SUNY Cortland senior forward/guard Austin Grunder (Trumansburg/Charles O. Dickerson) has been named the 2022-23 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Basketball Player of the Year for the second straight year and freshman forward Aaron Coston (Kerhonkson/Rondout Valley) has been chosen as the SUNYAC Rookie of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches. 
 
Grunder and junior guard/forward Kareem Lubin (Monroe/Washingtonville) earned spots on the All-SUNYAC team - Grunder on the first team and Lubin on the third team. 
 
Grunder is the first Red Dragon to repeat as SUNYAC Player of the Year since Tom Williams won back-to-back awards in 2000 and 2001. He also was SUNYAC Rookie of the Year in the 2019-20 season and is a three-time All-SUNYAC first team selection. 
 
This season, Grunder started all 27 games and averaged 22 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. He shot 47 percent from the field, including 36 percent (38-of-105) from 3-point range, and was 81 percent (124-of-154) from the foul line. Grunder recorded 19 "double-doubles" and scored 20 or more points 18 times, including four games with at least 30 points. Grunder graduates as Cortland's career leader in both scoring (1,700) and rebounding (962) in just 78 games played. 
 
Coston played in 26 games, 17 as a starter, and averaged 8.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. He shot 57 percent from the field and 71 percent (53-of-75) from the foul line. Coston scored in double figures 11 times, highlighted by a 27-point effort in a home win versus Oneonta and 25 points, along with nine rebounds, in a home victory over Fredonia. He also grabbed 10 rebounds in a home win versus Plattsburgh. 
 
Lubin started 26 games and averaged 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He shot 48 percent from the floor overall, 39 percent (36-of-93) from 3-point range, and 77 percent (59-of-77) from the foul line. Among his 17 double-figure scoring games was a 31-point effort in a home victory versus Plattsburgh, 23 points in a win at Plattsburgh, 22 points in a victory over Pitt Greensburg at the Juniata Tournament, and 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in a season-opening win at Ithaca. He also dished out seven assists each in wins at Potsdam and home versus Geneseo, the latter in the SUNYAC tournament first round. 
 
The Red Dragons finished the season 19-8 for its highest win total since the 2015-16 season. The Red Dragons qualified for the SUNYAC playoffs for the 32nd time in the last 34 seasons with a third-place 13-5 league record and advanced to the conference semifinals to tie for third place.