Mathon Named PL Player of the Year, Joined by McCoy and White on All-PL Teams

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After becoming the first Terrier to average a double-double in 25 seasons, Boston University men's basketball graduate student Sukhmail Mathon has been named Patriot League Player of the Year presented by PenFed Credit Union, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.

After helping lead the Terriers to a 20-11 regular season record, Mathon was joined in earning All-PL honors by both graduate student Javante McCoy (first) and senior Walter Whyte (third). Besides claiming BU's first conference Player of the Year award since 2012 and sixth overall, Mathon also collected his second All-Defensive Team honor.

The announcement marks the first time that BU has had two men receive All-Conference First Team accolades since 2011 America East Player of the Year John Holland ('11) and 2012 America East Player of the Year Darryl Partin ('12) were placed on the squad together in 2011. It's the second time in three years that BU has had three men placed on one of the three All-PL squads as well.

It's been quite the rise for Mathon, as he was just averaging just 4.6 ppg and 4.7 rpg two years ago playing alongside 2020 All-PL First Team member and Tournament MVP Max Mahoney ('20). The Shavertown, Pennsylvania, native gave notice he would be a force to be reckoned with in the post during the shortened 2021 campaign, averaging 11.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg. This year, Mathon will enter the PL tournament averaging 15.1 ppg and 10.3 rpg as the first Terrier to average a double-double since BU Hall of Famer Tunji Awojobi ('97) accomplished the feat in 1996-97 at 19.4 ppg and 10.2 rpg, respectively.

Mathon ranks third in the NCAA at 3.90 offensive rebounds per game, seventh at 16 double-doubles and 12th overall at 10.3 rpg. Where he's really stood out is in his clutch free throw shooting, averaging 77.1 FT% and over 82 FT% in the final minute of games to rank 21st nationally at 138 made free throws. Highlight performances this season include a 16-point, 12-rebound game at Florida State and a 21-point, 18-rebound game vs. Bucknell. On Feb. 26, he scored a career-high 26 points at Holy Cross while adding 13 rebounds. Besides making a program-record 147 appearances on the court without missing a single game, Mathon ranks third at BU with 837 career boards, eighth in blocks (76) and 39th in points (1,012).

McCoy has moved up the ladder each of the last three seasons after being named to the third team in 2020 and second team in 2021. A member of the 2020 PL All-Tournament squad, he's had his best offensive output in his final year, ranking third in the PL and 94th nationally at 17.1 ppg. Days after tallying 22 points and four assists at Florida State, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native, hit the game-winning 3-pointer against Merrimack to finish with 20 points and later posted a season-high 27 points against Binghamton. He ranks No. 2 all-time at BU with 4,288 career minutes played, fourth in points (1,850), seventh in made 3-pointers (193) and 10th in assists (370).

Whyte earned third All-PL award and fourth overall honor from the conference after being tagged All-Rookie in 2018. After receiving a medical redshirt for 2018-19, he earned All-PL Second Team recognition in 2020 and Third Team accolades in 2021. This season, he's had to overcome another injury to remain a key contributor, averaging 12.7 ppg and 5.9 rpg while shooting 78.5 FT%. He posted a season-high 21 points in wins vs. Army and Hartford while also earning a double-double (17 pts., 10 rebs.) at American. He currently ranks 20th all-time at BU with 1,202 points.

Led by 11th-year head coach Joe Jones, BU will next open the PL tournament as the No. 3 seed on Thursday (March 3) at home against No. 6 Loyola Maryland with a 7 p.m. start. The Terriers will be seeking their second automatic NCAA berth in three years.

2021-22 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men's Basketball Major Awards and All-League Teams
Player of the Year – Sukhmail Mathon, Boston University, Gr., G
Defensive Player of the Year – Josh Caldwell, Army West Point, Sr., G
Rookie of the Year – Kyrell Luc, Holy Cross, Fr., G
Coach of the Year – Ed DeChellis, Navy

First-Team All-Patriot League
Sukhmail Mathon, Boston University, Gr., F
Javante McCoy, Boston University, Gr., G
Nelly Cummings, Colgate, Sr., G
Tucker Richardson, Colgate, Sr., G
Cam Spencer, Loyola Maryland, Jr., G

Second-Team All-Patriot League
Jalen Rucker, Army West Point, So., G
Andrew Funk, Bucknell, Sr., G
Gerrale Gates, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Neal Quinn, Lafayette, Jr., C
John Carter Jr., Navy, Sr., G

Third-Team All-Patriot League*
Stacy Beckton Jr., American, Sr., G
Walter Whyte, Boston University, Sr., F
Keegan Records, Colgate, Jr., F
Nic Lynch, Lehigh, Sr., C
Evan Taylor, Lehigh, Jr., G

Patriot League All-Defensive Team
Josh Caldwell, Army West Point, Sr., G
Sukhmail Mathon, Boston University, Gr., F
Tucker Richardson, Colgate, Sr., G
Richard Njoku, Navy, Sr., C
Greg Summers, Navy, Sr., G

Patriot League All-Rookie Team
Elijah Stephens, American, Fr., G
Kyrell Luc, Holy Cross, Fr., G
C.J. Fulton, Lafayette, Fr., G
Keith Higgins Jr., Lehigh, Fr., G
Tyler Whitney-Sidney, Lehigh, Fr., G

Schedule

Mathon Named PL Player of the Year, Joined by McCoy and White on All-PL Teams

Players Mentioned

Sukhmail Mathon

Javante McCoy

Walter Whyte

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