ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - For the second straight season, Saint Peter's men's basketball standout, forward
KC Ndefo, has been named as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Defensive Player of the Year, announced by the league office today. Ndefo was the league's unanimous choice as the top defensive player in 2020-21, following his unanimous selection to the All-MAAC First Team on Monday.
Ndefo received his second Defensive Player of the Year plaque, the third in Saint Peter's history, following another year of dominating rim protection. The 6-foot-7 junior led the Peacocks in blocks and steals for the second consecutive season, averaging 3.7 blocks per game and 1.4 steals per outing. Ndefo ranked top-10 in the MAAC in both categories in back-to-back years, finishing the regular season first in blocks and seventh in steals. His blocks per game average and total blocks (85) both currently lead the nation and he has held the top spot on the NCAA leaderboard in blocked shots average since Jan. 4.
Ndefo has etched his name in Saint Peter's history this campaign, setting numerous program records during his third season in a Peacock uniform. His first record was achieved on Jan. 23 at Siena, when he tied Saint Peter's single-game blocked shots record with his seven denials. Then, during the final home series of the season against hOURglass Rival Rider, Ndefo reached three career milestones, becoming the program's single-season blocked shot record holder, moving into second place on Saint Peter's all-time blocks chart, and becoming just the second Peacock in school history to reach 200 career blocks. Additionally, Ndefo became the only player in program history to record over 100 career blocks and 100 career steals during his time in Jersey City, following last Friday's win over Quinnipiac. Heading into the MAAC Championship, the Elmont, NY native is two rejections away from becoming the school's all-time leader in career blocks.
Ndefo is the first player in the conference since Manhattan's Rhamel Brown in 2013-14 to obtain multiple Defensive Player of the Year honors and only the league's fourth player ever to win the award more than once, joining Brown (3x), Jason Thompson of Rider (2x), and Deng Gai of Fairfield (3x). Combined with his 2019-20 Sixth Player of the Year accolade, he now boasts three MAAC major awards, one shy of Hall of Famer Keydren "Kee Kee" Clark's program record of four career major awards.
The third-seeded Peacocks open play in the 2021 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championship quarterfinals tomorrow, Thursday, March 11 at 5:00 p.m. against No. 11 Rider at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
