passed away in 2003 at age 87.
SUMMARY
NEW YORK (April 21, 2020) – The 2019-20 All-Met Division I men’s college basketball teams announced Tuesday by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
First Team
Geo Baker, Rutgers, 6-4, Jr., G, Derry, NH
Desure Buie,Hofstra, 5-11, Sr., G, Bronx, NY
E.J. Crawford, Iona, 6-6, Sr., G-F, Hartford, CT
Romaro Gill, Seton Hall, 7-2, Sr., C, St, Thomas, Jamaica
Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall, 6-4, Sr., G, Bridgeport, CT
Myles Powell, Seton Hall, 6-2, Sr., G, Trenton, NJ
Second Team
E.J. Anosike, Sacred Heart, 6-4, Jr., F, E. Orange, NJ
Raiquan Clark, LIU, 6-6, Gr., G-F, New Haven, CT
Deion Hammond, Monmouth, 6-4, Jr., G, Mitchellville, MD
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers, 6-6, So. F, Franklin Lakes, NJ
Eli Pemberton, Hofstra, 6-5, Sr., G, Middletown, CT
Dimencio Vaughn, Rider, 6-5, Jr., F, New York, NY
Third Team
Zach Cooks, NJIT, 5-9, Jr., G, Lawrenceville, GA
L.J. Figueroa, St. John’s, 6-7, Kr., G-F, Lawrence, MA
Tommy Funk, Army West Point, 5-11, Sr., G, Warrington, PA
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall, 6-11, Jr., F, Tbilisi, Georgia
K.C. Ndefo, Saint Peter’s, 6-7, So., F, Elmont, NY
Mike Smith, Columbia, 5-11, Sr., G, Burr Ridge, IL
Player of the Year: Myles Powell, Seton Hall
Coach of the Year: Steve Pikiell, Rutgers
Rookie of the Year: Julian Champagnie, St. John’s, 6-8, Fr., F, Brooklyn, NY
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