Miller, Mitchell, Samuels Headline GNAC Men's Basketball Year-End Awards
WINTHROP, Mass. - For the third consecutive season, University of Saint Joseph (USJ) head men's basketball coach Glen Miller was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Coach of the Year and senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) was tabbed the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, senior guard Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford, Conn.) was named the GNAC Player of the Year as the conference unveiled its year-end awards Monday afternoon. In addition to the major awards, Mitchell and Samuels were also named to the All-GNAC First Team for the Blue Jays, who led the Blue Jays to their third GNAC Championship in program history. Sophomore guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) was also named to the All-GNAC Third Team and sophomore forward Friedrich Feldrappe (Berlin, Germany) was selected to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. The awards are voted upon by the league's 15 head coaches.
Mitchell had a storybook year for USJ in 2023-24, leading the team after making a comeback from a season-ending injury a year ago. The senior guard paced the team in scoring (16.9 ppg), nearly missing out on the 50-40-90 club, posting an incredible .564/.486/.896 shooting clip. His field goal percentage mark was the fourth best in the GNAC this year, while he topped the charts in three-point shooting and finished second at the free-throw line. His shooting performances propelled the Blue Jays to the No. 9 ranking in the nation in field goal percentage and the No. 12 mark in three-point percentage. The guard also averaged 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game en route to his first All-Conference team nod and first GNAC Player of the Year award. He becomes the second player in USJ men's basketball program history to be named GNAC Player of the Year, joining former teammate Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.), who earned the honor at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.
Samuels continued to dominate defensively, picking up his third-straight GNAC Defensive Player of the Year accolade in 2024. The Franklin, Mass. native anchored the defense for the nationally-ranked Blue Jays, averaging 1.7 steals per game and 1.6 steals per GNAC contest. He also averaged 0.9 blocks per game, including 0.7 blocks per GNAC contest. Samuels was just as stellar offensively and on the glass, averaging 16.5 points per game and 15.7 points per GNAC contest, while grabbing 7.6 rebounds per game overall, and 7.4 rebounds per GNAC contest en route to his first All-Conference team nod. It marks the fourth time in USJ men's basketball program history that the Blue Jays have garnered the GNAC Defesive Player of the Year award. Samuels has won it in the last three season and former teammate Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.) claimed the honor at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
Altenor enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign, averaging 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.2 steals per contest en route to earning a spot on the All-Conference Third Team. After playing 9.9 minutes per contest as a freshman, the guard established himself into the starting lineup, starting 27 of the teams 28 games and playing 30.5 minutes per game.
Miller repeated as GNAC Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Jays to the program's third GNAC Championship. The Blue Jays finished the regular season at 21-4 overall and 14-0 in league games, as the Blue Jays have now won 62-straight regular-season GNAC games and gone undefeated in conference play over the last four full seasons.
For the complete list of all-conference honorees, major award winners, and all-sportsmanship selections, please see below.
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
John Paul Frazier, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Owen Liss, Norwich
Tyree Mitchell, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Jalen Samuels, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Justice Washington, Albertus Magnus
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Antonio Bonilla, Albertus Magnus
Marcus Lewis, Lasell
Donte Pope, Emmanuel
Russell Rau, Regis
AJ Weston, Dean
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
Lence Altenor, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Jaylyn Clardy, Mitchell
Ryan Grijalva, Emmanuel
Devin Owens, Rivier
Aireus Raspberry, Johnson & Wales
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Che Hanks, Lasell
Andy Madesko, Lasell
Elijah Miller, Mitchell
Cameron Snowden, Emmanuel
Remijo Wani, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year - Tyree Mitchell, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Defensive Player of the Year - Jalen Samuels, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Rookie of the Year - Che Hanks, Lasell
Coach of the Year - Glen Miller, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Institutional Sportsmanship - Saint Joseph's (Maine)
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Jayquan Kirkland, Albertus Magnus
Christian Armstead, Anna Maria
Sadiq Abdullahi, Colby-Sawyer
Harlan Nichols, Dean
Taqhuell Cadle, Elms
Teddy Kelly, Emmanuel
Jonah Phang, Johnson & Wales
Demerrick Warren, Lasell
Wilton Causey, Mitchell
Treyjon Lewis, New England College
Nabi Ndiaye, Norwich
Joshua Perez, Regis
Robenson Baguidy, Rivier
Ashtyn Abbott, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Friedrich Feldrappe, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
About The GNAC
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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