The Merrimack men’s basketball team has added several individual honors to its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular-season title. On Wednesday, the conference announced that head coach Joe Gallo and three players received major regular-season awards.
“Let’s smile and be happy about those,” Gallo told players inside the locker room after he announced the list of award winners. “Now, let’s go get the ultimate prize.”
Freshman guard Kevair Kennedy made MAAC history by being named both Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season. Kennedy was a unanimous selection for both Player of the Year and First Team All-MAAC. He also joined Siena’s Gavin Doty as one of only two unanimous First Team All-MAAC selections. After earning league Rookie of the Week honors seven times during the regular season, Kennedy was also named to the All-Rookie Team.
Junior guard Ernest Shelton was selected to the First Team All-MAAC alongside Kennedy. Junior forward KC Ugwuakazi earned Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league in blocks per game and was named to the All-Defensive Team.
Joe Gallo received his first Coach of the Year award since Merrimack joined the MAAC before the 2024-25 season.
In addition, Merrimack women’s basketball coach Kelly Morrone won Coach of the Year on the women’s side. This marks only the eighth time in over 40 years that coaches from both men’s and women’s teams at one school have earned this recognition in a single season.
Merrimack will look to build on its regular-season achievements as it heads to Atlantic City for the MAAC Men’s Basketball Championships. With a first-round bye, top-seeded Merrimack is set to face either Iona or Sacred Heart on Friday night. Winning three games over five nights would secure their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
