2022-23 MBWA awards ballot

A season that could be best described as a renaissance for college basketball in the New York metropolitan area has now dropped its curtain, and its stars will be appropriately honored once again at the annual Metropolitan Basketball Writers’ Association awards.

The oldest continuous award ceremony in college basketball celebrates its 90th recognition of the area’s best on April 27 in Tarrytown, with a new location this year in the Sleepy Hollow Hotel and Conference Center. For the 11th consecutive year, I am proud to cast a ballot to honor the outstanding local players and coaches.

As I always do and will again, I will reveal my ballot both in the space below and also on Twitter in the interest of transparency and open interaction with you. Here we go:

Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award: Aaron Estrada, Hofstra (20.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.5 SPG) (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Estrada earned my vote last year when the Haggerty Award went to Ron Harper, Jr. He does so again this season with a much clearer snapshot of his standing as the most consistent and successful player in the area. A two-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, Estrada blossomed with the arrival of Tyler Thomas as his sidekick in Hempstead, leading the Pride to 25 wins and a National Invitation Tournament victory over Rutgers, the program’s first postseason win since 2006. Estrada’s win will be the first for a mid-major player since Iona’s Momo Jones claimed the Haggerty in 2013, and first for Hofstra since Charles Jenkins’ three-peat from 2009 to 2011.

Also considered: Cliff Omoruyi, Rutgers; Joel Soriano, St. John’s

Rest of All-Met first team, in alphabetical order:

Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona

Patrick Gardner, Marist

Cliff Omoruyi, Rutgers

Darius Quisenberry, Fordham

Joel Soriano, St. John’s

All-Met second team, in alphabetical order:

Daniss Jenkins, Iona

Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona

Khalid Moore, Fordham

Demetre Roberts, FDU

Tyler Thomas, Hofstra

All-Met third team, in alphabetical order:

Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider

Anthony Nelson, Manhattan

Tyrese Samuel, Seton Hall

Grant Singleton, FDU

Cam Spencer, Rutgers

Honorable mentions, in alphabetical order:

Posh Alexander, St. John’s

Supreme Cook, Fairfield

Mervin James, Rider

Caleb McConnell, Rutgers

Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall

Josh Roberts, Manhattan

Rookie of the Year: AJ Storr, St. John’s (8.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG) (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Storr progressed as his freshman season went on, eventually becoming St. John’s most reliable 3-point shooter with a 40 percent clip from long distance as the Red Storm won 18 games in what turned out to be Mike Anderson’s last of four years at the helm. The former Top 100 recruit entered the transfer portal this week in the wake of Rick Pitino’s roster reconstruction in Queens, but the future is bright for the marksman wherever he ends up.

Also considered: Jack Collins, Monmouth; Derek Simpson, Rutgers

Peter A. Carlesimo Coach of the Year Award: Tobin Anderson, FDU (Photo by Tyler Schank/Getty Images)

Arguably the hardest decision to make on this year’s ballot, Anderson gets the nod for his masterful guidance of Fairleigh Dickinson from a 4-22 campaign last year to a 21-win season highlighted by the Knights becoming only the second No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after their upset of Purdue in the East Regional’s first round. A proven winner at Division II St. Thomas Aquinas, Anderson took the job in Hackensack last May and quickly assembled a roster that included three of his former players in guards Demetre Roberts, Grant Singleton, and Sean Moore. Now the new head coach at Iona, Anderson is already hitting the ground running in the same fashion.

Fordham’s Keith Urgo, who won 25 games and spearheaded the most fan support the Ram program has had since it joined the Atlantic 10 Conference, also deserves consideration for engineering just the eighth 20-win season in the 119-year history of basketball at Rose Hill, and first since 1991. Under his aegis, “Rose Thrill,” featuring a student section that has come to be known as “The Shirtless Herd,” has turned into the strongest and most unique homecourt advantage in the metro area.

Also considered: Keith Urgo, Fordham; Speedy Claxton, Hofstra