Whitesboro grad and Utica University standout basketball player Thomas Morreale has earned another Empire 8 Conference honor following an impressive regular-season for the Pioneers.

Morreale, a senior, earned his fourth all-Empire 8 accolade, receiving second team honors in the Empire 8 after being a first team member in 2021-22 last season. The honor was announced Thursday.

Morreale posted 14 points per game — his second highest total in his career — on a 51.4 field goal percentage and led the Pioneers in offensive rebounds with 47. He recorded 33 blocks, ranking third in the Empire 8 and 27 steals on the defensive end. 

In 85 games, Morreale has 1,129 career points, which is ninth-most on Utica’s career list.

Teammates Justin Brantley and Darius Hopkins were named to Empire 8 First Team.

For the second time in as many seasons, Utica head coach Sean Coffey and his staff are the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. It is Utica’s third E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor.

Coffey has been head coach since the 2016-17 season.

The Pioneers won the Empire 8 regular season title and set a record for league wins in a season, finishing 17-1. Utica is regionally ranked and has a 22-3 record.

Top-seeded Utica will host the Empire 8 semifinals and championship.

Utica will take on No. 4 seed St. John Fisher at 5:30 p.m. Friday. No. 2 seed Nazareth and No. 3 seed Alfred University play in the other semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The championship is set for 3 p.m. Saturday with the conference champion getting an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.