Cleveland, Ohio - Today the Mid-American Conference announced the All-MAC Teams & Specialty Award selections for the 2020-21 season. All of the awards were voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.

Toledo’s Marreon Jackson was named the MAC Player of the Year, while Rockets Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk earned Coach of the Year accolades. UT’s Ryan Rollins was tabbed Freshman of the Year, while Buffalo's Josh Mballa (Defensive Player of the Year) & Bowling Green’s Trey Diggs (Sixth Man of the Year) rounded out this year's specialty award selections.

Jackson leads Toledo with 17.6 ppg, 6.2 apg (No. 10 nationally), 1.9 spg and a 91.2 FT% (No. 7 nationally). He also ranks second on the team with a career-best 6.3 rpg and led the conference in league games with 6.5 defensive rpg. Jackson has registered a pair of triple-doubles and six double-doubles in his last nine games. Jackson ranks seventh on Toledo's all-time scoring list with 1,749 career points, eight points behind Jonathan Williams (2013-17).  Jackson also is in second place with 299 three-point FGs and third place with 562 assists in Rocket history.

Rollins leads all freshmen in the MAC with 13.8 ppg and has scored the fifth-most points (373) by a freshman in program history. He ranks second on the team with 2.6 apg and has also made an impact on the boards with 5.4 rpg. He scored a season-high 25 points vs. CMU (Jan. 19) and registered two double-doubles with 16 points and 13 rebounds at Marshall (Dec. 16) as well as 16 points and 11 boards vs. NIU (Dec. 22).

Kowalczyk has guided UT to five 20-win campaigns in the last eight years and ranks second on Toledo’s all-time win list with 204 victories in 11 seasons at the Rockets’ helm. Toledo has won a school-record 15 conference contests this season and ranks in the Top 15 nationally in seven categories - 1st in 3PTFGs made (292), 2nd with 10.8 3PTFGs/game, tied for 10th with a 78.5 FT%, 11th with a 1.50 A/TO ratio, tied for 12th with a 38.6 3PTFG% and 14th with 81.3 ppg and a 29.0 three-point FG% defense.

Mballa has six double-doubles on the year, including a career high 19 rebounds in a win over Ball State, the most by a Buffalo player since 2014. He is also second on the team in free throw percentage at .725. Mballa was also named to the league's All-Defensive Team.

Diggs is the second player in program history to take home the MAC's Sixth Man of the Year award. Brian Moten grabbed the honor in 2008. Diggs, who is shooting 38.7 percent (55-of-142) from downtown in 2020-21, has the third highest three-point percentage in the Mid-American Conference among players that have attempted at least 140 triples on the season. Diggs surpassed 1,000 collegiate points on the season, and has now totaled 510 points since becoming a Falcon in 2019.
 
For more information on the 2021 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament -- CLICK HERE

 
2020-21 MAC Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards
Coach of the Year: Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo
Player of the Year: Marreon Jackson, Sr., G, Toledo
Freshman of the Year: Ryan Rollins, G, Toledo
Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Mballa, Jr., F, Buffalo
Sixth Man of the Year: Trey Diggs, Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
 
All-MAC First Team
Loren Cristian Jackson, Sr., G, Akron
Justin Turner, Gr., G, Bowling Green
Danny Pippen, Sr., F, Kent State
Jason Preston, Jr., G, Ohio
Marreon Jackson, Sr., G, Toledo
 
All-MAC Second Team
Ishmael El-Amin, Sr., G, Ball State
Josh Mballa, Jr., F, Buffalo
Jeenathan Williams, Jr., F, Buffalo
Jayvon Graves, Sr., G, Buffalo
Spencer Littleson, Sr., G, Toledo
 
All-MAC Third Team
Daeqwon Plowden, Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
Michael Nuga, Sr., G, Kent State
Dae Dae Grant, So., G, Miami
Ben Vander Plas, R-Jr., F, Ohio
Dwight Wilson III, Sr., F, Ohio
 
Honorable Mention
Bryan Trimble Jr., Jr., G, Akron
K.J. Walton, Gr., G, Ball State
Ryan Rollins, Fr., G, Toledo
B. Artis White, So., G, Western Michigan
Greg Lee, Sr., F, Western Michigan
 
All-Freshman Team
Josiah Fulcher, G, Bowling Green
Kaden Matheny, G, Bowling Green
Aundre Polk, F, Central Michigan
Mark Sears, G, Ohio
Ryan Rollins, G, Toledo
 
All-Defensive Team
Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Josh Mballa, Jr., F, Buffalo
Malique Jacobs, Jr., G, Kent State
Lunden McDay, So., G, Ohio
Spencer Littleson, Sr., G, Toledo