Men's Basketball 2/22/2024 4:00:00 PM

@yorkcardinals’ Nivar collects CUNYAC Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year; Kila garners All-Star status and Mondelus lands on Sportsmanship Team

York College’s Aidony Nivar takes home CUNYAC Rookie of the Year honors, Olawale Kila earns CUNYAC All-Star status for the second-straight season, and Elie Mondelus recognized as a Sportsmanship Team selection

FLUSHING, NY --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College men's basketball received three honors Thursday, as the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) released its 2024 All-Star Team awards. Freshman Aidony Nivar was named the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year while senior Olawale Kila repeated as a CUNYAC All-Star. Rounding out York's honors was freshman Elie Mondelus, who garnered a Sportsmanship Team distinction.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Nivar earned Rookie of the Year status after contributing 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 42.1 percent (109-of-262) from the floor and a scorching 37.6 percent (65-of-173) from 3-point distance on 6.9 attempts per game. Among York players, Nivar leads the team in steals and 3-point shooting, while placing second in scoring, third in rebounding, and fourth in assists. Scoring 20+ points in five games and sinking three or more triples on 11 occasions, Nivar's consistent play helped him earn a program record seven CUNYAC Rookie of the Week distinctions. According to the CUNYAC hierarchy, the guard is fourth in steals, ninth in points, and 22nd in assists per game. The sharpshooter ranks fourth in the conference from beyond the arc and 55th among all Division III players. York's Rookie of the Year laurel is its first since 2019, when Devine Chisholm (2018-20, 21-23) claimed the league's top newcomer honor.

Kila improved his play at the forward spot in his senior season, averaging a team-high 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 34.2 minutes per contest to go along with 14 double-doubles on his way to a First-Team All-Star selection. Additionally, Kila shot 46.1 percnt (166-of-360) from the floor and 75.4 percent (86-of-114) from the charity stripe. The one-time CUNYAC Player of the Week Honorable Mention paces the conference in rebounding and double-doubles, and ranks highly in minutes per game (2nd), made field goals (3rd), free throw percentage (3rd), points per game (4th), and field goal percentage (9th). On a national level, Kila is among the Division III leaders in double-doubles (T-14th), rebounds per game (17th), total rebounds (270, 18th), defensive rebounds per game (7.32, 29th), and offensive rebounds per game (3.48, 31st). Adding onto his CUNYAC award, the Nigerian native has garnered one Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Divisions II-III Honorable Mention selection. Kila's first-team nod is his second straight all-star selection, and the program's third in as many seasons.

In just his first season at York, Mondelus has been a constant presence in practice and on gameday. Mondelus gives it his all on both sides of the court and always cheers for the team on the sidelines. Seeing action in 14 games, Mondelus received his first-career start in an 88-75 home victory against Medgar Evers College (Jan. 5), and the guard sank his first-career triple in a non-conference home encounter against Drew University (Dec. 16).

"Elie epitomized this award. He provided the team with a work ethic that can only be emulated. Whether he played or not, he brought the intensity while cheering for his peers."-commented head coach Clarence Emengo

2023-24 Men's Basketball Awards
Player of the Year: Devin Nicholson (Baruch College)
Rookie of the Year: Aidony Nivar (York College)
Coach of the Year: John Alesi (Baruch College)
Sportsmanship Award: Jack Meyers (Hunter College)
Sportsmanship Team: Jehmehl Fair (Baruch College), Serge Thraysbule (Brooklyn College), Chris Stone (CCNY), Jordan Evelyn (John Jay College), Lasana Camara (Lehman College), Derek Wicker (Medgar Evers College), Elie Mondelus (York College)

First Team All-Stars

*Devin Nicholson (Baruch College)
Yassine Sakhi (CCNY
Kai Parris (Lehman College)
Malik Dale (Brooklyn College)
Olawale Kila (York College)
Luka Jakic (Hunter College)

Second Team All-Stars

Garrison Watkins (John Jay College)
Kareem McDonald (Hunter College)
Ricardo Dixon (CCNY)
DeAundre Manuel (Lehman College)
Edward Beqiri (CCNY)

For the latest news on the Cardinals, log on to www.yorkathletics.com – the official site of York College athletics. Also, become a follower of the Cardinals on Instagram (@yorkcardinals), Twitter (@yorkcardinals) and YouTube (@yorkathletics), and "LIKE" Us on Facebook (York Athletics).

Print Friendly Version