Boston, Mass. – Five UMBC men's basketball players received multiple postseason America East All-Conference awards on Monday morning, recognizing their outstanding regular season. Additionally, Head Coach Jim Ferry was honored as the league's Coach of the Year.

Three Retrievers made the America East All-Conference Team. Junior guard Jah'Likai King was named First Team, while graduate student guard DJ Armstrong Jr. and junior guard Ace Valentine earned Second Team honors. This marks the first time since 2021-22 that the Retrievers have had three players recognized on one of the three All-Conference teams. Sophomore forward Caden Diggs was named the 6th Man of the Year, the second Retriever to earn this award and the first since Keondre Kennedy in 2020-21. Graduate student forward Josh Odunowo was selected for the All-Defensive Team, and Armstrong Jr. and Valentine also earned All-Academic accolades.

King leads the team with an average of 14.0 points per game, ranking seventh in the league. He is also third in free-throw percentage (.824) and nineteenth in steals, averaging 0.9 per game. King has scored 20 or more points in seven games this season, six of which the team won, and has scored in double figures in 22 of 28 games. He currently has amassed a team-high 1,327 points.

Armstrong Jr. ranks 10th in league scoring (12.8 ppg) and leads in three-pointers per game (2.6) and three-point percentage (.400).  He has made at least two three-pointers in 21 of 29 games this season and has swished 230 during his career. His game-winning three-pointer against Morgan State (11/11) was UMBC's first in the final five seconds since Craig Beaudion II's shot on 11/20/22 vs. Central Connecticut. In the very next game, Armstrong Jr. also hit a buzzer-beater to beat Wagner in overtime on Nov. 16.

Valentine leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (3.1), ranking 25th nationally, and is fourth in the AE with 4.0 assists per game.  The Columbia, Maryland native is averaging 12.9 ppg. during UMBC's current nine-game winning streak, shooting 55 percent during this stretch. Valentine is sixth in league field goal percentage overall (.509) and in conference games (.522).

Diggs scored a career-high 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench against Buffalo, including three three-pointers. Earlier this season, he posted his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Wagner. Diggs has scored double digits in 11 of 16 AE games and is averaging 10.4 ppg. during that period.

Graduate student forward Josh Odunowo was selected for the All-Defensive Team after averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. Odunowo is regarded as one of the hardest working defenders on the circuit.

Armstrong Jr. and Valentine both earned spots on the All-Academic Team. Armstrong Jr. is working on his masters degree in Professional Studies while Valentine is an Economics major. 

Ferry was named Coach of the Year, the third UMBC coach to receive this honor and the first since Ryan Odom in 2020-21. The team set a program record with a .875 (14-2) conference winning percentage and the fewest losses in league play. UMBC has won nine straight games, tied for the fifth-longest streak nationally. The team has also achieved the third-highest single-season win improvement in league history, increasing from just five AE wins last year. Ferry has reached at least 18 wins in three of his five seasons and recorded his first 20-win season as a Retriever in 2025-26, marking his seventh career 20-win season. He's now won regular-season championships at four different stops during his career.