SUNYAC Announces 2026 Men's Basketball Annual Awards

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The SUNYAC announces its 2026 men's basketball All-Conference teams and top individual awards including Player of the Year, Tom Spanbauer Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year. These awards are nominated and voted on by the 10 conference coaches.

Player of the Year - Reem Welch, Plattsburgh
Welch led the league with 453 points, 26.6 points per game, in conference competition and was third with 64 assists. He also led the league overall with 652 points (26.1 per game) and 106 assists and added 204 rebounds (4th) and 40 steals (8th). In his senior campaign, Welch had a season high 49 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. He helped his team clinch the fifth seed going into post season play and upset No. 4 New Paltz to advance to the SUNYAC semifinals. Welch was named to the SUNYAC Men's Basketball All-Tournament team after scoring 47 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and adding 13 assists in the two playoff games for the Cardinals.

Tom Spanbauer Defensive Player of the Year - Joel Davis, Cortland
Davis totaled 97 defensive rebounds had 18 blocks and 16 steals in league play this season. He also added 176 points averaging 9.8 points per game. Davis had a season high 12 rebounds on January 13 and he had a season high five blocks three days later. He helped the Red Dragons earn the top seed going into post season play with a 17-1 regular season conference record. Davis and his team won their second-straight SUNYAC championship crown after defeating No. 3 Oswego in the championship game. Davis has 262 points, 188 total rebounds, 63 assists, 29 blocks and 29 steals overall heading into the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament.

Tom Spanbauer retired in 2023 after 28 years as Cortland's men's basketball head coach. Cortland's career leader in wins with an overall record of 459-277, Spanbauer led the Red Dragons to three SUNYAC tournament titles and six NCAA Division III tournament berths, including two "sweet 16" appearances. He was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year six times and NABC regional Coach of the Year honors on three occasions. Spanbauer earned a bachelor's degree from Cortland in 1983 and a master's degree in 1986. He played basketball at Cortland from 1979-83 and scored 1,106 career points.

Rookie of the Year - Freddy Fowler, Oswego
In his first season, Fowler started 16 of 17 conference games totaling 155 points, 9.1 points per game. He added 48 rebounds, 45 assists and 27 steals in league competition. The Lakers clinched the No. 3 seed after going 15-3 in conference play and advanced to the SUNYAC final. Fowler finished his rookie year with 192 points, 69 rebounds, 60 assists, 38 steals and four blocks in 27 games. Oswego ended its season 23-5 overall.

Coaching Staff of the Year - Cortland
Head coach Maurice Kearney is assisted by DJ Harter, Ben Walters, Gus O'Connell and Andrew Durr. The staff led their team to earn the No. 1 spot going into post season play after recording a 17-1 regular season conference record. The Red Dragons went on to wins their second-straight SUNYAC title and eighth overall. The staff coached four All-SUNYAC selections including the Tom Spanbauer Defensive Player of the Year. Cortland earned an automatic berth into the 2026 Division III men's basketball tournament where they will face Franklin & Marshall College in the opening round on Friday, March 6, as part of a four-team regional hosted by Endicott College of Massachusetts.

2026 SUNYAC Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams (PDF)