MBB: Maffia earns back-to-back CW Player of the Year nods

Feb. 21, 2024 - Victoria's Diego Maffia has been named the 2024 Canada West Men's Basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. ​

The recognition comes after another dominant regular season campaign for Maffia, who led the conference in scoring by a wide margin with 26.7 points-per-game. He led a trio of Vikes recognized with major awards, including teammate Aaron Tesfagiorgis who was named Defensive Player of the Year as well as Craig Beaucamp who was honoured as Coach of the Year. ​

A pair of Saskatchewan Huskies were also recognized, with Easton Thimm being named Rookie of the Year and Alexander Dewar being honoured with the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Diego Maffia, Victoria Vikes

Diego Maffia has been named the Canada West Player of the Year for the second time in his career in 2023-24, also winning the award one season ago following the 2022-23 season.

Playing in 17 games for the Vikes this season and starting all of them, Maffia led all players in Canada West and U SPORTS with a 26.7 points per game average during the 2023-24 regular season. Not only leading the Vikes in points, Maffia was also a huge influence on the Vikes’ point-scoring in general, leading the team with a 5.2 assist per game average, which ranked fourth in the conference.

Maffia becomes the second Vikes men’s basketball player to earn the Player of the Year award twice, joining Eric Hinrichsen in the 1996-97 and 1998-99 seasons. He is the first Vike to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honours.

Maffia’s leadership and individual play has been instrumental to the Vikes’ success. He works tirelessly to improve and set a standard of excellence for his teammates to follow, and his efforts have been rewarded by his play on the court.

"Diego's leadership and exceptional performance remain pivotal to our team's success. Winning the Canada West Player of the Year award for two consecutive years is an outstanding achievement. Diego's recognition as Player of the Year is a testament to his hard work, passion for the game, and relentless pursuit of greatness." -Craig Beaucamp, Head Coach, Victoria Vikes

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Aaron Tesfagiorgis, Victoria Vikes

Aaron Tesfagiorgis receives the first Canada West honour of his career after being named the Canada West Defensive Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season.

Playing in and starting all 20 games and averaging 25.9 minutes per game for the Vikes, Tesfagiorgis provided a consistent veteran presence and dependable play on the floor throughout the season. Tesfagiorgis is a key component to the Vikes’ defence that allowed just 73.3 points per game to their opponents this season, the fourth-best mark in Canada West.

Though averaging 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, Tesfagiorgis also had 18 steals and two blocks on the year. He provided a significant challenge to opponents he was matched up against, playing reliable defence to help the Vikes finish as the top team in the conference.

"Aaron's defensive skills, work ethic, and commitment to excellence have not only propelled him to this prestigious honour but have also set a standard for his peers. His ability to disrupt opponents' plays, anticipate movements, and elevate the team's defensive performance has been nothing short of extraordinary. If stats were taken for "charges drawn" Aaron would lead the country." -Craig Beaucamp, Head Coach, Victoria Vikes

​ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Easton Thimm, Saskatchewan Huskies

It isn't easy for student-athletes to make a big impact while coming right out of high school, but the six-foot-nine hometown Saskatoon product did just that. Thimm made a seamless transition to the university game, exceeding expectations and earning a prominent role on the Huskies roster.

Thimm's size advantage gave opposing defences fits all season, as he led the conference in offensive rebounds with 68 and ranked sixth in total rebounds with 169. He earned quality minutes and transformed into a key driver for the Huskies offence, becoming unstoppable in the paint while shooting 54.5% from the field, the third highest mark in the conference. He was consistently able to impact the game in ways beyond the scoresheet, giving the Huskies vital depth that led to a 11-9 record throughout the regular season.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Alexander Dewar, Saskatchewan Huskies

Dewar has made his impact felt on the court throughout his university career, placing in the top 10 in Canada West scoring three times and currently sitting third in all-time career points in Huskies program history. However, it's his commitment to volunteering and giving back that will leave the most lasting impact on the Saskatoon community.

Throughout his time at U of S, Dewar has been a dedicated member of the Huskie Athletics Council, where he focuses on community engagement and volunteerism. He has volunteered for the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Radiothon Day, Huskie Homeroom, Salvation Army Christmas Hamper, and the Immigration Partnership Saskatoon, among other initiatives.

He has also worked full-time as a support worker for individuals with intellectual disabilities and has volunteered at the White Buffalo Youth Basketball Tournament, the Saskatchewan Marathon, and the Learn to Ride Safe program. In addition, he coaches high school basketball and the SMBA Developmental League, where he has a chance to be a mentor and teach valuable life lessons to young athletes.

"Alexander is the ultimate example of a student athlete. His ability to give his best at whatever task is in front of him is second to none. His work on athletics is easy to see, his work in the classroom has made him an academic All-Canadian every season and he is currently also working on studying for the MCAT's on top of his studies and he is also a tremendous leader in our community the first to volunteer for any community initiatives that we have along with being involved in others that are important to him and his family." -Jamie Campbell, Head Coach, Saskatchewan Huskies

COACH OF THE YEAR: Craig Beaucamp, Victoria Vikes

Craig Beaucamp has earned the 2023-24 Coach of the Year award after leading his Vikes squad to the best record in the conference (17-3) and the program’s third-straight 17-win Canada West season.

Claiming the top seed for the Canada West playoff tournament, Beaucamp has put his team in prime position to fight for their third-straight Canada West title. Consistently ranked as the No. 1 or No. 2 team in U SPORTS throughout the season,Victoria ranked first in both U SPORTS and Canada West with a 92.0 points per game scoring average. Also a top-10 team on defence, the Vikes ranked fourth in Canada West and 10th in U SPORTS with a 73.3 points allowed per game mark.

Beaucamp collects Coach of the Year honours for the sixth time in his career, most recently claiming the award following the 2013-14 season.