Two Lasell Men’s Basketball players earn All-GNAC honors

NEWTON, Mass. – The top two standouts on the Lasell College men's basketball team received All-Conference honors from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Monday with the announcement of the 2017-18 All-Conference Team. The selections are voted upon by the league's head coaches.

Sophomore Stefan Masciarelli (Northbridge, Mass) earned the top honor for Lasell with selection to the All-Conference First Team, while junior Tim Blair (Newington, Conn) received All-Conference Second Team accolades. Masciarelli is a first-time selection to the All-GNAC Team after transferring from Assumption College before this season, while Blair is now a two-time pick after earning Third Team honors a year ago.

A 6-1 guard, Masciarelli ranked third in the GNAC in scoring with 18.2 points per game and ranked second in free three percentage (83.7 percent) and fourth in field goal percentage (44.6). He started all 27 games for the Lasers, shooting 33.6 percent from three-point range (40-of-119) while averaging 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Masciarelli scored at least 20 points in 13 contests, and led the team in scoring in 16 of the 27 games.

Masciarelli scored more than 30 points in three games this season, including back-to-back conference wins in January against Anna Maria College and Mount Ida College, which earned him GNAC Co-Player of the Week recognition. He was also a GNAC All-Tournament Team selection last week after scoring 27 points in a quarterfinal victory over Regis College and 24 points in a semifinal loss at Albertus Magnus College.

A 6-3 guard, Blair ranked second on the team and eighth in the GNAC in scoring with 15.1 points per game. He made 77 three-point baskets, third-most in the conference, and ranked eighth in field goal percentage (37.2). He started all 27 games for the Lasers, adding 6.0 rebounds, second-most on the team. Blair scored at least 20 points in a game eight times this season, including three in a row in January in conference games against Anna Maria, Albertus Magnus and Saint Joseph's College of Maine.

Blair scored in double figures in 22 of the 27 games this season, posting three double-doubles with double-figure performances in points and rebounds in games against Wheaton College, Emmanuel College and Saint Joseph's (Maine).

Additionally, senior Derek McMahon (Hatfield, Mass.) was Lasell's representative on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team for the second straight season. McMahon averaged 6.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 25 starts as a senior, scoring in double figures in five of the last seven games.

The Lasers finished the season with a 13-14 overall record under 12th-year head coach Aaron Galletta, capturing fourth place in the GNAC regular season standings with a 10-6 mark. Lasell downed Regis in the GNAC Tournament quarterfinals before falling in the semifinal round to defending champion Albertus Magnus.

2017-18 GNAC All-Star Teams

First Team
Jaqhawn Walters, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Hartford, Conn.)
Mike Rapoza, Anna Maria (So., Charlton, Mass.)
Brian Hogan-Gary, Johnson & Wales (Jr., Staten Island, N.Y.)
Stefan Masciarelli, Lasell (So., Northbridge, Mass.)
Darian Berry, Saint Joseph's of Maine (Jr., Rochester, N.H.)

Second Team
Jarell Lawson, Johnson & Wales (Sr., Providence, R.I.)
Tim Blair, Lasell (Jr., Newington, Conn.)
Ademola Afonja, Regis (Jr., Staten Island, N.Y.)
Ian Mileikis, Saint Joseph's of Maine (Jr., Auburn, Maine)
Thomas Duffy, Suffolk (So., Fairfield, Conn.)

Third Team
Jahmerikah Green-Younger, Albertus Magnus (So., Norwalk, Conn.)
Amir Maddred, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Camden, N.J.)
Ryan Pittman, Albertus Magnus (Jr., Stratford, Conn.)
Mike Hogervorst, Norwich (Sr., Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands)
Michael Hagopian, Suffolk (Jr., Watertown, Mass.) 

Player of the Year – Jaqhawn Walters, Albertus Magnus (unanimous)
Defensive Player of the Year – Mike Rapoza, Anna Maria
Rookie of the Year – Brendan Mulson, Suffolk
Coach of the Year – Mitch Oliver, Albertus Magnus
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Suffolk University

All-Sportsmanship Team
Jemaa Mwinila-Yuori, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Ghana)
John Birch, Anna Maria (Sr., Woodbridge, Va.)
Zachary Crisafulli, Emmanuel (Fr., Easthampton, Mass.)
Matt Madoian, Johnson & Wales (Jr., North Kingstown, R.I.)
Derek McMahon, Lasell (Sr., Hatfield, Mass.)
Joey DeFillippi, Mount Ida (Sr., Bristol , Conn.)
Joe Bertrand, Norwich (Sr., Saugus, Mass.)
Shawn Wedderburn, Regis (Mass.) (Jr., Bronx, N.Y.)
Tarik Rivers, Rivier (Fr., Stamford , Conn.)
Tatsuaki Sakai, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Fr., Ishikawa, Japan)
Cameron Powers, Suffolk (So., Middlefield, Conn.)

-- 30 --