Toronto Metropolitan’s Aaron Rhooms named U SPORTS men’s basketball Player of the Year

Aaron Rhooms, a fifth-year guard with the TMU Bold, has been named the winner of the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the 2026 U SPORTS men's basketball Player of the Year. The announcement was made Wednesday night at the All-Canadian Gala in Calgary, host of the 2026 U SPORTS Men's Basketball Final 8 Presented by Student Housing Calgary

Laval guard Christophe Tshibola captured the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy as Rookie of the Year, while Memorial forward Norm Burry earned the Ken Shields Award for Student-Athlete Community Service. Bishop's forward Étienne Gagnon took home the Defensive Player of the Year honours and his Gaiters bench boss Matt McLean received the Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy as Fox 40 Coach of the Year.

The 2026 U SPORTS Men's Basketball Final 8 Presented by Student Housing Calgary tips off Friday at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium and concludes Sunday with the gold medal game at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Tickets for all 11 games can be purchased at usportstickets.ca and the entire championship will be webcast live on CBC digital platforms in English and Radio-Canada's digital platforms in French.  

MIKE MOSER MEMORIAL TROPHY (Player of the Year): Aaron Rhooms, Toronto Metropolitan

Adding to his decorated career with the TMU Bold, Rhooms becomes the first in school history with the national Player of the Year award on his resume, which also includes back-to-back conference Player of the Year honours, First Team All-Canadian honours last season, multiple First Team OUA all-star selections and the 2021-22 U SPORTS Rookie of the Year selection.

Rhooms finished third nationally in scoring at 22.0 points per game, while shooting 50 per cent from the field on 376 attempts. The sharpshooter was known to have the ball in his hands for the crucial moments, delivering multiple clutch game-winning baskets in the dying seconds. A dominant offensive force, the Toronto native recorded three outings of 30-plus points this season, all of which came in front of the TMU Bold faithful.

Rhooms also ranked 12th in the OUA in rebounding at 7.2 per game and finished just outside the top 10 in U SPORTS in three-pointers made, shooting 37 per cent from beyond the arc.

His MVP season propelled the Bold to the No. 1 overall seed heading into the playoffs, closing the regular season on a five‑game win streak to secure a first‑round bye and home‑court advantage, leading to a Wilson Cup title and a berth in the U SPORTS Final 8. 

Other nominees: Ethan Boag (Victoria), Christophe Tshibola (Laval), DJ Jackson (STFX)

Dr. PETER MULLINS TROPHY (Rookie of the Year): Christophe Tshibola, Laval 

In his first year with the Rouge et Or, Christophe Tshibola dominated all rookies in Canada with an average of 20.9 points per game in conference play – more than three points per game ahead of the second-best rookie in the country in that category. His 334 points also ranked first in the RSEQ. Among rookies, he finished first in free throws (100) and second in assists (56). Tshibola scored at least 20 points in 12 of the Rouge et Or's 16 games, including an average of 26.3 points over the final three games of the season. He was his team's leading scorer nine times, helping lead the Rouge et Or to a 13–3 record in conference play, their best since 2008.  

He is the first RSEQ player to be named conference MVP in his rookie season since 2001, and the third U SPORTS Rookie of the Year from Laval, following Charles Fortier that same year, and Jean-François Beaulieu-Maheux in 2007.  

Other nominees: Munroop Gill (Brandon), Jakub Dobiech (Queen's), Phoenyx Wyse (STFX)

KEN SHIELDS AWARD (Student-Athlete Community Service): Norm Burry, Memorial

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. 

Burry is the third player from the Sea-Hawks to earn this honour, and the first since 2014-15 when former Memorial standout Noel Moffatt won the award. Justin Halleran earned the award in 2006-07. 

Other nominees: Thomas Olsen (Thompson Rivers), Chris Sagl (Lakehead), Charles Robert (Bishop's) 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Étienne Gagnon, Bishop's

Étienne Gagnon, a sociology major from Longueuil, Que., is the first Gaiter to win the award since its inception in 2004-05. "Mr. Double-double" as he was known in Lennoxville, averaged a 12.2 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game this season and registered seven double-doubles. His 10.2 boards per game led the conference and is the fifth most in U SPORTS.

He had 25 steals and four blocks while averaging 27.6 minutes per game in RSEQ games this season. He also shot 55.2 percent from the floor and added 1.4 assists per game.

Other nominees: Geoffrey James (Victoria), Nelson Cilien (Carleton), Brandon Laryea (UNB)

STUART W. ABERDEEN MEMORIAL TROPHY (Fox 40 Coach of the Year): Matt McLean, Bishop's 

Fourth-year bench boss Matt McLean is the first Gaiter to win the award since Eddie Pomykala in 1997-98.

The long-time Gaiter from Ottawa led Bishop's to the top of the U SPORTS rankings for a good chunk of the year. McLean won RSEQ titles as a player in 2015, an assistant coach in 2020 and head coach in 2025. Bishop's had a 16-3 regular season record and 22-3 record against U SPORTS teams. It's their first back-to-back regular season titles since 1998-99 and they finished the year as the nation's top-ranked team.

McLean had his Gaiters ranked in the top three in the country the entire season after an impressive pre-season where Bishop's ran the table with wins against top-tier opponents. Their success continued as they went 2-0 over the holidays to run their non-conference record to 9-0..           

Other nominees: Mike Raimbault (Winnipeg), David DeAveiro (Toronto Metropolitan), Tyrell Vernon (STFX) 

2026 U SPORTS MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS & ALL-CANADIANS

Mike Moser Memorial Trophy (Player of the Year): Aaron Rhooms, Toronto Metropolitan 

Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Christophe Tshibola, Laval 

Ken Shields Award (Student-Athlete Community Service): Norm Burry, Memorial 

Defensive Player of the Year: Étienne Gagnon, Bishop's 

Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy (Fox 40 Coach of the Year): Matt McLean, Bishop's

First Team All-Canadians

Second Team All-Canadians

All-Rookie Team