Men’s Basketball Sees Two Pick Up All-GNAC Nods, Juron Named Coach of the Year

BOSTON – After the most successful season in nearly four decades, the Suffolk men's basketball team saw a pair of players garner all-league recognition from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) and head coach Jeff Juron take home GNAC Coach of the Year honors, the conference office announced Monday. Thomas Duffy represented the Rams on the first team, while Steven DiPrizio earned a spot on the third team.  

Duffy and DiPrizio were critical ingredients to a well-balanced Suffolk squad that was led by Juron's intellect. The four-year head coach was voted by his peers as the league's best coach for the first time in his careers after leading his squad to the most wins (18) since 1975-76 and the highest conference finish (second) since 2002 behind a 9-2 league ledger. Juron's Rams hosted the league's quarterfinals for the first time in his tenure and since 2004, but saw their season end early to a talented seventh-seed Saint Joseph (Conn.) team in the tournament's opening round. The recognition for the four-year head coach marks the second time a Rams' leader earned the accolade with Dennis McHugh earning the first recognition in 2001-02.

As a junior, Duffy continued to prove his worth on the hardwood as the Fairfield, Connecticut local anchor the Rams' 79.3 ppg offense, with 15.6 ppg off a 43.9 percent connection rate from the floor and an 81.5 percentage from the charity stripe. He helped set-up the offense that had five players average double figures with a team-high 4.2 assists per outing. The 6-foot-3 guard was also a consistent contributor on the glass with 5.0 rpg. During the GNAC Quarterfinals, he became the 30th member of the Rams' 1,000-point club and became the first junior to reach the feat since Brian Small did so in 2008. Duffy is the first student-athlete to pick up first-team accolades from the league in the Juron era and first since Colin Halpin did so in 2012-13. The honor is the second of Duffy's career as he picked up second-team accolades a year ago. 

DiPrizio has had a less than traditional collegiate career. After suffering back-to-back campaign-ending injuries as a sophomore and junior, respectively, the Medford, Massachusetts, made the most of his senior season with top team numbers on the glass (7.3 rpg) and fifth-best offensive output (11.7 ppg) on the squad. He racked up five double-doubles on the season to garner his first all-league accolade of his career.  

Kevin Querusio wrapped up his days in a Rams uniform representing the Rams on the all-sportsmanship team, which was established to honor one player from each team in the conference outstanding dedication to sportsmanship and for their portrayal of good sportsmanship, fair play and positive attitude.  

Since joining the GNAC ranks in 2000, Suffolk has earned 26 All-GNAC honors including three rookies of the year, 11 first-team, five second-team and seven third-team selections. 

2018-19 MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-GNAC 

First-Team
Dana Bean, Colby Sawyer
Brian Hogan-Gary, Johnson & Wales
Stefan Masciarelli, Lasell
Jack Casale, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Thomas Duffy, Suffolk 

Second-Team
Tyreek Perkins, Albertus Magnus
Mike Rapoza, Anna Maria
Emmett Riddick, Emmanuel
Ademola, Afojna, Regis
Darian Berry, Sant Joseph's (Maine)

Third-Team
Patrick Coffey, Colby Sawyer
Joe Tamubrro, Emmanuel
Delshawn Jackson Jr., Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Ian Mileikis, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Steven DiPrizio, Suffolk 

Player of the Year– Brian Hogan-Gary, Johnson & Wales
Defensive Player of the Year– Brian Hogan-Gary, Johnson & Wales
Rookie of the Year– Delshawn Jackson JR., Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Coach of the Year– Jeff Juron, Suffolk
Institutional Sportsmanship Award– Norwich

All-Sportsmanship Team
Marquise Owens, Albertus Magnus
Joseph Holmes, Anna Maria
Nate Trevino, Colby Sawyer
Zach Crisafulli, Emmanuel
Matt Madoian, Johnson & Wales
Joe O'Brien, Lasell
Daniel Haimes, Norwich
Milik Wallace, Regis
Tarik Rivers, Rivier
Jake Sullivan, Saint Joseph (Conn.) 
Tatsuaski Sakai, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Kevin Querusio, Suffolk