NEW YORK --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College men's basketball generated a quartet of conference honors Thursday, as the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) released its 2025-26 Men's Basketball All-Conference awards. Jonte Wallace claimed the league's Rookie of the Year, Christopher Smith landed on the First Team All-Conference member, Joshua Jackman was selected as a Second Team member, and Jaidan Johnson was named to the Sportsmanship Team. With the laurels, the program has now produced eight All-Conference members (four first team + four second team) in the past five years, three consecutive Rookie of the Year winners, and three straight Sportsmanship Team nominations over the past five seasons. 

Starting with the rookie king, Wallace becomes the program's third consecutive Rookie of the Year, following Brandon Barrett (2024-25) and Aidony Nivar (2023-25). In 22 games, he led the team with 13.5 points to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. During conference play, the all-around forward increased his offensive output to 15.4 points and 3.2 assists. Becoming more comfortable offensively, he scored in double figures in 13 of the team's final 14 contests. This included a career-best 25 points and 12 rebounds in an 81-74 victory over Brooklyn College (Jan. 21). The Brooklyn native's weekly consistency helped him earn six CUNYAC Rookie of the Week awards, trailing only Nivar's seven for the most in program history. Wallace stacks up well in the conference leaderboard, ranking in the top eight in points (5th), rebounds (8th), assists (8th), and steals (3rd).  

Contributing offensively and defensively, Smith averaged 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, all while being tasked with guarding the opponent's best wing scorer. Scoring in double-digits 16 times, hauling in 6+ rebounds on 10 occasions, and tallying 4+ steals seven times, his weekly consistency resulted in a trio of MBWA Divisions II/III Player of the Week Honorable Mention laurels, and a one CUNYAC Player of the Week award (Read More). Compared to other CUNYAC players, the shifty guard ranks highly in the top 15 in scoring (7th), rebounding (12th), assists (15th), and steals (2nd).

Deputizing as York's lone big man for a majority of the season, Jackman averaged 12.6 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds across 22 contests. Shooting-wise, he swished home a team-high 33 triples. Consistency-wise, the forward netted double-digit points in 12 games, including a team-high 24 points (9-of-15 FG, 4-of-7 3FG) in the first-round thriller against John Jay College (Feb. 17). On the glass, Jackman secured 10+ boards on seven occasions, including a season-high 15 in a victory versus Hunter College (Feb. 3). Among other conference players, he places 10th in scoring and fourth in rebounding. 

Appearing in all 22 games (20 starts), Johnson was a key part of York's offense, leading the team with 68 assists (3.1 per game) as a freshman. Overall, he dished out four or more dimes on nine occasions, including a career-best eight in the squad's Senior Day demolition against Medgar Evers College (Feb. 17).  

"Jaidan is what and how I expect all my players to approach this game. He does not complain, pout, or get down on himself. He puts on his hard hat and works. Whether he is playing or on the bench, he has the same up beat temperament."-head coach Clarence Emengo

2025-26 CUNYAC Men's Basketball All-Conference and Major Awards

• Player of the Year: Amar Ndiaye (Lehman College)
• Rookie of the Year: Jonte Wallace (York College)
• Coach of the Year: Steve Schulman (Lehman College)
• Sportsmanship Award: Michael Bowman (CCNY)
• Sportsmanship Team: Cole Bailey (Baruch College), Abdoulaye Gueye (Brooklyn College), Aidan Glackin (Hunter College), Adrian Kopec (John Jay College), Kofi Mends (Lehman College), Joash Beaton (Medgar Evers College), Jaidan Johnson (York College)

First Team All-Conference 

• Joe Charles (Brooklyn College)
• Ricardo Dixon (Lehman College)
• Keyshawn Miller (John Jay College)
• Amar Ndiaye (Lehman College)
• Justin Morety (CCNY)
• Christopher Smith (York College)

Second Team All-Conference 

• Leyi Adebayo (Baruch College)
• Jack Gordon (Baruch College)
• D'aze Hunter (Brooklyn College)
• Joshua Jackman (York College)
• Jamir Stewart (John Jay College)

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