Men's Basketball | March 8

CLEVELAND – David Coit (Columbus, N.J.) and Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill.) of the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team each earned all-league recognition as the Mid-American Conference announced its 2022-23 postseason awards on Wednesday (March 8). Coit was named to the All-MAC Third Team while Thornton received All-MAC Honorable Mention recognition. 

Coit is 12th in the MAC in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game and eighth in league play where he averages 16.9 points per contest. The first-year Huskie guard had scored in double figures 21 times this season, including nine game of 20-plus points. Coit is averaging 2.8 three-point field goals per game, which ranks third in the MAC and 42nd in the country. His 79 three pointers this season is the second-best single season total in NIU history, behind only Eugene German's 87 during the 2018-19 season. 

Along with his scoring prowess, Coit ranks 16th in the conference with 2.9 assists per game and 13th in the league with 1.3 steals per contest. During league play, the Columbus, N.J. native has a 2.17 assist/turnover ratio, fifth-best in the MAC. 

Thornton led the MAC during conference play in both assists and steals, averaging 6.7 assists per game and 2.2 steals per contest. For the season overall, Thornton is averaging 5.3 assists per game, second-best in the MAC and 30th nationally. The senior guard enters the conference tournament with 320 career assists, seventh-best in NIU history, and 153 assists this season, the second-best single season total in program history, behind only Jay Bryant's 163 in 1979-80. 

The Bolingbrook, Ill., native has three point-assist double-doubles this season, a feat that had not previously been done by a Huskie since 2010. Thornton has four games of double figure assists this year and also ranks 16th in the conference in three-point percentage, shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc. 

This marks the first time that NIU has had two All-MAC honorees in the same season since the 2003-04 campaign when Marcus Smallwood and P.J. Smith both earned All-MAC honorable mention recognition. 

The Huskies will begin play in the MAC Tournament on Thursday afternoon, March 9, in the quarterfinals against Kent State at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. NIU and Kent State will play the third game of the day, beginning at approximately 3 p.m. CT. 

2022-23 MAC Men's Basketball Postseason Awards
Coach of the Year: Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo 
Player of the Year: RayJ Dennis, Jr., G, Toledo  *unanimous selection*
Freshman of the Year: Reggie Bass, G, Central Michigan
Defensive Player of the Year: Malique Jacobs, R-Sr., G, Kent State
Sixth Man of the Year: Jalen Sullinger, So., G, Kent State

All-MAC First Team
Xavier Castaneda, Sr., G, Akron
Enrique Freeman, Jr., F, Akron
Sincere Carry, R-Sr., G, Kent State
RayJ Dennis, Jr., G, Toledo
JT Shumate, Sr., F, Toledo

All-MAC Second Team
Payton Sparks, So., C, Ball State
Jarron Coleman, R-Jr., G, Ball State
Malique Jacobs, R-Sr., G, Kent State
Setric Millner Jr., Sr., F, Toledo
Dwight Wilson III, Grad., F, Ohio

All-MAC Third Team
Jaylin Sellers, So., G, Ball State
Curtis Jones, So., G, Buffalo
Emoni Bates, So., F, Eastern Michigan
Mekhi Lairy, 5th, G, Miami
David Coit, So., G, NIU

Honorable Mention
Leon Ayers III, Sr., G, Bowling Green
Anderson Mirambeaux, Sr., F, Miami
Kaleb Thornton, Sr., G, NIU
Jaylin Hunter, Jr., G, Ohio
Lamar Norman Jr., Sr., G, Western Michigan

All-Freshman Team
Reggie Bass, G, Central Michigan
Ryan Mabrey, G, Miami
AJ Brown, G, Ohio
Elmore James G, Ohio
Seth Hubbard G, Western Michigan

All-Defensive Team
Enrique Freeman, Jr., F, Akron
Greg Tribble, Jr., G, Akron
Damarius Jacobs, Sr., G, Ball State
Malique Jacobs, R-Sr., G, Kent State
Sincere Carry, R-Sr., G, Kent State