The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) announced its all-conference team and special award winners for the 2022-23 men's basketball season on Wednesday, Mar. 1.
Sonoma State's
Jaylen Wells was named the CCAA Player of the Year award presented by College Ave Student Loans. Three special awards went to Cal State San Bernardino student-athletes after the Yotes captured the regular season championship for the second consecutive year.
Darius Mickens was named the CCAA Defensive Player of the Year,
Dontrell Shuler captured CCAA Newcomer of the Year honors, and
Andy Newman repeated as CCAA Coach of the Year. The final special award, CCAA Freshman of the Year, went to Chico State's
Jojo Murphy.
Jaylen Wells became the first Sonoma State student-athlete to claim CCAA Men's Basketball Player of the Year honors in 17 years. He led the CCAA in scoring with 22.1 points per game and ranked second in rebounding with 8.6 boards per contest. The sophomore from Sacramento shot .523 percent from the field (fourth CCAA) and .858 percent from the free throw line (second CCAA). Wells recorded 10 double-doubles, scoring at least 13 points in every game. He topped the 30-point plateau seven times, including a season-best 38 points against CCAA Champions, Cal State San Bernardino. His efforts helped Sonoma State go from the team picked last in the preseason coaches poll to earning their first berth in the CCAA Tournament since 2017.
Darius Mickens' selection gave the Yotes back-to-back CCAA Defensive Players of the Year. The senior guard led the conference with 8.7 per game and played the role of top perimeter defender for CSUSB. His efforts helped the Yotes lead the CCAA in field goal percentage (.415) by 1.6 percent. That percentage difference between first and second place is as large as the difference between second and eighth in the CCAA final regular season stats. Mickens finished fourth in the CCAA in steals (1.86) and eighth in blocks (0.8). He was also a threat on the other side of the ball, averaging 12.0 points on .512 percent shooting. The Willis, Texas native finished eighth in the league in assists (3.4) and second in double-doubles (nine).
Dontrell Shuler came to CSUSB from Middle Tennessee State, giving CSUSB another threat and making the Yotes even a tougher matchup on the perimeter. The Columbia, S.C. native averaged 17.9 points (third CCAA) on .471 percent shooting (seventh CCAA). He scored double-figures in 25 of 27 games, including ten 20-point performances. His best game of the season was a comeback road win at Cal Poly Humboldt. Shuler went 11-of-17 from the field to score a season-best 30. He knocked down a pair of free throws with less than a minute remaining, and he helped force a late-game steal that set up the game-winning basket. Shuler's efforts in that contest helped him earn his second CCAA Player of the Week honor.
Chico State's
Jojo Murphy took over starting point guard duties for the Wildcats four games into his first collegiate season. He averaged 15.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on .414 percent shooting. He registered five 30-point games, including a 33-point effort with six 3-pointers against Cal State San Bernardino. Murphy's first start was the CCAA opener. Over his next five games, he posted 30 or more points three times and was named the CCAA Player of the Week (Dec. 5-11). The Oakland native shot .369 percent from behind the arc and finished seventh in the CCAA with 1.93 made 3-pointers per game. Murphy is the first Wildcat since Will Bonner in 2001-02 to be named CCAA Freshman of the Year.
CCAA Coach of the Year honors went to Cal State San Bernardino's
Andy Newman for the second consecutive season. He led CSUSB to a 25-3 record and its second straight CCAA regular-season championship (20-2). The Yotes had a target on their back all season after entering the year in the top 25, but they won their first five games and never lost consecutive contests. Coach Newman defended CSUSB's home court, going a perfect 11-0 in San Bernardino. He coached the Yotes to a perfect record in February, and they will enter the CCAA Tournament with a season-best nine-game winning streak. Under his guidance, the Yotes pace NCAA Division II with a plus 14.4 rebounding margin and rank sixth in scoring (90.0). They were also first in the CCAA in field goal percentage defense (.415), assists (16.6), and field goal percentage (.501).
Eddie Davis and
Brandon Knapper joined Mickens and Shuler on the All-CCAA first team. The Yotes earned four of the 10 first-team spots. All five starters for CSUSB earned All-CCAA honors as
Robbie Robinson was voted to the second team.
Cal State San Marcos had the second-most all-conference selections after placing second in the standings.
Greg Milton III collected first-team honors, with
Joel Mensah,
Jayce McCain, and
Quinn Denker collecting second team.
Knapper was the only repeat first team selection. Mickens, Milton III, and Levi Frankland from Cal State Monterey Bay all moved up from the second team last year to claim first-team honors this season. Overall, there were seven repeat selections to the All-CCAA team.
The 2022-23 CCAA Basketball Tournament begins Thursday, Mar. 2, in Turlock. The No.3 seed San Francisco State will face No. 6 Chico State in the tournament's first game at Noon. The next game will feature No. 4 Cal Poly Humboldt taking on No. 5 Sonoma State at 2:30 p.m.
Complete 2022-23 All-CCAA Men's Basketball Teams
| 2022-23 All-CCAA Men's Basketball Teams |
| Player of the Year |
Jaylen Wells, Sonoma State |
| Defensive Player of the Year |
Darius Mickens, Cal State San Bernardino |
| Newcomer of the Year |
Dontrell Shuler, Cal State San Bernardino |
| Freshman of the Year |
Jojo Murphy, Chico State |
| Coach of the Year |
Andy Newman, Cal State San Bernardino |
| All-CCAA First Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Eddie Davis - # |
Sr. |
F |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Port Salerno, Fla. |
| Levi Frankland - & |
Sr. |
G |
Cal State Monterey Bay |
Gold Coast, Australia |
| Brandon Knapper - % |
Sr. |
G |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Ontario |
| Grady Lewis |
Fr. |
F/C |
Cal State East Bay |
Phoenix |
| Darius Mickens - & |
Sr. |
G |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Willis, Texas |
| Greg Milton III - & |
Sr. |
G |
Cal State San Marcos |
Sacramento |
| Jojo Murphy |
Fr. |
G |
Chico State |
Oakland |
| Marlon Ruffin |
Sr. |
G |
Cal Poly Humboldt |
Madison, Wisc. |
| Dontrell Shuler |
Jr. |
G |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Columbia, S.C. |
| Jaylen Wells - # |
So. |
F |
Sonoma State |
Sacramento |
|
|
|
|
|
| All-CCAA Second Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Shane Bell |
So. |
G |
Cal State LA |
Hercules |
| Malek Davis |
Jr. |
G |
Cal Poly Humboldt |
St. Louis |
| Quinn Denker |
So. |
G |
Cal State San Marcos |
San Jose |
| Jalen Flanagan |
Sr. |
G |
San Francisco State |
Oceanside |
| DJ Guest |
So. |
G/F |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Los Angeles |
| Jayce McCain - % |
So. |
G |
Cal State San Marcos |
Sacramento |
| Joel Mensah |
Sr. |
F |
Cal State San Marcos |
Accra, Ghana |
| Eche Okeke |
Sr. |
F |
San Francisco State |
Hayward |
| Robby Robinson |
Jr. |
F |
Cal State San Bernardino |
San Diego |
| Marlon Short |
So. |
G |
Stanislaus State |
Richmond |
| Alexander Sokol |
Sr. |
G |
Cal State LA |
San Jose |
| Honorable Mentions |
| Dominic Escobar (CSLA), Austin Fadal (SSU), Joshua Hamilton (CHICO), Dimitrios Klonaras (CSUEB), Jailen Nelson (CSUMB), Toby Okwuoki (SFSU), Jonah Roth (SFSU), Joe Wall (CSUMB), Kelvin Wright Jr. (CHICO), Benno Zecic (STAN). |
| % - 2021-22 All-CCAA First Team Selection; &- 2021-22 All-CCAA Second Team Selection; # - 2021-22 Honorable Mention |