SCIAC All-Conference Men's Basketball Honors

3/5/2015 12:00:00 AM

2015 SCIAC MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

SCIAC Athlete of the Year: Tyler Gaffaney, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Tyler Gaffaney earns his second consecutive SCIAC Athlete of the Year award after leading the conference in scoring (22.7 points per game) the entire year. Offensively, Gaffaney has the highest shooting percentage (56.4%) and three point shooting percentage (49%) in the SCIAC. He also is second in free throw percentage (84.2%) and second in assists (3.8 per game). Playing a SCIAC-leading 36.4 minutes per game, Gaffaney also records 6.4 rebounds per game (7th). His single game high was scoring 35 points after going 9-for-9 in three pointers on Feb. 24, setting an NCAA record for the 2014-15 season.

SCIAC Newcomer of the Year: Andrew Torres, Whittier College
Andrew Torres was the most unselfish player on the team. Torres holds top 10 positions on the SCIAC leaderboard from everywhere on the court in points, assists and defensive rebounds. In addition to his 15.3 points per game he also averaged 3.68 assists per game putting him at number one in that category. He shot 50% from the field and 42% from 3 the point line.

Ted Ducey Award: Garrett James, Chapman University and Bryan Joel, Caltech
The Ted Ducey Award is awarded to a senior who best exemplifies the high ideals demonstrated by Ted Ducey during his tenure as head basketball coach at Claremont College. The recipient must qualify as both a player and a person according to the following categories: ability, leadership, self-discipline, determination, sportsmanship and sincerity in academic pursuit.

Garrett James is an exemplary leader both on and off the court for Chapman and is the consummate team player. Garrett is the unquestioned leader and has the ability to connect with and inspire both the seniors and the underclassmen. He leads the SCIAC in assists and broke the Chapman single season assist record (149). He also ranks nationally in Division III in assists per game(No. 10) and assist-turnover ratio(No. 3). He is 3rd in three point field goal percentage in the conference at 45%. Garrett maintains exemplary grades as a Business Major with an emphasis in Real Estate.

During his time at Caltech, Bryan Joel has emerged as the strongest leader Caltech has ever seen. As a 2-year captain he has imparted knowledge and demonstrated unprecedented commitment to the program, and, thanks to his off-the-court work as a leader, has been the stimulus for our strong push as a competitive team. As a senior he averaged a career-best in rebounds. He finished his career 3rd on the all-time 3-point percentage list and on the top 10 list for career steals, having averaged more than 1 steal a game over all 100 games played. Joel will major in mechanical engineering and is looking to pursue a job in sports analytics, where his passions for basketball and math will be able to continue.

SCIAC Coach of the Year: Ken Scalmanini, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Coach Ken Scalmanini is honored with SCIAC Coach of the Year recognition. Scalmanini's contagious enthusiasm and vast knowledge of the game has led the Stags' to unprecedented success. The program has finished first or second in the SCIAC league 13 times, highlighted by eight SCIAC Championships from 2002 to 2015. CMS has now been in the SCIAC Tournament finals seven times and in 2015 became the first team in the eight year history of the SCIAC Postseason Men's Basketball Tournament to win the finals on the road. Scalmanini's winning percentage places him among the top 50 of current DIII coaches.

The 17 seasons as Head Coach of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Men's Basketball Program have added to the rich basketball history of Coach Scalmanini. He began coaching in 1993 and served two years as an Assistant Coach at Cal Poly Pomona before joining the Claremont staff. After a four-year stint as Assistant Coach at CMS, Coach Scalmanini took control of the reins in 1998.

As a player, Scalmanini played two seasons at Cal Poly Pomona, where he averaged 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game at the off-guard and small forward positions. In high school, he was the 1986 Player of the Year in the Redwood Empire League at St. Vincent's High School.

Ken Scalmanini, or "Coach Scali" as he is known, lives in Claremont with his wife Jeannie, son Kyle and daughter Emily. He is actively involved in the community as coach of Little League baseball, AYSO soccer, and All-Net middle school basketball.

First Team
Michael Cohen	SR	Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
Nick Demusis	SR	Whittier College
Taylor Hamasaki	SR	Chapman University
Coltrane Powdrill	SR	Cal Lutheran University
Arik Smith	SR	Cal Lutheran University
Colin Zavrsnick	SR	Chapman University

Second Team
Aljosa Bjekovic	JR	University of Redlands
Kc Emezie	JR	California Institute of Technology
Eric Jennings	JR	Whittier College
Andrew Johnson	SO	Occidental College
Shelby Lane	JR	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Kyle McAndrews	SR	Pomona-Pitzer Colleges