HAMILTON – Colgate University Head Men's Basketball Coach Matt Langel was named Patriot League Coach of the Year and sophomore guard Braeden Smith garnered Player of the Year, headlining Colgate's postseason honors announced by the league on Monday afternoon. 

Langel repeated the league's top coaching honor and is now a five-time Patriot League Coach of the Year recipient. He was the only coach in Patriot League men's basketball history to be a four-time honoree, and now he adds to his collection with his fifth in a seven-year span. 

Smith became the first sophomore to earn the league's top player honor since Tim Kempton of Lehigh in 2014-15. He and Keegan Records were named to the five-player All-League First Team, while Ryan Moffatt rounded out Colgate's postseason honorees with Second Team laurels. Records also earned a spot on the Patriot League All-Defensive Team. 

Langel Lauded For Another Regular Season Title

Colgate was picked as the unanimous preseason favorite to win the Patriot League, and that's exactly what the Raiders did. They won it by six games – the largest separation between first and second place in Patriot League men's basketball history. This season, Colgate posted a 16-2 league mark, its third consecutive year reaching at least 16 wins in conference play. 

Colgate won 12 straight games in the heart of the league season, which at the time was the nation's second-longest winning streak. The Raiders became the first team in Patriot League history to go perfect 9-0 on the road during league play, and their current nine-game road winning streak is tied with No. 17 St. Mary's for the longest nationally.

Langel's Raiders won 11 league games by double-digits, but they also pulled out two three-point wins against Lehigh, erased a 15-point deficit against Navy, and won games at Army and Lafayette where the lead changed hands late in regulation. 

Colgate enters the postseason currently ranked seventh nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.5), 11th in scoring defense (63.4), 20th in three-point defense (30.2), and 28th in defensive rebounds per game (27.71). 

Smith First Sophomore to Earn Player of the Year Since 2014-15

Smith is Colgate's leading scorer on the season, averaging 12.2 points, 5.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. His assist average is ahead of Jordan Burns' single-season program record of 5.6 assists per game. Smith has 181 total assists this season, good for the 16th most in the country, and his 5.8 average is currently 24th best in the land. He has led the team in assists in 28 of the team's 31 games this season. 

A native of Seattle, Smith has recorded four 20-point games, including two 25-point performances which match his career best against Gardner-Webb (11/18) and Navy (1/6). Smith has two double-doubles: at Syracuse (14 pts, 11 rebs) and Boston U (11 pts, 10 asts). He has 16 games with at least six assists and 17 games with two or more steals. 

Records Repeats on First Team and All-Defensive Team

Records has come on strong down the stretch, leading the team in scoring in five of the last six games. For the season, the fifth-year senior is averaging 11.1 points per game with 13 double-digit scoring efforts including two 20-point performances. His 6.5 rebounds-per-game average is good for third-best in the league as well as his 55.3 field goal percentage. 

The South Kingstown, R.I., native ranks 11th all-time in scoring (1,433), fourth in rebounding (856), and third in blocked shots (172). He will conclude his Colgate career as one of four players to have reached 1,400 points and 800 rebounds. His 62.4 career field goal percentage will shatter the program record of 55.6 held by Jonathan Stone (1988-92).

Moffatt Makes All-Patriot League Second Team Honor

Moffatt moves up to second team honors in 2023-24 after being a third team selection in 2022-23. The Lancaster, Pa., product has led the team in scoring six times and rebounding five times, averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He has three 20-point games, including his season-high 23 with six made treys against Boston University (1/20). 

With at least four 3-pointers in six games this season, Moffatt ranks third in the Patriot League in three-point field goals per game (2.2). Moffatt's 41.2 career three-point percentage is 10th-best among active Division I players and third-best in Patriot League history.
UP NEXT
Colgate (22-9, 16-2 PL) makes its postseason debut on Thursday when the top-seeded Raiders host the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Colgate will face the winner of eight-seeded Army vs ninth-seeded Holy Cross, which takes place Tuesday night. 

2023-24 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men's Basketball Major Awards and All-League Teams

Player of the Year – Braeden Smith, Colgate, So., G
Defensive Player of the Year – Caleb Kenney, Holy Cross, Jr., F
Rookie of the Year – Josh Scovens, Army West Point, Fr., F
Coach of the Year – Matt Langel, Colgate
 
First-Team All-Patriot League
Matt Rogers, American, Sr., F
Jack Forrest, Bucknell, Sr., G
Keegan Records, Colgate, 5th-year, F
Braeden Smith, Colgate, So., G
Tyler Whitney-Sidney, Lehigh, Jr., G
 
Second-Team All-Patriot League*
Elijah Stephens, American, Jr., G
Miles Brewster, Boston University, Sr., G
Ryan Moffatt, Colgate, 5th-year, F
Caleb Kenney, Holy Cross, Jr., F
Deon Perry, Loyola Maryland, So., G
Austin Benigni, Navy, So., G
 
Third-Team All-Patriot League*
Noah Williamson, Bucknell, So., C
Joe Octave, Holy Cross, Sr., G/F
Devin Hines, Lafayette, Jr., G
Kyle Jenkins, Lafayette, Sr., F
Justin Vander Baan, Lafayette, Jr., C
Dominic Parolin, Lehigh, Sr., F
 
Patriot League All-Defensive Team*
Elijah Stephens, American, Jr., G
Miles Brewster, Boston University, Sr., G
Keegan Records, Colgate, 5th-year, F
Caleb Kenney, Holy Cross, Jr., F
Justin Vander Baan, Lafayette, Jr., C
Donovan Draper, Navy, So., F
 
Patriot League All-Rookie Team
Matt Mayock, American, Fr., F
Ryan Curry, Army West Point, Fr., G
Josh Scovens, Army West Point, Fr., F
Kyrone Alexander, Boston University, Fr., G
Mark Butler, Lafayette, Fr., G