LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference released the 2022-23 Men’s Basketball All-Conference Teams along with the major award winners, the league announced Friday afternoon.
The all-conference and major award winners are determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
Over in the West, major award winners included IUP’s Shawndale Jones and head coach Joe Lombardi along with Pitt-Johnstown’s John Paul Kromka and Andrew Shull.
Jones was named the Western Division Athlete of the Year after his incredible offensive efforts helped IUP to the No. 1 West seed in the PSAC Tournament. Jones led the conference in scoring at 20.4 per game (571 total) and chipped in with 3.5 assists per game (ranked eighth in the PSAC) and 1.7 steals (fifth-most in the conference.) His free throw percentage of .858 is also the fourth-highest total in the PSAC. The graduate student returned to the floor in 2022-23 after suffering a season-ending injury after just seven games in 2021-22. The Crimson Hawks have now boasted the West’s Athlete of the Year for the last eight seasons.
Pitt-Johnstown’s Kromka claims his fourth consecutive Defensive Athlete of the Year award after another stellar year in which he ranks fifth in the nation in both blocks (72) and blocks per game with 2.57. He is also ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage at a 68.4% clip while averaging 17.3 points per game, fourth-most in the conference.
Fellow Mountain Cat Andrew Shull claims the Freshman of the Year Award after logging 33.4 minutes per game and averages of 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists. He started 28 of 29 games for Pitt-Johnstown and shot .427 from beyond the arc and .864 from the free throw line.
Crimson Hawks’ head coach Joe Lombardi earns his fifth career PSAC West Coach of the year honor after once again leading IUP to the West’s No. 1 seed in the PSAC Tournament. His team finished the regular season with a 27-1 overall record (21-1 conference record) and is currently ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic Region. The Crimson Hawks are ranked first in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 38.4% and are ranked sixth in the country in both scoring margin (16.1 points) and scoring defense (allowing an average of just 60.0 points per game.)
In the East, the Shippensburg Raiders claim three of the four major awards courtesy of Carlos Carter, Domenic Sleva, and head coach Chris Fite while Mansfield’s Saraj Ali rounds out the quartet of honorees.
The Raiders’ Carter earns Eastern Division Athlete of the Year after averaging 18.5 points per game, second only to Shawndale Jones in the PSAC. Carter was also among the league leaders in minutes (36.4 a game) and added averages of 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. His total of 204 field goals made is the most in the conference. The 2023 award returns to Shippensburg, a familiar destination, as the Raiders had earned four consecutive East Athletes of the Year (from 2017 to 2020) before East Stroudsburg’s Carlos Pepin broke up the streak in 2022.
Another Raider, Domenic Sleva, claims the East’s Defensive Athlete of the Year after a workmanlike season on the boards. Sleva leads all of Division II in double-doubles (16), is ranked third in the nation in overall rebounding (315 total), and first in defensive rebounding (9.5 per game.) All of those totals lead the PSAC. Sleva also chipped in on the offensive end with an average of 13.5 points and added 1.4 steals per game.
Mansfield’s Saraj Ali makes it back-to-back Eastern Division Freshman of the Year awards for the Mountaineers. Ali played in 21 games (starting 20) and averaged 9.6 points, 7 rebounds, and nearly a block and a steal per game while shooting 469 from the floor and playing 31.1 minutes a game, the second-highest total for the entire Mansfield roster.
Shippensburg head coach Chris Fite wins his third career Eastern Division Coach of the Year award after guiding the Raiders to the East’s No. 1 seed and a 16-6 regular season conference record (18-10 overall.) Shippensburg is ranked fifth in total defense in the PSAC, surrendering just 68.4 points per game. Fite also won the Coach of the Year award back in both the 2017 and 2020 seasons.
The Western Division all-conference team featured just a pair of repeat first-team honorees in Kromka and IUP’s Dave Morris. The rest of the first team—Mercyhurst’s Michael Bradley and Jeff Planutis, IUP’s Shawndale Jones and Tomiwa Sulaiman, as well as California (Pa.)’s Keith Palek III—all earned their first career all-conference awards. It was the same story with the West’s second team, with only Mercyhurst’s MiyKah McIntosh (two previous first team selections) a repeat honoree.
The Eastern Division all-conference first team includes a trio of repeat honorees, with East Stroudsburg’s Carlos Pepin and Lakeem McAliley earning the second all-conference nod of their careers. Millersville’s Matt Dade, a second team selection a year ago, earns a spot on the first team in 2022-23—as do first-time honorees Carlos Carter and Domenic Sleva from Shippensburg, Shepherd’s Daniel McClain-Corley, and West Chester’s Kyle McGee. On the second team, both Shippenburg’s Rashon Johnson and West Chester’s Robert Smith earn their second career all-conference awards.
The full 2022-23 PSAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Teams are below:
2022-23 PSAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Teams
EASTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| F |
Carlos Carter |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Indiana, Pa. / Indiana |
| F |
Matt Dade^ |
Millersville |
Jr. |
Collegeville, Pa. / Episcopal Academy |
| F |
Lakeem McAliley^ |
E. Stroudsburg |
R-So. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Mastery Charter |
| G |
Daniel McClain-Corley |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Clinton, Md. / Massanutten Military Academy |
| G |
Kyle McGee |
West Chester |
Jr. |
Jersey City, N.J. / St. Mary’s of the Assumption |
| F |
Carlos Pepin* |
E. Stroudsburg |
R-Sr. |
Lodi, N.J. / Lodi |
| F |
Domenic Sleva |
Shippensburg |
Gr. |
McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour |
EASTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Jalen Bryant |
Kutztown |
So. |
Edgewood, Md. / John Carroll |
| G |
Jayy Davis |
Lock Haven |
Sr. |
Cheltenham, Pa. / Hatboro-Horsham |
| G |
Kyree Generett |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
York, Pa. / William Penn |
| G/F |
Rashon Johnson* |
Shippensburg |
R-Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Simon Gratz |
| F |
Justin Nwosu |
Millersville |
R-Sr. |
Bowie, Md. / St. Andrew’s Episcopal |
| G |
Robert Smith^ |
West Chester |
So. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Bishop McDevitt |
| C |
Robert Tucker |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Paul Robeson |
*Indicates previous First Team All-PSAC selection
^Indicates previous Second Team All-PSAC selection
Athlete of the Year: Carlos Carter, Shippensburg
Defensive Player of the Year: Domenic Sleva, Shippensburg
Freshman of the Year: Saraj Ali, Mansfield
Coach of the Year: Chris Fite, Shippensburg
WESTERN DIVISION FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Michael Bradley |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
San Antonio, Tx. / Cornerstone Christian |
| G |
Shawndale Jones |
IUP |
Gr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / The Kiski School |
| F |
John Paul Kromka**^ |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Sr. |
Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway |
| G |
Dave Morris* |
IUP |
R-Sr. |
Erie, Pa. / Strong Vincent |
| F |
Keith Palek III |
Cal (Pa.) |
So. |
Woodbine, N.J. / St. Augustine Prep |
| G |
Jeff Planutis |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
Hazleton, Pa. / Hazleton |
| F |
Tomiwa Sulaiman |
IUP |
So. |
London, England / West Nottingham Academy |
WESTERN DIVISION SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| G |
Amante Britt |
Slippery Rock |
Gr. |
Wilkinsburg, Pa. / Woodland Hills |
| G/F |
Khalid Gates |
Slippery Rock |
Jr. |
Washington, D.C. / Washington High School & Academy |
| G/F |
Jermaine Hall Jr. |
Cal (Pa.) |
R-Jr. |
Baltimore, Md. / Severn School |
| G |
Nicholas Lang |
Mercyhurst |
Gr. |
New Market, Md. / Linganore |
| G |
MiyKah McIntosh** |
Mercyhurst |
Gr. |
Pickering, Ont. / Southwest Christian Academy |
| G |
Andrew Shull |
Pitt-Johnstown |
R-Fr. |
Milton, W.Va. / Chapmanville Regional |
| G |
Samuel Tabe |
Seton Hill |
Sr. |
Beltsville, Md. / High Point |
*Indicates previous First Team All-PSAC selection
^Indicates previous Second Team All-PSAC selection
Athlete of the Year: Shawndale Jones, IUP
Defensive Player of the Year: John Paul Kromka, Pitt-Johnstown
Freshman of the Year: Andrew Shull, Pitt-Johnstown
Coach of the Year: Joe Lombardi, IUP