FOREST, Va. --- For the second straight season, four schools earned special recognition honors with Randolph-Macon College joined by Roanoke College with a league-best three all-league honors each to highlight the 2026 All-ODAC Men's Basketball Awards.

Virginia Wesleyan University playmaker Omari DeVeaux garnered Kurt Axe Player of the Year laurels, while University of Lynchburg forward Jamarcus Brown received ODAC Defensive Player of the Year honors following a vote of the league's head coaches. RMC mentor Josh Merkel was recognized by his peers as the Bob Johnson Coach of the Year, and Washington and Lee University newcomer Addison Newkirk was selected as the ODAC Rookie of the Year. Fellow General Colin Ryan earned ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction following a vote of the conference's athletic communications personnel.

DeVeaux has long been a premier playmaker in the conference, but he turned up his production in 2025-26 by averaging career bests in scoring (21.3), assists (72), and free throws made (131). He is the owner of the ODAC's two 40-point outings, dropping in a career-best 41 in December versus Christopher Newport and posting 40 last week at Lynchburg.

Brown, who doubles as a track & field star that won the ODAC's outdoor high jump title in 2025, made huge leaps on the hardwood in his second year in the Hill City. The four-time ODAC Defensive Player of the Week honoree averaged 20.7 points and 7.4 rebounds with 45 blocked shots and 29 steals. Those numbers are up from 10.0, 6.1, 19, and 15 from 2024-25, respectively.

This is the eighth time and third straight season Merkel has been honored as the ODAC Coach of the Year. In his 11th campaign in Ashland, Merkel previously won top-coaching honors in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. His Yellow Jackets are not only the No. 1 seed in the ODAC Tournament, but they are the top-ranked team in Division III in the D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll and own the fourth-best rating (70.045) in the NCAA Power Index (NPI). Merkel enters the ODAC semifinals with a 315-93 (.772) career mark including 249-52 (.827) at RMC.

Newkirk is the second straight General to win ODAC rookie accolades with teammate Connor Amorosi. Newkirk started all 25 games he played and averaged 9.3 points and 7.2 rebounds with 21 assists, 31 steals, and 11 blocked shots. He scored a season-best 18 markers just before Thanksgiving against Southern Virginia.

Ryan is the fifth General to win the men's basketball scholar-athlete award since its installment in 2005. In the classroom, the business administration and economics major maintains a 3.707 grade point average. He is a seven-time W&L Scholar Athlete honoree and was named to the 2024-25 NABC Honors Court as well as earning Academic All-District. On the floor, Ryan averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds with an ODAC-best 128 assists.

Seven of this season's 18 honorees appear on an All-ODAC team for at least a second straight season. Randolph-Macon's Jabril Robinson and Keishawn Pulley Jr. are first team picks for a third successive season, while DeVeaux moved up from last year's second team. Amorosi is a first team pick after earning third team laurels in 2025. All of Gabe Proctor from Guilford, Marcus Morgan from Roanoke, and Amari Moorer from Virginia Wesleyan are repeat selections.

Below is the full set of All-ODAC Men's Basketball Awards.

2025-26 ALL-ODAC MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS
Kurt Axe Player of the Year: Omari DeVeaux, Gr., G, Virginia Wesleyan
ODAC Defensive Player of the Year: Jamarcus Brown, So., F, Lynchburg
Bob Johnson Coach of the Year: Josh Merkel, Randolph-Macon
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Addison Newkirk, Fy., F, Washington and Lee
ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Colin Ryan, Sr., G, Washington and Lee
 

ALL-ODAC FIRST TEAM
Jamarcus Brown	So.	F	Lynchburg
Keishawn Pulley Jr. *	Sr.	G	Randolph-Macon
Jabril Robinson *	Sr.	G	Randolph-Macon
Jackson Bell	Jr.	G	Roanoke
Omari DeVeaux ^	Gr.	G	Virginia Wesleyan
Connor Amorosi +	So.	F	Washington and Lee
ALL-ODAC SECOND TEAM
Jackson Sellars	So.	F	Averett
Gabe Proctor ^	Sr.	G	Guilford
Braylen Salters	So.	G	Guilford
Travis Stickney	So.	G	Hampden-Sydney
Marcus Morgan ^	Sr.	G	Roanoke
Amari Moorer ^	Sr.	F	Virginia Wesleyan
ALL-ODAC THIRD TEAM
Mason Mitchell	So.	G	Averett
Aaron Brooks	Jr.	G	EMU
Santana Lynch	So.	G	Hampden-Sydney
Peter Moye	So.	G	Hampden-Sydney
Theo Antinori	Jr.	G	Randolph-Macon
Gavin O’Malley	Jr.	F	Roanoke
Colin Ryan	Sr.	G	Washington and Lee
* 2025 All-ODAC First Team ^ 2025 All-ODAC Second Team + 2025 All-ODAC Third Team