PRINCETON, N.J. – The all-Ivy men’s basketball teams and major award winners, voted on by the league's eight head coaches, were announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
Caden Pierce, the 2022-23 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, led Princeton to the Ivy League title and was named the 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year. Yale’s Bez Mbeng was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. Harvard’s Malik Mack was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Tigers’ Head Coach Mitch Henderson made it two major awards for Princeton as he was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year.
 
Pierce ranked in the top-10 in the Ivy League in scoring, rebounding, and assists, with averages of 16.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 54.6 percent from the floor. The sophomore reached double-digit points in 14 of his last 15 games, with a career-high 32 points coming in the top-seed-clinching regular season finale victory over Penn and had 13 double-doubles during the season.
 
Mbeng won his second-consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award, proving to be an even greater force on the defensive end of the floor than he was a year ago. He increased his steals per game average from 1.4 to 2.0 steals per game which ranks second in the Ivy League.
 
Mack led the Crimson in points, assists and steals per game. His 17.2 points per game ranked fourth in the Ivy League while his 4.8 assists per game ranked first in the conference. Mack had a 1.9 assist to turnover ratio, which was fifth-best in the Ivy League, and his 1.3 steals ranked sixth. The D.C. native opened the season with 10-straight double digit scoring games and reached 20 points in eight games during the season.
 
Henderson coached the Tigers to their third-straight Ivy title, the first time Princeton accomplished that since 1996-1998. Princeton finished the regular season with a 24-3 record, the sixth-best win percentage in the country, and led the Ivy League in both scoring offense and defense, with per game averages of 83.0 and 65.1 points per game, respectively.
 
Four of the five members of the All-Ivy First Team were unanimously selected. Pierce was one of the unanimous selections as was Princeton teammate, Xaivian Lee. Lee topped Princeton and ranked third in the Ivy League with 17.7 points per game. Cornell senior Chris Manon, who averaged 12.6 points and 3.0 assists per game, and Yale’s Danny Wolf, who averaged 14.4 points and a league-leading 9.7 rebounds per game, were the other two unanimous selections. Ivy League leading scorer Kino Lilly Jr. of Brown, who averaged 18.4 points per game, was the last member of the All-Ivy First Team.
 
The All-Ivy Second Team was expanded to six players due to ties and five Ivy League member institutions were represented. Yale had two representatives in Mbeng and John Poulakidas, followed by one each from Princeton, Penn, Cornell, and Brown. Seniors Matt Allocco and Clark Slajchert, from Princeton and Penn, respectively, and juniors Nazir Williams of Cornell and Nana Owusu-Anane of Brown rounded out the All-Ivy Second Team.
 
Mack, Columbia guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa and Yale forward Matt Knowling earned honorable mention nods.
 
Additionally, one student-athlete from each institution was recognized for their commitment in the classroom and on the court as members of the 2023-24 Ivy League Men's Basketball Academic All-Ivy team. Brown’s Kimo Ferrari, Columbia's Robbie Stankard, Cornell’s Keller Boothby, Dartmouth's Dusan Neskovic, Harvard’s Justice Ajogbor, Penn's Clark Slachert, Princeton’s Zach Martini and Yale's August Mahoney were each named to the team.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Caden Pierce, Princeton (So., F)
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bez Mbeng, Yale (Jr., G)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
*Malik Mack, Harvard (Fr., G)
 
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mitch Henderson, Princeton
 
FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY
Kino Lilly Jr., Brown (Jr., G)
*Chris Manon, Cornell (Sr., G)
*Xaivian Lee, Princeton (So., G)
*Caden Pierce, Princeton (So., F)
*Danny Wolf, Yale (So., F)

SECOND TEAM ALL-IVY^
Nana Owusu-Anane, Brown (Jr., F)
Nazir Williams, Cornell (Jr., G)
Clark Slajchert, Penn (Sr., G)
Matt Allocco, Princeton (Sr., G)
Bez Mbeng, Yale (Jr., G)
John Poulakidas, Yale (Jr., G)

HONORABLE MENTION
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Columbia (Jr., G)
Malik Mack, Harvard (Fy., G)
Matt Knowling, Yale (Sr., F)
 
*Unanimous Selection
^Team Extended Due To Tie In Voting