By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 20, 2013) The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has announced its 2012-13 Men’s Basketball All-Conference teams, naming three from Morrisville State to its first and third teams.
Rhamel Williams (Bronx, N.Y. / John F Kennedy) earned first team honors following this performance on the court this season. One of five players to average double figures for the Mustangs, Williams appeared in all 24 games for Morrisville State at the 3-4 position, and posted 259 total points (10.8 per game), 151 rebounds (6.3 rpg), and 77 steals (3.2 spg), averaging just 23.2 minutes of playing time.
Out of his 151 total rebounds, 60 were on the offensive glass to rank seventh overall in the conference; and his 77 steals ranks sixth overall in the nation in steals per game, the same category he leads at the conference level.
Williams posted a best 16 points and 11 steals in the win over Lancaster Bible, setting a new conference record for steals recorded in a single game in mid-January and earning NEAC Player of the Week honors.
Williams is a sports, nutrition and fitness management major at Morrisville State. He is the son of Zona Williams of Bronx.
Juniors Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y. / Henninger) and Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y. / Bishop Grimes) each collected all-conference honors for the second straight season, both being named to the third team.
Hanks appeared in all 24 games for Mustangs at the point position, and has tallied 259 points (10.8 ppg), 144 rebounds (6.0 rpg), 92 assists (3.8 apg), and 44 steals (1.9 spg), averaging 28.0 minutes per game on the season. Out of his 144 total rebounds, Hanks ranks 10th overall in the conference in defensive rebounds collected. He also ranks fifth in the conference in assists (top 125 nationally), posting a game high eight twice this season, including in the win over Keuka.
Hanks tallied a season high 20 points in the win over Lancaster Bible. He holds a 1.3 assist to turnover ratio, ranking eighth in the conference, and on the season has hit 47.5 percent of shots taken, 73.3 percent from the free throw line.
He was a third team all-conference selection last season at guard. The junior is an individual studies major at Morrisville State, and is the son of Ethel and Shawn Hanks of Syracuse.
Ater is another player for the Mustangs to average double figures, leading them to their second straight NEAC regular season North Division title. Appearing in all 24 games for Morrisville State at forward, he has tallied 262 points (10.9 ppg), 130 rebounds (5.4 rpg), dished out 35 assists (1.5 apg) and registered 17 blocks (0.7 bpg), while averaging 26.2 minutes per game.
Out of his total 130 rebounds, 54 came on the offensive glass, ranking 12th overall in the conference, while on the defensive end, he ranks 13th in blocked shots. On the floor Ater hits 51.3 percent of shots taken to rank 10th in the conference, and has hit 66-of-90 from the free throw line, ranking 11th in free throws made, and 12th in free throw percentage (73.3 percent) at the conference level.
Ater posted a season high 22 points twice this season and snared a best 12 rebounds. He was a second team all-conference selection last season at forward.
The junior is a computer information systems major at Morrisville State. He is the son of Persikila Depmac of Syracuse.
The Mustangs closed out the regular season with a 19-5 overall record, and finished at the top of the conference for the second straight year with a 13-2 mark. Earning the right to host the tournament, they face rival Penn State Harrisburg in the championship tournament semi-finals, scheduled Saturday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. on the Morrisville State campus.