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2024-25 CAA Awards

Men's Basketball Brandon Sans

Three Seahawks Earn CAA Year-End Honors

McGriff Named Dean Ehlers Leadership Award recipient

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Three UNCW men's basketball players have earned Coastal Athletic Association Postseason awards, as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches, the league announced on Thursday afternoon.

Redshirt junior forward Khamari McGriff received the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award while graduate guard Donovan Newby was named to the All-CAA Second Team. Graduate forward Sean Moore claimed All-CAA Defensive Honors.

McGriff is the seventh Seahawk to collect the conference leadership award (first since 2009) as the men's basketball student-athlete in the CAA who "embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with his academic and athletic achievement."

The Tallahassee, Fla., native graduated after three-and-a-half years in December 2024 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. McGriff earned an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.350 and began a Master of Science program in Finance and Investment Management in January. 

McGriff, who served on UNCW's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Executive Board from 2022-2024, is deeply committed to community service, having volunteered with numerous organizations such as The Harrelson Center, Catholic Charities, Walker Ford Community Center, Coastal Buds: Bringing Up Down Syndrome, iCan Dance, Toys for Tots, DC Virgo Prep Academy, and many more organizations in the Wilmington and Tallahassee communities.

McGriff has enjoyed a breakout season while displaying his selflessness on the court. The 6-9 forward averaged a career-high 11.6 ppg, second most on the team, but came off the bench the entirety of conference play to the betterment of the program as UNCW rattled off 14 conference wins, including a nine-game win streak. He produced 12 of his 19 double-digit scoring efforts in league play and paced the circuit by shooting 64.1 percent from the floor.

Newby blossomed this season as a team leader and one of the top options on the Seahawks' fourth-straight 20-or-more-wins team. The Chicago Heights, Ill., product paced UNCW with 14.4 ppg, also a career-high, and set other personal benchmarks in minutes (32.0 p/g), rebounds (2.7 p/g), total assists (108), total steals (38), fields goals made (128), three-pointers made (69), and free throws made (121).

A staple of the program over the last three years, Newby has reached double figures 23 times this year, including seven 20-point and two 30-point efforts. The only Seahawk to start all 31 regular season games, Newby paced the Seahawks in scoring 12 times.

Moore became one of the premier two-way players in the CAA in his first season in the Port City, reaching double figures 13 times while being tied for second in the league with 47 steals. The Farleigh Dickinson transfer tallied at least two steals in 18 games, including a career-high-matching five swipes versus Hampton in late January.

UNCW opens the 2025 Jersey Mike's CAA Championship on Sunday, Mar. 9, at 6 p.m. against No. 7 Northeastern or No. 10 Hampton at the CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C.

2024-25 CAA Men's Basketball Postseason Awards
Player of the Year - Tyler Tejada, Towson
Defensive Player of the Year - Nolan Dorsey, Campbell
Rookie of the Year - Izaiah Pasha, Delaware
Sixth Man of the Year - Nendah Tarke, Towson
Scholar-Athlete of the Year – CJ Fulton, Charleston
Dean Ehlers Leadership Award – Khamari McGriff, UNCW
Coach of the Year - Pat Skerry, Towson

All-CAA First Team
Tyler Tejada, Towson
Ante Brzovic, Charleston
Colby Duggan, Campbell
Abdi Bashir Jr., Monmouth
Rashad King, Northeastern

All-CAA Second Team
TK Simpkins, Elon
John Camden, Delaware
Donovan Newby, UNCW
Dylan Williamson, Towson
Gabe Dorsey, William & Mary

All-CAA Third Team
Derrin Boyd, Charleston
CJ Fulton, Charleston
Kobe MaGee, Drexel
Noah Farrakhan, Hampton
CJ Luster, Stony Brook

All-CAA Defensive Team
Nolan Dorsey, Campbell
Cole Hargrove, Drexel
Matthew Van Komen, Elon
Collin Metcalf, Northeastern
Sean Moore, UNCW

All-CAA Rookie Team
Izaiah Pasha, Delaware
Justas Stonkus, Charleston
Daniel Johnson, Hampton
Collin O'Connor, Stony Brook
Isaiah Mbeng, William & Mary

 
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Players Mentioned

Khamari McGriff

#21 Khamari McGriff

F
6' 9"
Redshirt Junior
Donovan Newby

#1 Donovan Newby

G
6' 1"
Graduate Student
Sean Moore

#3 Sean Moore

F
6' 7"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Khamari McGriff

#21 Khamari McGriff

6' 9"
Redshirt Junior
F
Donovan Newby

#1 Donovan Newby

6' 1"
Graduate Student
G
Sean Moore

#3 Sean Moore

6' 7"
Graduate Student
F