Sage Announces 2009-2010 Men's Basketball Award Winners

Rexford, NY--- The Sage Colleges athletic department gathered on April 26 at the Mohawk River Country Club and Chateau to bestow the program’s top awards for the 2009-2010 academic year.  Sage, which now boasts 10 varsity athletic teams that compete as an NCAA Division III member and a full-member of the Skyline Athletic Conference, handed out a Gator of the Year award as the team’s Most Valuable Player Award in each sport as well as other honors at the banquet as athletic department staff, the college’s dignitaries, families and friends gathered to salute the excellence that occurred in 2009-2010 at Sage. By next fall, Sage will field 12 varsity teams with the addition of men’s cross country and men’s soccer to the fold.

Men’s Basketball:

Gator of the Year:      Matt Farbotko (Fr., F, Rouses Point, NY/Northeastern Clinton)

(Selected as the 2009-2010 Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year, Matt was a leader for the Gators in numerous ways. By season’s end, he was the only player to have started every contest and led the team with his 351 points and 179 rebounds. He finished the season with a streak of 17 consecutive double-digit scoring efforts and was the league’s highest scoring freshman in 2009-2010. He averaged 14.0 points with 7.2 rpg and shot a team-high 54.1% from the floor. Over the course of the season, he was named Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week twice, while earning three selections to the league’s honor roll.)

Best Teammate Award:         Jeff Stopera (Fr., G, Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville)

(Jeff was not only recognized for his strong level of play, but for his leadership on and off the courts for Sage in the team’s inaugural season. By season’s end, he had paced the Gators with his 103 assist and 61 steals. He finished the season ranked fourth in the Skyline Conference with his 4.12 assists per game, while he was also ranked second in steals (2.44 per game). He also added a 1.54 assist to turnover ratio to rank third in the league after finishing with a 4.5 ppg and 3.1 rpg average in 25 games. He started 20 games this year and averaged 26.8 minutes a game.)

Most Improved Player:         Mason Horne (Fr., G, Albany, NY/LaSalle Inst.)

(Mason made a dramatic improvement in his game after moving into the team’s starting lineup mid-year. By season’s end, he had earned a selection as the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week once and added a 10.6 ppg average on 264 points with a 3.8 rpg average. He started 17 of 25 games on the year with 35 assists and 21 steals and finished with double-digit scoring performances 14 times and was the high-scorer on four separate occasions.)