ALFRED, NY – Franlys Valenzuela (Santiago de los Cabelleros, Dominican Republic/San Ysidro) and Adam Enders (Belfast, NY/Belfast) each were named as All-Empire 8 talents, as announced by associate commissioner Joe Venniro on Thursday.
 
Valenzuela was honored as part of the Second Team, while Enders was listed on the Third Team.
 
Valenzuela wrapped up a historic sophomore season with the Saxons, totaling 249 points to go with a conference-high 274 rebounds. The rebounding total for Valenzuela ranks second in program history, trailing only Hall of Famer Warren Sutton. On the defensive end, he accounted for 17 blocks for AU.
 
"I thought Fran did such a good job this year," Head Coach Erich Kaempffe said. "We asked him to be at the center of everything we do as a sophomore. He had so much responsibility and he handled that and never stopped competing. Much like Adam, he got a lot of attention from opposing defenses and he had to adjust and adapt all year. He did a great job. I love working with Fran so much and can't wait to see where he leads us over the next two years."
 
Enders is wrapping up his five-year career with Alfred University, putting together a career-high 320 points along with 81 rebounds and 25 assists. Enders finished second in the conference with 62 shots from three-point range.
 
"Adam is one of the best competitors I've ever coached," Kaempffe said. "He's had to do a ton this year from a leadership and mentorship standpoint with a really young team, in addition to playing a lot of minutes and getting tons of attention from opposing teams. He's handled all of that and still found success, which is a testament and an athlete. We as a program, and me personally, will miss him big-time."
 
Additionally, Alfred University has selected Oscar Wolter (Munich, Germany/Lycee Jean Renoir) as their 2023-24 Men's Basketball Sportsman of the Year. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission.
 
"Adding Oscar to our program this year was such a big deal for us in so many ways," Kaempffe said. "He's an unbelievably good person and on the court, he competes the right way all the time. I feel very fortunate to get to work with him on a day-to-day basis."
 
Alfred University will next compete at No. 1 Utica University on Thursday night at 7:00 PM as part of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament Semifinals.