LATHAM, N.Y. – Player of the Year Donyae Baylor-Carroll, Rookie of the Year Nate Curry and Coach of the Year Don Friday led a Penn State Harrisburg sweep of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) men's basketball postseason awards.
The Lions picked up four total NEAC All-Conference honors, including first-team nods for Baylor-Carroll and Curry, and third-team recognition for Dylan Daniels and Zegary Scott III.
Baylor-Carroll is just the second player in program history to be named conference player of the year, joining former standout Seth Lewis in 2008. Friday is the second Penn State Harrisburg coach to earn the league's top award after guiding the Lions to the NEAC Regular Season Championship and Curry became the first player in program history to pick up the rookie of the year accolade.
Baylor-Carroll currently ranks top-10 in the nation in both 3-point field goals (96) and 3-point field goals per game (3.84). The sophomore averaged 18 points per game this season, a number good enough to rank him fifth among conference players. Among NEAC players, the Harrisburg, Pa. native ranks third in assists (4.0 apg) and fifth in steals (1.6 spg), as well as top-10 in free throws made (93), free throw percentage (76.2 percent) and 3-point percentage (40 percent). The versatile guard earned three NEAC Player of the Week awards this winter.
Curry burst onto the scene this season and is averaging 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The freshman is shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc; a number good enough to rank him third in the league. The guard's rebounding total puts him sixth among conference players and the Brooklyn, N.Y. native has recorded eight double-doubles this year.
Daniels has been sensational on the defensive end and currently leads the country in both total blocks (118) and blocked shots per game (4.72). The sophomore shot 56.8 percent from the field this winter; an output good enough to rank him fifth in the conference. His 8.4 rebounds per outing put him fourth among NEAC players and the Clarksville, Md. native has racked up nine double-doubles this season. The forward also picked up NEAC Player of the Week honors in November.
Scott III has been one of the best distributors in the nation this year, as his 6.8 assists-per-game output and 169 total dimes rank him top-10 among NCAA Division III players. The guard played more minutes than anyone in the league (34.5 mpg) and was tops in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6) among players seeing more than five minutes of action per contest.
The Blue & White (18-7, 14-2 NEAC) are set to host the Final Four of the NEAC Playoff Tournament at the Capital Union Building this weekend. The Lions face Morrisville State in semifinal action on Friday night, Feb. 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.