Jackson, Wyse and Vernon receive AUS men's basketball major awards
DJ Jackson named AUS MVP, Phoenyx Wyse is AUS Rookie of the Year and Tyrell Vernon honored as AUS Coach of the Year
2025-26 AUS men's basketball major awards and all-stars announced
STFX's DJ Jackson named AUS MVP for second consecutive season
(HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2025-26 AUS men's basketball all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's eight head coaches following regular season play.
STFX X-Men guard DJ Jackson was chosen as this year's AUS men's basketball most valuable player for the second consecutive season.
Other major award winners include STFX's Phoenyx Wyse, named AUS rookie of the year; UNB's Brandon Laryea, named defensive player of the year; Memorial's Norm Burry, recipient of the AUS student-athlete community service award; and STFX head coach Tyrell Vernon who was named AUS coach of the year for the second time in his career.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: DJ Jackson, STFX X-Men
DJ Jackson, a guard with the STFX X-Men, has been named the 2025-26 AUS men's basketball most valuable player. This is his second straight season earning the honour.
A human kinetics student in his fourth year of eligibility from Mississauga, Ont., Jackson was the U SPORTS scoring champion this season for the second straight year, averaging 22.5 points per game.
He averaged 6.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the X-Men.
Jackson led the U SPORTS no. 8-ranked X-Men to a 17-3 regular season record, a first-place finish in the AUS standings and a first-round bye through to Saturday's playoff semifinals.
In addition to league MVP nods, he was also named to the AUS First Team All-Star squad today for the second straight season.
Jackson now becomes the AUS representative for the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in U SPORTS basketball. The last Atlantic conference player to win the national award was William Njoku of the Saint Mary's Huskies in 1992-93.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Phoenyx Wyse, STFX X-Men
The 2025-26 AUS Rookie of the Year is Phoenyx Wyse from the STFX X-Men.
A six-foot-five forward from Toronto, Ont., Wyse got the start in all 20 games for the X-Men this season. He led the team and finished second in the conference in rebounding, averaging 9.6 per game.
He led all AUS freshmen in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game, and averaged 1.6 steals and 1.6 assists per game.
In addition to being named the conference's top rookie, Wyse was named to the AUS All-Rookie Team today.
He will now represent the conference as the AUS nominee for the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy as U SPORTS rookie of the year.
The last player from the Atlantic conference to be named U SPORTS Rookie of the Year was Saint Mary's Nikita Kasongo, who took home the award in 2017-18.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brandon Laryea, UNB REDS
Brandon Laryea of the UNB REDS men's basketball team is the 2025-26 AUS men's basketball defensive player of the year.
A fifth-year business student from Crawley, England, Laryea finished third in the AUS in rebounds per game (7.8) and steals per game (1.9).
The six-foot-six forward averaged 11.5 points for the REDS this season and had 19 blocks.
Laryea helped lead UNB to a 13-7 regular season record and a second-place finish in the conference standings—earning a first-round playoff bye through to the championship semi-final round.
Defensively, the REDS limited opponents to 76.1 points per game, the second-best figure in the AUS.
Laryea is just the second player from UNB to earn the AUS defensive player of the year award since its inception in 2004-05, joining former teammate Javordo Mitchell who earned the honour in 2023-24.
Laryea now becomes the AUS nominee for the U SPORTS defensive player of the year award. Former STFX standout David Muenkat is the most recent Atlantic conference player to earn the national honour, which he took home in 2022-23.
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Norm Burry, Memorial Sea-Hawks
Norm Burry of the Memorial Sea-Hawks is the 2025-26 recipient of the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award and will be the Atlantic conference nominee for the prestigious Ken Shields Award.
A Masters of Science in Community Medicine student in his fifth year of eligibility from Grafton, N.B., Burry is a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian and is on pace to become a six-time honouree following this season. He currently holds a 4.0 GPA in his graduate program and earned the highest academic average in his program last year.
Joining the Sea-Hawks in 2024-25 following three seasons with the UNB REDS, Burry has been an impact player for Memorial.
This season, he led the team in rebounding, averaging 6.5 per game, and finished second in team scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game.
He is a two-time AUS second team all-star (2022-23 and 2023-24) and was named AUS Rookie of the Year in 2021-22.
Committed on the court, in the classroom, and in his community, Burry helped establish and now leads a Special Olympics basketball program in St. John's that serves approximately 25 athletes, providing weekly training and creating inclusive opportunities for sport participation.
He also volunteers with the Easter Seals Wheelchair Basketball Program and the Memorial University Campus Food Bank, supporting individuals with disabilities and addressing food insecurity within the campus community.
In addition, Burry serves as a Canadian Blood Services Team Champion, helping generate more than 130 blood donations through the Sea-Hawks community.
As co-founder and Co-Chair of the Sea-Hawks Student-Athlete Council, he leads initiatives that promote inclusion, wellness and social responsibility, including organizing outreach efforts such as holiday food and clothing drives in partnership with local organizations.
"Norm exemplifies sustained, high-impact community service," said Sea-Hawks head coach Ian Coultas. "His willingness to initiate programs, assume responsibility and consistently show up for others reflects a deep commitment to service that extends well beyond participation. His contributions have strengthened inclusive sport opportunities, promoted health and wellness, and built a stronger culture of engagement within both the Memorial and St. John's communities. He is an outstanding candidate for the Ken Shields Community Service Award."
Burry is the fourth player from the Sea-Hawks to earn this honour, and the first since 2014-15 when former Memorial standout Noel Moffatt won the award.
Burry now becomes the AUS nominee for the national Ken Shields Award. Two Memorial players have previously taken home the national honour—Moffatt in 2014-15 and Justin Halleran in 2006-07.
Ten former AUS athletes have previously taken home the Ken Shields Award. Former UPEI standout Kamari Scott was the most recent recipient, winning the national award last season.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Tyrell Vernon, STFX X-Men
In his fifth season at the helm of the STFX X-Men program, Tyrell Vernon has been selected by his peers as AUS Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
STFX finished the regular season atop the conference standings with a 17-3 record, earning a bye through to the playoff semifinals.
The X-Men led the AUS in scoring, averaging 89.0 points per game, and ranked first in field goal percentage at 43.7 per cent. They also posted the top offensive and net efficiency ratings in the conference.
STFX finished first in total rebounds (44.3 per game) and rebound margin (+6.8), while leading the league in both offensive and defensive rebounding. Defensively, the X-Men held opponents to a conference-best 38.1 per cent shooting from the field and ranked second in opponent three-point percentage (29.3 per cent).
Coach Vernon will now represent the AUS as the nominee for U SPORTS Coach of the Year. Former STFX bench boss Steve Konchalski earned the national honour in 2000-01.
Dalhousie head coach Rick Plato is the most recent Atlantic conference recipient of the U SPORTS Coach of the Year award. He earned the honour in 2019-20.
FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
First Team All Stars:
DJ Jackson, STFX (4th year – Mississauga, Ont.)
Marcus Barnes, UNB (4th year – Kitchener, Ont.)
Ryan Regault, Acadia (2nd year – Scarborough, Ont.)
Stefan Anisko, Cape Breton (4th year – Mississauga, Ont.)
Kyree Thompson, UPEI (4th year – North Preston, N.S.)
Second Team All Stars:
Jayrell Diggs, Saint Mary's (5th year – East Preston, N.S.)
Koat Thomas, STFX (3rd year – Kitchener, Ont.)
Conner Landell, UNB (5th year – St. Catharines, Ont.)
Lydell Husbands-Browne, Dalhousie (4th year – Halifax, N.S.)
Jodick Moudiandambu, Memorial (4th year – Hamilton, Ont.)
All Rookie Team:
Phoenyx Wyse, STFX (Toronto, Ont.)
Owen Frayne, STFX (Cambridge, Ont.)
Nicolas Niare, STFX (Hamilton, Ont.)
Tayshaun Thomas, Cape Breton (Montréal, Que.)
Malko Young, Acadia (Toronto, Ont.)
The 2026 Bell AUS Basketball Championships, presented by Gatorade, will be hosted by the AUS conference at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S., Feb. 20 to 22. Each doubleheader will feature one women's game and one men's game.
The championship schedule is as follows: (seeding in brackets)
Friday, Feb. 20
Doubleheader 1
- Women's Quarterfinal #1: Saint Mary's (5th) vs. STFX (4th), 1 p.m.
- Men's Quarterfinal #1: UPEI (5th) vs. Cape Breton (4th), 3 p.m.
Doubleheader 2
- Women's Quarterfinal #2: Memorial (6th) vs. UPEI (3rd), 6:30 p.m.
- Men's Quarterfinal #2: Memorial (6th) vs. Acadia (3rd), 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 21
Doubleheader 3
- Women's Semifinal #1: Winner of QF1 vs. UNB (1st), 1 p.m.
- Men's Semifinal #1: Winner of QF1 vs. STFX (1st), 3 p.m.
Doubleheader 4
- Women's Semifinal #2: Winner of QF2 vs. Acadia (2nd), 6:30 p.m.
- Men's Semifinal #2: Winner of QF2 vs. UNB (2nd), 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 22
Doubleheader 5
- Women's Championship Game: Winner of SF1 vs. Winner of SF2, 1 p.m.
- Men's Championship Game: Winner of SF1 vs. Winner of SF2, 4 p.m.
Final AUS women's standings here.
Final AUS men's standings here.
All games of the championship will be streamed live on AUStv.
For more information on the 2026 Bell AUS Basketball Championships, visit the event website at: www.AUSHoops.ca. Single session tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster here.
The 2026 Sun Life U SPORTS Women's Basketball Final 8 Championship is being hosted March 5 to 8 by Université Laval in Quebec City, Que.
The 2026 U SPORTS Men's Basketball Final 8 Championship is being hosted by the University of Calgary March 6 to 8.
The Atlantic conference is guaranteed only one berth in each championship, which will be awarded to the AUS champions.
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