KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hartford men's basketball's Malik Ellison received his latest honor on Monday, as the combo guard/forward was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District 1 Second Team.
 
Selected and voted on by members of the NABC in NCAA Division I, the student-athletes represent the finest basketball players in America. The players selected from District 1 represent schools that make up the America East and the MAAC.
 
Joining Ellison on the Second Team was Monmouth's Deion Hammond, UMass Lowell's Christian Lutete, Monmouth's Ray Salnave and Vermont's Stef Smith. First-Team members included Iona's E.J. Crawford, Vermont's Anthony Lamb, Stony Brook's Elijah Olaniyi, Siena's Jalen Pickett and Rider's Dimencio Vaughn.
 
Ellison becomes the second player in program history to receive All-District distinction from the NABC, joining Pancake Thomas, who was named to the Second Team in 2016.
 
"I am very proud of Malik's prestigious honor and his many accomplishments," said head coach John Gallagher. "To be recognized as an NABC All-District selection is not only a remarkable achievement; it says so much about his character and his abilities. This young man came into a new program and not only had to learn a different style of play, but was asked to lead a young group of players, which speaks volumes to who he is."
 
Ellison was also named to the America East All-Conference First Team a month ago. The two-time America East Player of the Week recipient (Feb. 17; March 2) became the second Hawk in as many seasons to receive the honor, joining 2019 graduate J.R. Lynch. 
 
Transferring to Hartford after completing his undergraduate career at Pitt, Ellison enjoyed one of the most decorated seasons in Hartford program history. Scoring in double figures in all but three of his 23 appearances — including 10 games with 20+ points — he closed out the year averaging 18.7 points per game for the highest scoring average since Jalen Ross registered 19.9 per game in 2016-17.
 
On the boards, Ellison was just as dominant in his lone season with the Hawks. The Voorhees, N.J., native led all America East players and ranked No. 37 in the nation with 9.7 rebounds per game. That mark is the fifth-highest single-season average in program history, behind Hartford greats Vin Baker (1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93) and Kenny Adeleke (2005-06).
 
Ellison's numbers were even more impressive against America East opponents. With seven of his league-best 10 double-doubles coming during conference play, he was the only America East player to average a double-double with 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. The league's top rebounder, Ellison ranked in the top-five in scoring, field-goal percentage (.519) and blocks per game (1.1).
 
Combining for 429 points and 224 rebounds during his time at Hartford, Ellison, who also spent two seasons at St. John's and one at Pitt, finished his career with 1,029 points and 508 rebounds.
 
The Hawks finished the season 18-15 and earned a top-four seed in the America East Playoffs for the third straight season after finishing third in the standings with a 9-7 record. Defeating sixth-seeded UMass Lowell in the quarterfinals before upsetting second-seeded Stony Brook in the semifinals, Hartford was set to face Vermont in the program's second championship game appearance, before the contest was canceled on March 12 due to COVID-19 concerns.
 
Hartford's 18 wins in 2019-20 are tied for second-most in program history. In addition, for the first time in the team's 36-year Division I history, the Hawks have posted winning records in three consecutive seasons after going 19-14 in 2017-18, and 18-15 in 2018-19.