Iona point guard Scott Machado was voted as the best Metropolitan-area college basketball player on Thursday.
Machado, who led the nation with 9.9 assists per game, was named the recipient of the 79th Haggerty Award, which is awarded to the best college basketball player in the New York area as voted on by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
Machado becomes the fourth Iona player to win the prestigious award, one of the oldest in college basketball, and first since Steve Burtt in 1984.
Joining Machado as the night’s honorees were Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello, former Wagner head coach Danny Hurley (co-coaches of the year) and St. John’s forward Moe Harkless (Rookie of the Year).
Masiello, in his first season as Manhattan’s head coach, led the Jaspers to a 21-13 record and a berth in the CIT tournament. Hurley led Wagner to a 25-6 record before being named head coach at Rhode Island.
Harkless, who will be entering the NBA Draft this summer, finished his freshman season averaging 15.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Harkless joined Machado on the All-Met first team.
Here is a full list of the All-Met first, second and third team players:
First Team: Machado, Iona; Harkless St. John’s; Mike Glover, Iona; Julian Boyd, LIU; Jordan Theodore, Seton Hall; Herb Pope, Seton Hall.
Second Team: Chris Gaston, Fordham; Rakim Sanders, Fairfield; George Beamon, Manhattan; Jamal Olasewere, LIU; D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s; Mike Moore, Hofstra.
Third Team: Brian Barbour, Columbia; Lamont Jones, Iona; Isaiah Wilkerson, NJIT; Eli Carter, Rutgers; Elia Ellis, Army