PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The 2022-23 season was historic in every sense of the word for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team.
The Hawks finished the year at 18-13, with the best win percentage (.581) since the 27-2 team in the 1973-74 season, 50 years ago. The winning season was just the fourth for the program since that '73-74 squad.
There was no better team in Division I in stealing the basketball. The Hawks ranked atop the nation in steals per game (11.1) and shattered the total steals and steals-per records they set a season ago. UMES also finished first nationally in turnovers forced per game, snatching 19.0 possessions from their opponents on average.
After facing teams like Duke and Virginia, the Hawks closed their non-conference slate with a bang. The Hawks defeated Temple and Columbia in consecutive road contests, before getting out to a 6-1 start in MEAC play; the best for the program at the Division I level in 50 years.
The Hawks defend the Hytche admirably this season, finishing with a 10-3 home mark. That is the best tally for the program at home since that 1973-74 season.
The team earned four weekly Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honors throughout the season. Nathaniel Pollard Jr. (Richmond, Virginia) and Zion Styles (Uniondale, New York) each received postseason acknowledgement, with the former making All-MEAC Second Team and the latter being named to the All-Defensive and All-MEAC Third Teams.
The 18 wins was the most in a season in head coach Jason Crafton's head coaching career, and he was recognized as a finalist for the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year award as well. The honor is given annually to the top minority head coach among Division I programs.
Pollard was also named to the 2023 HBCU All Star Game in Houston, Texas on March 13, 2023. The game will be played on April 2 along with other Final Four festivities.
UMES opened the MEAC Tournament with a win over Morgan State in the quarterfinals, just the program's fourth win over the Bears in the conference tourney and the first since 2000.
The team parts with four graduate students and pillars of the 2022-23 team in Ahamadou Fofana (Bronx, New York), Tuka Nugent (Newburgh, New York), Styles, and Pollard.
Fofana joined the team this season and was essential running the point for UMES. Fofana played in 68 games with 62 starts, scoring 534 career points, grabbing 195 career rebounds and piling up 192 assists.
Nugent arrived in Princess Anne for the 2020-21 season after playing two seasons at Clarendon College in Texas. In his two seasons of play for the Hawks, the guard played in 57 games with two starts, scoring 365 career points, grabbing 145 boards and dishing out 93 assists.
Styles, like Nugent and Pollard, joined UMES for the eventually-canceled 2020-21 season, playing his two prior seasons at Monroe College in New York. In his senior and grad seasons, Styles suited up for 53 games and started 41, scoring 580 points, grabbing 195 rebounds and finishing with 100 steals and 75 assists.
Pollard joined the Hawks after two seasons at Eastern Arizona College. The forward started 57 of his 58 appearances with the team, scoring 541 points, collecting 434 rebounds and adding 96 assists and 83 steals.
Kevon Voyles, Da'Shawn Phillip, Kohen Thompson, and Jojo Anderson are all seniors academically, but have another season of eligibility remaining.
"We did a great job this season of putting this program in a better place," Hawks coach Jason Crafton said following the team's loss to Howard. "These guys have given everything to this basketball program and I can't say enough about what they've contributed."
While the Hawks fell in the semifinals to eventual-champion Howard, the future is bright for Hawk men's basketball.
"Through all the challenges, the guys found a way to stay together and keep this program moving forward," Crafton said. "And that's what we're going to keep doing, is keep finding ways to continue building this thing."
