The Mercy College men's basketball program will be honored by the Metropolitan New York chapter of the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association (CBOA) with the Sam Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award at a dinner tonight at Verdi's of Whitestone. The award, which was voted on by the members of the CBOA, is the highest honor that CBOA annually bestows on any collegiate institution.

The CBOA is an organization numbering more than 700 members in all divisions residing in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

The CBOA assigns more than 700 college basketball officials for NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, throughout the eastern United States, covering Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. There are eleven regions, with each naming its own recipient. The eleven regional winners then form a pool from which the overall winner is chosen.

Sam Schoenfeld, a former college basketball great who possessed a great deal of energy, impeccable honesty and a charismatic personality, was one of the CBOA's founding fathers. Sam espoused integrity and strong character, which set him apart from most men. A brief illness took Sam's life in early 1956 and as a result, the CBOA decided to memorialize him through an award that would be annually presented to a person who exemplified the principles and characteristics so prominently displayed by Sam Schoenfeld. Accordingly, the award is presented to the college or university, which in the judgment of the CBOA membership, best exemplifies "the highest degree of sportsmanship, character, and ethics among their players, coaches and spectators."

Under the direction of first-year head coach Adam Parmenter, the Mavericks completed the 2010-11 season with a 2-24 record, including a 2-19 mark in the East Coast Conference. Freshman Chaz Morrish (Douglaston, N.Y./St. Mary's) and sophomore Colin Senior (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) were both named to the ECC's All-Rookie team.