Five Falcons Named to Noontime Sports Conn. D-III All-Decade Men's Basketball Teams

Posted: Dec 12, 2020

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Five former Albertus Magnus College men's basketball standouts were featured in this week's NoontimeSports.com All-Decade Connecticut D-III basketball teams list.

The Connecticut teams were assembled based on end-of-season awards, including conference honors, D3Hoops.com All-American and regional accolades, along with other organizations that highlight the various student-athletes we have covered over the past decade.

Four of the five Falcons - Ray Askew '12 (Hamden, Conn.), Victor Ljuljduraj '15 (Yorktown, Conn.), Jaqhawn Walters '18 (Hartford, Conn.) and Darius Watson '14 (New Britain, Conn.) - earned First Team nods while Tavon Sledge '15 (Spring Valley, N.J.) landed on the second team.

Askew ended his career leading the program all-time with 2,316 points and 1,192 rebounds. Throughout his tenure, he was nationally ranked from 2009-2012 in rebounds per game, double-doubles and points per game while also earning All-Conference honors, including three First Team selections.

A 2010 All-New England player, Askew finished his career shooting 51.1-percent from the floor, while he shot 68-percent from the free-throw line, a 728-of-1,071 showing. His attempts on the charity stripe also marked a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) record.

In 2012, he became the second player to record over 1,000 rebounds in the conference, the league's all-time rebounding leader and was the second men's basketball player in school history to score over 2,000 points.

After a stellar senior campaign, he was named the 2012 GNAC Men's Basketball Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Askew also became the first-ever Albertus Magnus men's basketball player to earn the All-America status as he led the Falcons to a GNAC title and its second-ever NCAA Tournament victory. The Hamden, Conn. native also was selected to play in the NABC Reese's Division III College All-Star game.

The former Falcon standout also was inducted into the Albertus Magnus College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. Less than a year later, Askew was nominated into the GNAC Hall of Fame, the conference's first inducted class.

Ljuljduraj was named to both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as well as the D3hoops.com All-America Second Team. He became just one of three Albertus players in program history to earn the elite recognition. He also was named to the 2015 Division III Men's Basketball Bennettrank All-America First Team.

In addition to his All-American nods, Ljuljdurag was a D3hoops.com All-Northeast Region First Team selection and earned a spot on the West Roster for the 2015 NABC Reese's Division III College All-Star game. In that contest, he was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Entering his senior campaign, Ljuljdjuraj was selected to the Sporting News 2014-15 Preseason All-American Second Team and the D3Hoops.com Preseason All-America Third Team. On February 26, 2015, in the GNAC semifinal round victory against Saint Joseph's College of Maine, Ljuljdjuraj became the program's 14th all-time 1,000-point scorer. He concluded his career with 1,053 points.

Ljuljdjuraj also earned year-end conference accolades. He was a two-time GNAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015 and was named GNAC Player of the Year in 2015. He also earned a spot on the GNAC All-Conference First Team twice and was named the 2015 GNAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. He earned All-Tournament Team honors as well.

In his two-year career, his teams were part of two GNAC titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2013-14 Falcons finished the year with an overall record of 28-3 as well as an NCAA Division III "Sweet 16" appearance. The team's 28 victories tied the program's all-time record in wins in a single season.

Following his time at Albertus, Ljuljdjuraj signed a professional contract with Hoverla Ivano-Frankivsk of the Ukrainian Basketball Superleague. Four days after signing with the team, he scored 14 points, grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds, blocked three shots and recorded two steals.

Walters, a two-time D3Hoops.com All-American, ended his collegiate tenure with a whopping 1,821 points, fourth on the school's all-time list, and 1,167 rebounds, the second-best total in school history, on his way to two GNAC Player of the Year nods.

During his tenure, Walters guided the Falcons to two GNAC Championship titles and winning Tournament Most Valuable Player in the 2017 title game. Walters eclipsed the 1,000-point mark during his sophomore season and went on to garner a bevy of national, regional, and conference accolades. He was named to the 2017 All-Region Second Team and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III All-District Second Team. Following his senior campaign, Walters was nominated to play in the 2018 NABC Reese's Division III College All-Star game. Walters also was selected to the Bevo Francis Award Top 25 Watch List, which is awarded to the finest men's basketball players in the country who compete in the affiliations of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.

In addition to his regional and national awards, Walters also received multiple recognitions from the GNAC. He was named GNAC Player of the Year twice to go along with two First Team All-GNAC selections and one Second Team nod. Walters earned a spot on the GNAC All-Tournament Team twice.

After his career at Albertus, Walters signed a professional contract with Club Gimnasia & Esgrima in Argentina and averaged 15.9 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game.

Watson, a 2014 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III Second Team All-American, is one of the Falcons' three 2,000-point scorers in program history. Watson earned a spot on the ECAC Division III New England All-Stars Team First Team, named to the NABC All-District Northeast First Team and was selected as a First-Team member for the D3hoops.com All-Northeast Region.

In his four-year career, his teams have posted a 92-20 overall record and an impressive 63-8 GNAC record. He has been a part of two GNAC titles and two NCAA Tournament victories.

Watson finished his career with 2,158 points as he sits in third on the Falcons' all-time scoring list behind 2,158 points. Entering into his senior year, he received Preseason All-America Honorable Mention status by D3hoops.com in route to being named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year. He earned All-Tournament Team honors and named GNAC Tournament MVP as well. Watson also played in the NABC Reese's Division III College All-Star game

Sledge, a 2015 ECAC Division III New England All-Star First Team selection, joined the Falcons as a senior in 2014-15 after transferring from Iona. He was named GNAC Player of the Week twice, named to the GNAC All-Conference First-Team, and All-Northeast Region Second Team. He was also named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team.

Sledge helped guide the Falcons to an overall record of 27-1 and a perfect 18-0 conference mark. He started in 26 games and averaged 20.3 points per game in 34.5 minutes. He scored 590 points on the season, had 147 total assists, and had 57 total steals.

Noontime's Connecticut Men's Basketball First Team

Ray Askew (Albertus Magnus) | Hamden, Conn.
Victor Ljuljdjuraj (Albertus Magnus) | Yorktown, Conn.
Jaqhawn Walters (Albertus Magnus) | Hartford, Conn.
Darius Watson (Albertus Magnus) | New Britain, Conn.
DaQuan Brooks (Western Conn.) | Atlanta, Ga.

Noontime's Connecticut Men's Basketball Second Team

Tavon Sledge (Albertus Magnus) | Spring Valley, N.Y.
Tarchee Brown (Eastern Conn.) | Rockville, Conn.
Joshua Ford (Mitchell College) | Jersey City, N.J.
Ed Ogundeko (Trinity College) | Brooklyn, N.Y
Shasha Brown (Wesleyan University) | Harlem, N.Y.

Noontime's Connecticut Men's Basketball Third Team

Nick Nedwick (Eastern Conn.) | Irvington, N.Y.
Delshawn Jackson, Jr. (Univ. of Saint Joseph) | Hartford, Conn.
Jaecee Martin (Univ. of Saint Joseph) | Hartford, Conn.
Jaquann Starks (Trinity College) | Hartford, Conn.
Fenton Bradley, Jr. (Western Conn.) | Mansfield, Conn.

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About Albertus Magnus College
Albertus Magnus College, founded in 1925, is a Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. It is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report Best Colleges, Money Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. The College has an enrollment of 1,500 students in its traditional undergraduate program, accelerated adult degree programs, and 12 graduate programs, including a new Master of Public Administration and the only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program in Connecticut. In the last year, the College received two significant Federal grants in support of student success and well-being: a $300,000 grant from the Department of Justice and a $1.9 million Title III grant from the Department of Education.