CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the All-MAC Teams and Specialty Award selections for the 2023-24 men’s basketball season today. All awards were voted on by the league's 12 head coaches, with coaches unable to vote for their own student-athletes.
Akron’s Enrique Freeman was named the Player of the Year, while Central Michigan Tony Barbee became the first Chippewa head coach in in nine seasons to earn Coach of the Year honors. Toledo’s Javan Simmons was tabbed Freshman of the Year, while fellow Rocket Tyler Cochran and Central Michigan’s Anthony Pritchard each garnered Co-Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Western Michigan’s JaVaugh Hannah took home the Sixth Man of the Year award to round out this year's specialty selections.
Enrique Freeman becomes the fourth player in Akron history to be named the MAC Player of the Year; joining Romeo Travis (2007), Isaiah Johnson (2017), and Loren Cristian Jackson (2020). Freeman was also a unanimous selection by the 11 opposing head coaches. He has also been named a top-five finalist for the Karl Malone Power Forward Award along with being named to the Oscar Robertson Award All-America Watch list and Lou Henson Player of the Year Watch list. Starting all 31 games, Freeman recorded double-figure scoring in every game this season while recording 28 double-doubles. He has also scored in double-digits in 45 consecutive games where he has recorded 38 double-doubles over that span. Freeman is the only player in the MAC to average a double-double and has scored 20-plus points in 14 games and recorded 20+ points and 10+ rebounds 13 times.
Barbee becomes the fifth coach in school history to earn the MAC Coach of the Year Award after guiding the Chippewas to an 18-13 overall record and fourth place finish in the MAC with a 12-6 record. CMU’s 12 league victories were the most since the 2014-15 season. In the offseason, Barbee rebuilt CMU’s roster with only four players returning as he added 12 new players and blended them into a team that challenged for the MAC regular season title. In the preseason coaches poll, Central Michigan was picked to finish in 12
th place out of 12 teams. Barbee joins Dick Parfitt (1975), Charlie Coles (1987), Jay Smith (2001 and 2003), and Keno Davis (2015) as MAC Coach of the Year honorees.
Simmons averaged 12.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg and a team-high 0.9 bpg. He was the only freshman in the MAC to average 9.0 ppg or higher and ranked third in the MAC with a team-best 54.6 FG%. Simmons scored in double digits on 24 occasions, including a season-high 20-point outing on 10-of-13 shooting vs. Buffalo (Jan. 16). He also tallied 13 rebounds, a season-high 16 rebounds and four assists vs. Ohio (Feb. 16).
Cochran is leading the MAC with 2.0 spg and tallied a team-high 6.5 rpg. He ranks third on the team with 14.4 ppg, has registered a team-high four double-doubles and grabbed two or more steals in a game on 17 occasions. Cochran's top performance of the season came with a career-high 33-point, eight-rebound, five-assist, and four-steal outing vs. Marshall (Dec. 13).
Pritchard becomes just the second player in Central Michigan basketball history to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award and the first Chippewas player since 2017 to earn First Team All-MAC accolades. The only other player in school history to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award was Chris Kaman in 2003. A 6-foot-2-inch, 185-pound junior guard from Tulsa, Okla., Pritchard leads the Chippewas in points (13.1 ppg.), field goals (142), assists (129), and steals (46). He also averages 5.2 rebounds per game and converts 74.2 percent (69-93) of his free throw attempts. Pritchard has scored 20-plus points four times, reached double-figure scoring 20 times and dished out five or more assists 15 times on the year while leading the Chippewas in scoring 12 times and assists 20 times. He has also served as CMU’s catalyst on defense as he ranks No. 5 in the MAC in steals (46) and No. 3 in steals per game (1.64). Pritchard earned the MAC Player of the Week on Jan. 29, 2024.
Hannah becomes the third Bronco to be named the MAC Sixth Man of the Year, joining Reggie Berry (2004) and David Brown (2013). The sophomore has come off of the bench for the majority of the season for Western Michigan, and is averaging 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The Mount Clemens, Mich., native turned things up a notch in conference play, averaging 10.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, with 10 of his 12 double-digit scoring performances coming against MAC foes. Hannah averaged 1.8 offensive rebounds per game in league contests, helping the Brown and Gold pace the conference in offensive rebounding at 12.8 per game during MAC play.
2023-24 MAC Men’s Basketball All-MAC Teams & Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Tony Barbee, Central Michigan
Player of the Year: Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron*
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo
Freshman of the Year: Javan Simmons, Forward, Toledo*
Sixth Man of the Year: JaVaughn Hannah, Sophomore, Guard, Western Michigan
* - unanimous selection by 11 opposing head coaches
All-MAC First Team
Ali Ali, Senior, Guard, Akron
Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron
Marcus Hill, Junior, Guard, Bowling Green
Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan
Ra’Heim Moss, Junior, Guard, Toledo
All-MAC Second Team
Basheer Jihad, Junior, Forward, Ball State
Rashaun Agee, Senior, Forward, Bowling Green
Jaylin Hunter, Senior, Guard, Ohio
Dante Maddox Jr., Junior, Guard, Toledo
Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo
All-MAC Third Team
Brian Taylor, Graduate Student, Guard, Central Michigan
Tyson Acuff, Junior, Guard, Eastern Michigan
Jalen Sullinger, Junior, Guard, Kent State
David Coit, Junior, Guard, Northern Illinois
AJ Clayton, Junior, Forward, Ohio
All-MAC Honorable Mention
Greg Tribble, Senior, Guard, Akron
VonCameron Davis, R-Junior, Forward, Kent State
Anderson Mirambeaux, Senior, Center, Miami
Darweshi Hunter, Graduate Student, Guard, Miami
B. Artis White, R-Junior, Guard, Western Michigan
MAC All-Freshman Team
Arne Osojnik, Guard, Eastern Michigan
Eian Elmer, Wing, Miami
Will Lovings-Watts, Guard, Northern Illinois
Javan Simmons, Forward, Toledo
Sonny Wilson, Guard, Toledo
MAC All-Defensive Team
Greg Tribble, Senior, Guard, Akron
Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron
Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan
Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo
Ra’Heim Moss, Junior, Guard, Toledo
