FLUSHING, NY --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College senior forward Olawale Kila was selected Friday as a 2023-24 CUNYAC Men's Basketball Preseason Player to Watch as league officials released the eight-member squad.

Hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, starting in all 26 games, Kila averaged career highs of 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 0.8 steals last season while shooting 46.7 percent (134-of-287) from the field and 72.2 percent (57-of-79) from the free-throw line. Conference-wise, he ranked among the leaders in field goal percentage (2nd), rebounds per game (3rd), offensive rebounds per game (3rd, 3.4), defensive rebounds per game (4th, 6.3), points per game (12th), and minutes per game (12th). These performances helped Kila land on the CUNYAC all-star second-team, becoming York's fifth-straight second-team all-star selection.

Voted on by the league coaches, York was picked to finish seventh in the CUNYAC Preseason Poll.
 

2023-24 CUNYAC Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches Poll

	Points (First-Place Votes)
1. Baruch College	49 (7)
2. Lehman College	40 (1)
3. CCNY	37
4. John Jay College	31
5. Hunter College	26
6. Brooklyn College	20
7. York College	14
8. Medgar Evers College	7

Baruch College topped the votes with 46 points, along with seven first-place votes, while the Cardinals received 14 total points. York's 14-game conference schedule tips off against Lehman College on December 1. 

The 2023-24 CUNYAC Championship will take place February 17 (first-round), February 21 (semifinals), and February 23 (finals), with the league champion receiving an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.

York finished last season 8-18 (7-7 CUNYAC), earning the #4 seed in the CUNYAC Championship Tournament. Along with Kila, the Cardinals return frontcourt regulars Micaiah Goosby and Tyres Desinor, who combined for 17.7 points last season. Under the stewardship of first-year head coach Clarence Emengo, the roster currently features four familiar faces combined with 10 newcomers as the Cardinals look to return to postseason play for the third consecutive year.

The Cardinals (0-1) return to the court Wednesday (Nov. 15) to host the Manhattanville College Valiants (0-1) at 6 p.m. in a non-conference showdown inside York College Gymnasium.

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