RICHMOND, Va. – VCU graduate guard Max Shulga (Kyiv, Ukraine) has been named the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.
 
Shulga, a 6-foot-5 combo guard, was one of four Rams to haul in All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors Tuesday, rewards for VCU's 15-3 league mark and regular season championship. He was also named First Team All-Conference.
 
Graduate guard Zeb Jackson (Toledo, Ohio) was selected as the A-10's Sixth Man of the Year, while graduate guard Joe Bamisile (Chesterfield, Va.) earned Second Team and All-Academic honors. Shot-blocking freshman forward Luke Bamgboye (London, England) scooped up spots on the All-Defensive and All-Rookie Teams.
 
Shulga has been spectacular this season, the best of his decorated five-year career. The Kyiv, Ukraine native leads the Rams in scoring (15.5 ppg), assists (3.8 apg) and steals (1.9 spg) and is second in rebounding (5.9 rpg). Shulga ranks third in the A-10 in steals and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3-to-1). Shulga has topped 20 points eight times this season, and he's recorded a pair of double-doubles. He's been a driving force behind the Rams' 25 victories this season, which is tied for the most regular season wins in program history.
 
He is the third VCU player to win A-10 Player of the Year since 2021, joining Bones Hyland (2021) and Ace Baldwin Jr. (2023). Shulga was also named All-Atlantic 10 Conference First Team for the second consecutive year. He joins Treveon Graham as the only Rams to collect multiple A-10 First Team citations since VCU joined the league prior to the 2012-13 season.
 
Jackson was named the league's top reserve following a regular season in which he averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 22.1 minutes per game. He has come off the bench in 25 of his 26 appearances this season. Jackson is also shooting .897 (78-of-87) at the free throw line this season, which leads the A-10 and ranks 14^th nationally. He is the first VCU player to win the Sixth Man of the Year the award since Melvin Johnson in 2014.
 
Bamisile received Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and All-Academic honors. The 6-4 shooting guard is averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the Rams, while shooting .467 from the floor. Bamisile has also blocked 24 shots this season, third-best on the team. In addition to his on-court prowess, Bamisile, who is pursuing a Masters of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, has recorded a 3.75 grade point average.
 
Bamgboye added All-Rookie and All-Defensive awards to his breakout freshman campaign. The 6-10 London, England native ranks 19^th nationally in blocks with 65, and needs just three more to crack VCU's single-season top 10 list. Bamgboye, who ranks second nationally in block percentage (15.0), is averaging 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting .595 from the floor. He was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on March 3 following a 17-point outburst against Davidson. Bamgboye blocked seven shots on Feb. 19 against UMass.
 
VCU and its All-Conference quartet will return to the court on Friday, March 14 when they take on either Duquesne or St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinal round of the A-10 Tournament. That contest is slated for an 11:30 a.m. tip-off.

2025 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE POSTSEASON AWARDS
Player of the Year:  Max Shulga, VCU
Defensive Player of the Year: Jared Billups, George Mason
Rookie of the Year: Deuce Jones, La Salle
Chris Daniels Most Improved Player: Reed Bailey, Davidson
Sixth Man of the Year: Zeb Jackson, VCU
Coach of the Year:  Tony Skinn, George Mason
 
All-Conference First Team
Reed Bailey, Davidson
Jalen Haynes, George Mason
Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph's
Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph's
Gibson Jimerson, Saint Louis
Max Shulga, VCU
 
All-Conference Second Team
Nate Santos, Dayton
Rafael Castro, George Washington
Jayden Dawson, Loyola Chicago
Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph's         
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis
Joe Bamisile, VCU
 
All-Conference Third Team
Enoch Cheeks, Dayton                      
Darius Maddox, George Mason
Rahsool Diggins, Massachusetts      
Sebastian Thomas, Rhode Island
Melvin Council Jr., St. Bonaventure
Isaiah Swope, Saint Louis    
 
All-Academic Team
Nate Santos, Dayton
Dusan Neskovic, Richmond
Chance Moore, St. Bonaventure
Gibson Jimerson, Saint Louis
Joe Bamisile, VCU
 
All-Defensive Team
Enoch Cheeks, Dayton
Jared Billups, George Mason
Rafael Castro, George Washington
Miles Rubin, Loyola Chicago
Justice Ajogbor, Saint Joseph's
Luke Bamgboye, VCU
 
All-Rookie Team
Amaël L'Etang, Dayton
Christian Jones, George Washington
Deuce Jones, La Salle
Dasear Haskins, SJU
Luke Bamgboye, VCU