NEW HAVEN, Conn.- Caldwell University men's basketball sophomore Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) was named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year along with Third Team All-Conference honors, while freshman Darnell Evans (Deer Park, N.Y.) took home CACC Rookie of the Year honors and was a CACC First Team selection.
 
Head Coach Dean Johnson was selected as the CACC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year, while sophomore Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) earned CACC Third Team All-Conference recognition.  
 
Rancy was a dominant force on the defensive side of the ball all season, leading the conference in total blocks with 120 and blocks per game with 4.4. He set the single season conference record in blocks earlier this month and leads NCAA Division II nationally in blocks and blocks per game. Rancy also shattered the program's career blocks record this season and currently has 213 blocks for his career. He has also contributed 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Rancy ranks sixth in the CACC in steals and 14th in rebounds. He tied the CACC single-game blocks record with 10 in a win earlier this month over the University of Bridgeport. Rancy was a seven-time CACC Defensive Player of the Week winner this season.
 
Evans powered the Cougars offense this season, leading the team in scoring with 18.6 points per contest. He added 5.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per contest, while netting 31 three-pointers. Evans was named the CACC Player of the Week twice this season and was a six-time CACC Rookie of the Week selection. The freshman guard scored 20+ points in 11 games with two 30+ points outburst and netted a career-high 31 points in a December win over Felician University. Evans dished out a season-high 10 assists against Wilmington University in January and grabbed a season0best 10 boards earlier this month against Bridgeport.
 
Heber was the top outside shooter for the Cougars this season, leading the team with 54 three-pointers. He averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game and had scored 20+ points in seven games this season. Heber rans seventh in the CACC in three-pointers, 11th in points per game and leads the conference in free throw percentage at 91.8%. He has tallied a season-high 26 points in a January win over Wilmington and grabbed 10+ rebounds in two games, including a season-high in a November win over Mercy College
 
Johnson, in his first season leading the men's basketball program, guided the Cougars to its first North Division title in the NCAA era (2002-present). The Cougars were selected to finish in fifth place in the CACC Preseason Coaches' poll but Johnson led Caldwell to 14 conference wins and the top overall seed in this week's CACC Championship Tournament. The Cougars 18 overall victories this season is the most since the 2006-07 season where they finished with 19 wins that year.
 
The Cougars, as the CACC North Division Champions, will host the South #4 seed Wilmington University in the 2023 CACC Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 28 at 6 pm.