A day after his selection to compete in the Reese’s 2016 NCAA Division III All-Star Game in Salem, Va., College of Staten Island men’s basketball star Will Fonseca has received more good tidings from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), being selected as a first-team All-Atlantic region all-star and a second-team All-America by the organization, the first time he has received the honor.
A defending DIII News and BennettRank All-America last year, Fonseca was one of 24 individuals comprising the three All-America teams this season by the NABC. The senior forward posted over 23 points to go with 10 rebounds per game through 26 contests in 2015-16. Fonseca posted 15 double-doubles and his 1,702 career points rank fourth all-time and tops among three-year players at the College. Fonseca joined the team in 2013-14, and set the school record for points in a season a year ago, before finishing with 608 this season, ranked 9th all-time at the College.
“It’s surreal at this point,” said a humbled Fonseca. “It’s such a blessing to be acknowledged by so many coaches across the country. I know so many people who would love to be in this position, so I am just trying to take it all in and perform at a high level whenever I am out there.”
Fonseca was the only All-America selected from the CUNYAC, and joined first-teamer Jordan McDaniel of Rutgers-Newark and third-teamer Jamail Stanley from Old Westbury as the only recipients from the NCAA’s Atlantic region. Fonseca will join eight other seniors on the East Region team in Saturday’s All-Star showcase in Salem, which will tip-off at 3:30 p.m., before the NCAA Division III National Championship contest, scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
The All-America teams are voted on by members of the NABC, which currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. Brooklyn College’s Egzon Gjonbalaj joined Fonseca on the All-Atlantic region’s first-team, while Medgar Evers dynamo Matthew Lee posted second-team honors. Eight players make up each of the three All-America teams. A complete list of All-America selections is available below:
2016 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM
Jordan Bolger, Concordia Moorhead, 6-6, Senior, Forward, Apple Valley, Minn.
Marcus Carter, Christopher Newport, 6-2, Sophomore, Guard, Williamsburg, Va.
AJ Edwards, Marietta, 6-5, Junior, Forward, Twinsburg, Ohio Joey Flannery, Babson, 6-5, Junior,
Guard/Forward, Acton, Mass. Alex Graves, Lynchburg, 6-4, Senior, Forward, Waynesboro, Va. Hunter
Hill, Augustana, 5-9, Senior, Guard, Byron, Ill.
Jordan McDaniel, Rutgers-Newark, 6-5, Senior, Forward, Colonia, N.J.
Kyle Richardson, Plattsburgh State, 6-4, Senior, Guard/Forward, Baldwin, N.Y.
2016 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM
Will Fonseca, Staten Island, 6-5, Senior, Forward, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mitch Ford, Nazareth, 6-5, Senior Forward, Victor, N.Y.
Ted Hinnenkamp, Dickinson, 6-7, Senior, Guard/Forward, York, Pa. Sterling Holmes, Texas Lutheran,
6-0, Junior, Guard, San Antonio, Texas Luke Johnson, Benedictine, 6-9, Senior, Forward, Naperville, Ill.
Scott Nikodemski, Alma, 6-1, Senior, Guard, Rockford, Mich.
Andre Norris, Dubuque, 6-7, Senior, Forward, Plainfield, Ill.
Jordan Rezendes, UMass Dartmouth, 6-2, Senior, Guard, Onset, Mass.
2016 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM
Shay Ajayi, Trinity College, 6-6, Senior, Forward, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Nate Axelrod, Ohio Wesleyan, 5-7, Sophomore, Guard, Dublin, Ohio
Brendan Boken, Scranton, 6-6, Senior, Forward/Center, South Pasadena, Calif. Anthony Gaines, Jr.,
Louisiana College, 6-4, Senior, Guard/Forward, Shreveport, La.
Evan Kupferburg, NYU, 6-6, Senior, Forward, Boca Raton, Fla.
Ty Sabin, Ripon, 6-2, Junior, Guard, New Berlin, Wis.
Jamail Stanley, Old Westbury, 6-2, Junior, Guard, Syracuse, N.Y.
George Valle, Whitworth, 6-4, Senior, Guard, Bellevue, Wash.
