BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bucknell junior center Noah Williamson and head coach John Griffin III captured the 2024-25 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player and Coach of the Year, respectively, when the League office announced postseason honors, presented by PenFed Credit Union, on Monday.
The Bison’s Williamson earned Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year honors after leading his squad to a share of the League’s regular-season title and the top seed in the Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship. The junior center ranked among the League leaders in scoring (17.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg) and 39th in NCAA DI with nine double-doubles to become the eighth different Bison to receive the accolade.
Griffin III garnered Patriot League Coach of the Year honors after the Bison won a share of the Patriot League regular-season crown and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship. The second-year head coach helped his alma mater improve from a 10th-place finish to the top spot in the League standings in two seasons. He is the fifth different Bison head coach to receive the award.
Lafayette senior center Justin Vander Baan is the first Leopard to claim Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Northbridge, Mass. native has been among the nation’s premier shot blockers, leading the League and ranked third in NCAA DI with 2.9 blocked shots per game, the seventh-highest single-season average in League history.
Holy Cross freshman guard Max Green was voted Patriot League Rookie of the Year. He is the ninth Crusader to receive the award after matching Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum and Marquis Hall with a League record nine Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors. Green’s 14.8 points per game ranked seventh in the League and 12th among all NCAA DI freshmen.
The Patriot League major awards and All-League teams are presented by PenFed Credit Union. They were voted on by Patriot League men’s basketball head coaches, who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2024-25 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year
Noah Williamson, Bucknell, Jr., C, Riga, Latvia/St. Thomas More (Conn.)
2024-25 Stats: 30 GP, 17.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 bpg, .532 FG pct., .329 3FG pct.
*Williamson finished third in the League with 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game to lead Bucknell to a share of its first Patriot League regular-season title since 2018-19.
*In League play, Williamson led the Patriot League in scoring (20.2 ppg) and ranked third in rebounding (8.5 rpg) while finishing sixth in field-goal percentage (.572) and seventh in 3-point field-goal percentage (.444).
*The two-time Patriot League Player of the Week, 39th in NCAA DI with nine double-doubles, while helping the Bison to a League-leading scoring offense (73.9 ppg).
2024-25 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year
Justin Vander Baan, Lafayette, Sr., C, Northbridge, Mass./Whitinsville Christian
2024-25 Stats: 27 GP, 12.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.9 bpg, .484 FG pct.
*Vander Baan led the Patriot League and ranked third in NCAA DI with 2.92 blocked shots per game, the seventh-best single-season mark in League history, to help the Leopards hold opponents to a League-low .432 field-goal percentage.
*He blocked 51 shots in 17 League contests, more than twice the total of any other League player, climbing to 11th in Patriot League history with 182 blocked shots in a Lafayette uniform.
*The senior center anchored a Lafayette defense that ranked third in scoring defense, allowing 68.9 points per game.
2024-25 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year
Max Green, Holy Cross, Fr., G, La Grange, Ky./Oldham County
2024-25 Stats: 30 GP, 14.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 0.8 spg, .420 FG pct., .371 3FG pct.
*Green ranked seventh in the Patriot League, first among League rookies, and 12th among NCAA DI freshmen with 14.8 points per game.
*The La Grange, Ky. native placed seventh in the League in assists per game (3.5 apg) and 10th in rebounding (5.4 rpg).
*His nine Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors matched the League record held by Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum (2009-10) and Marquis Hall (2006-07).
2024-25 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year
John Griffin III, Bucknell
*Griffin III led Bucknell to its first Patriot League regular-season title since the 2018-19 season and the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship.
*The second-year head coach guided the Bison to the League’s best scoring offense (73.9 ppg), with his squad ranking second in team field-goal percentage (.467) and opponent’s field-goal percentage (.432).
*During his two seasons at the helm of the program, he has helped Bucknell improve by five and three games in consecutive seasons to go 13-5, matching its best League mark since the 2018-19 season.
2024-25 All-Patriot League Teams
American, Army West Point, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate and Lafayette placed two student-athletes on the three All-Patriot League Teams. Holy Cross, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland and Navy had one All-League selection apiece.
Eight of the 16 members of the three All-Patriot League teams are multi-season honorees. American graduate student forward Matt Rogers (17.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg) is a three-time All-League honoree and two-time first-teamer. Army West Point senior guard Jalen Rucker (17.7 ppg, 3.1 apg) and Lehigh senior guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney (14.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg) are also three-time All-League honorees, with Rucker earning first-team accolades twice.
Williamson, Vander Baan, American senior guard Elijah Stephens (10.6 ppg, 3.7 apg), Boston University graduate student guard Miles Brewster (10.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Navy junior guard Austin Benigni (18.3 ppg, 4.2 apg), the League’s leading scorer, were All-League honorees last season.
Benigni, Rogers, Rucker and Williamson were joined on the All-Patriot League First Team by Bucknell senior guard Josh Bascoe (15.7 ppg, 4.4 apg), the League leader in assists.
Whitney-Sidney and Army West Point sophomore forward Josh Scovens (16.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg), the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, highlight the five-member All-Patriot League Second Team. Boston University sophomore guard Kyrone Alexander (12.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Colgate fifth-year center Jeff Woodward (14.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Loyola Maryland senior post Milos Ilic (14.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg) all earned All-League recognition for the first time.
The All-Patriot League Third Team consists of six student-athletes, including three multi-season honorees with Brewster, Stephens and Vander Baan. Holy Cross’ Green, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, fellow freshman guard Alex Chaikin (13.3 ppg, .454 3FG) of Lafayette and Colgate sophomore guard Jalen Cox (11.5, 4.4 rpg, 3.9 apg) all received recognition from the League coaches.
Vander Baan, the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, highlighted the five-member All-Defensive Team, which includes Bucknell’s Williamson, Colgate’s Cox (1.7 spg) and 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year Caleb Kenney (4.8 rpg, 0.9 bpg) of Holy Cross. American sophomore forward Greg Jones (10.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.9 spg) also earned a spot on the defensive team.
Green leads the League’s All-Rookie squad along with fellow All-League honoree Alex Chaikin of Lafayette. Boston University guard Azmar Abdullah (6.8 ppg, .380 3FG), Lafayette guard Caleb Williams (11.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Lehigh center Hank Alvey (7.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg) joined Green and Chaikin on the Patriot League All-Rookie squad.
2024-25 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Major Awards and All-League Teams
Player of the Year – Noah Williamson, Bucknell, Jr., C
Defensive Player of the Year – Justin Vander Baan, Lafayette, Sr., C
Rookie of the Year – Max Green, Holy Cross, Fr., G
Coach of the Year – John Griffin III, Bucknell
First-Team All-Patriot League Team
Matt Rogers, American, Gr., F
Jalen Rucker, Army West Point, Sr., G
Noah Williamson, Bucknell, Jr., C
Josh Bascoe, Bucknell, Sr., G
Austin Benigni, Navy, Jr., G
Second-Team All-Patriot League Team
Josh Scovens, Army West Point, So., F
Kyrone Alexander, Boston University, So., G
Jeff Woodward, Colgate, 5th-year, C
Tyler Whitney-Sidney, Lehigh, Sr., G
Milos Ilic, Loyola Maryland, Sr., F
Third-Team All-Patriot League Team*
Elijah Stephens, American, Sr., G
Miles Brewster, Boston University, Gr., G
Jalen Cox, Colgate, So., G
Max Green, Holy Cross, Fr., G
Alex Chaikin, Lafayette, Fr., G
Justin Vander Baan, Lafayette, Sr., C
Patriot League All-Defensive Team
Greg Jones, American, So., F
Noah Williamson, Bucknell, Jr., C
Jalen Cox, Colgate, So., G
Caleb Kenney, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Justin Vander Baan, Lafayette, Sr., C
Patriot League All-Rookie Team
Azmar Abdullah, Boston University, Fr., G
Max Green, Holy Cross, Fr., G
Alex Chaikin, Lafayette, Fr., G
Caleb Williams, Lafayette, Fr., G
Hank Alvey, Lehigh, Fy., F
*Additional student-athletes selected due to a tie in the voting
NOTE: Student-athletes listed alphabetically by school name
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.