BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its men’s basketball postseason awards Tuesday and two Gustavus student-athletes received recognition. Riley Sharbono (Sr., Marshall, Minn.) earned All-Conference Honorable Mention while Nolan Malo (Fy., Owatonna, Minn.) received All First-Year honors.
A third-team honoree last season, Sharbono led the Gusties this season with 320 points for an average of 12.8 per game. He missed just one game all season and shot 47.0 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from three-point range, making a team high 111 field goals and 37 shots from behind the arc. Sharbono also finished the season averaging 3.0 rebounds per game, dishing out 34 assists, and nabbing 13 steals. He netted the most free throws of any Gustie, making 61 of 75 attempts for a percent of 81.3, which ranked sixth in the MIAC. Sharbono finishes his Gustavus career with 1,233 points which ranks 15th all-time in the history of Gustie basketball, while his 155 three-point field goals will go down as the fifth-most for those to don the Black and Gold.
Malo finished his rookie campaign as the team’s second leading scorer, averaging 9.9 points per contest. He was the team leader in rebounds with 5.3 per contest, and he ranked eighth in the conference with a 52.1 field goal percentage after making 100-of-192 attempts. The first-year had 11 games this season with double-digit points, with the Gusties going 8-3 in those contests. Malo also broke the 20-point mark three times, tied for most on the team with Sharbono, and he tallied a season high 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting versus Saint Mary’s.
Brandon Snoberger (Sr., Rice, Minn.) was also recognized by the league as he was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team. Booker Coplin of Augsburg was named the Joe Hutton Player of the Year, Burt Hedstrom of St. Thomas was named Sixth Man of the Year, and Johnny Tauer of St. Thomas was named Coach of the Year.