The Stony Brook Men’s Basketball season is 32 days away, but the team’s student-athletes are already receiving honors before they hit the hardwood. Seniors Jameel Warney and Carson Puriefoy were named top-20 finalists for nationwide position-based player of the year awards by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Warney, who averaged 16.4 points and 11.7 rebounds per game last season, was nominated for the 2016 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Puriefoy is in the running for the 2016 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award after putting up 14.4 points and 3.4 assists a night in 2014-15.
The respective finalist counts for both awards will be cut to ten by mid-February, then five come March, before a winner is selected. The Karl Malone Award is in its second year of existence, with Warney making the America East’s first appearance on the award’s watch list. The Bob Cousy Award is being handed out for the 16th time this year, with every one of its winners going on to play in the NBA. Puriefoy is the only player from the America East to be featured in the top-20 finalists this season.
Warney is coming off back-to-back America East Player of the Year honors and is likely going to win another. He was also named a top-100 college basketball player for 2015-16 by Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, ranking No. 93 in the country.
Both Seawolves were selected to the All-America East First Team last season. They look to lead Stony Brook to its first NCAA Tournament berth when the season begins on Saturday, Nov. 14 at home against U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
