NORFOLK, Va. – Coppin State's
Toby Nnadozie has been named the MEAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year, it was announced by the league office on Tuesday night. Nnadozie also earned Third Team All-MEAC and All-Defensive Team honors, receiving All-Conference accolades for the first time in his career.
A junior from Baltimore, Md., Nnadozie is just the second Eagles player ever to receive the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award, joining
Anthony Tarke (2021) who now plays for the NBA G-League's Long Island Nets.
Nnadozie averaged a team-high 12.5 points to go with 3.4 rebounds and 70 assists while leading the MEAC with 72 steals and 2.5 steals per game. The 6-foot-3 guard ranks eighth nationally in steals and 10
th in steals per game. Nnadozie upped his production to 14.7 points and 3.6 rebounds with 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals in conference games.
Nnadozie scored in double figures in 18 games with at least 20 points in six different games. In back-to-games in late February and early March, he put up a career-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting and five 3-pointers in a win over Howard before surpassing that high with 29 points at Delaware State on 13-of-18 shooting to earn MEAC Player of the Week honors.
In a victory over Cheyney, he was credited with eight steals which matched a CSU single-game record during the program's NCAA Division I era and are tied for the most by an NCAA Division I player this season. His 72 steals are the fifth-most in CSU single-season history.
The Eagles (6-23, 4-10 MEAC) earned the seventh seed in the upcoming MEAC Tournament and will face No. 2 South Carolina State in the Quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 12 at 8:00 pm.
