KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball player Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) was named First Team All-Region II by D3hoops.com and Second Team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, it was announced by both organizations this week.
Iafrate becomes the first player in school history to be named First Team All-Region by any organization and the fourth Lyon to be recognized by the NABC for All-Region or All-District. Will Hawkins '93 was tabbed a NABC Northeast Region Second Team All-Star following the 1992-93 campaign and both Alex Carlisle '23 and Aaron Williams '23 were Second Team All-District selections in 2023. Iafrate is the first Wheaton player tabbed by D3hoops.com since Anthony Coppola '11 was a Fourth Team honoree in 2011.
Iafrate established himself as one of the nation's best players. According to CBB Analytics, Iafrate had the third-highest WARP at 9.9 in the nation. WARP being defined as the number of extra wins an individual player add to a team's success. It goes without saying that the Ocean State native was one of the region's best players, impacting games on both sides of the floor as not only one of the best offensive players, but also among the best defenders. He ranked among the top 25 in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference in scoring (2nd), steals per game (1st), assists per game (2nd), assist/turnover ratio (1st), field goal percentage (2nd), three-point field goal percentage (7th), three-pointers made per game (15th), rebounds per game (18th) and free throw percentage (25th).
The junior averaged 19.5 points per game and was extremely consistent, netting double-digits in 25 of 28 games, including 20 or more on 14 occasions. He finished the season with 545 points for the third-most in program history. Iafrate enjoyed a five-game stretch from December 3 to January 7, where he averaged 24.6 points, while shooting 60.2% (44-73). The La Salle Academy product shined brightest when it mattered most, averaging 20.7 points in three NEWMAC Championship Tournament games, including 25 points and 24 points against Springfield College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, respectively. Iafrate's consistency extended to his shooting prowess as well, hitting on 50% or better of his shots in all but six contests during the season as part of a 55.2% (195-353) effort for the season, which ranks as the eight-highest mark in school history. The 5'10" guard's field goal mark ranks 13th in NCAA Division III among backcourt players, while leading the nation in shooting efficiency among players under six feet tall. In addition, he dramatically raised his profile as one of the most dangerous outside shooters in the conference, knocking down 38.5% (47-122) of his tries to place him ninth in the league, while standing 15th with 1.7 triples per game. Iafrate was solid at the free throw line as well, converting 71.1% (108-152) of his attempts and was a combined 7-7 in the NEWMAC Semifinal and Championship games. When he wasn't scoring, Iafrate was facilitating Wheaton's offense with 4.5 assists per game to finish with 127 dimes to place him fifth in school annals for a season. He registered five or more assists in a game 13 times during the season, including a season-high of nine, where he was just shy of a triple-double after scoring 16 points and pulling down a season-best 12 rebounds at Massachusetts Institute of Technology on February 4. On the defensive end of the floor, the Business major racked up 81 steals for the second-most ever in a season for the Lyons and ranked 14th in the nation with 2.9 thefts per outing. Iafrate came up with multiple steals in 22 contests, including an eye-popping total of seven three times, including the NEWMAC Semifinals at WPI. The floor general was also instinctive on the boards, pulling down 5.2 rebounds per game to place second on the team.
In addition to his ability to distribute the basketball was Iafrate's prowess at protecting the basketball and making good decisions. The Rhode Island native led the league in assist/turnover ratio with a 2.0 figure and committed two or fewer turnovers in 20 games, including the final 10 games of the season. Iafrate was guilty of exactly one turnover in each of the three NEWMAC Tournament contests he played in. His ability to take care of the basketball is even more impressive when you consider that he ranked ninth in the nation in minutes played per game at 36.4 as the team's point guard and highlights his greatest contribution to the Wheaton team – his dependability, production and consistency. Iafrate's play did not go unnoticed during the season as the only player in the league to be recognized with five weekly awards. He was chosen the Offensive Athlete of the Week three times and the Defensive Athlete of the Week twice.
For his career, Iafrate has started 64 of 77 games, while scoring 1146 points for an average of 14.9 per game. He is currently 12th on the school's career scoring list and He's established himself as one of the greatest shooters in school history, making 50.8% (414-815) of his shots to place third all-time, while ranking second on the Lyons' career list for steals with 191 and fourth with 297 assists.
Wheaton finished the season with a 17-11 overall record for its highest win total since 2005-06, while owning an 8-8 mark in conference play to earn the number four seed in the NEWMAC Tournament. The Lyons upset top-seeded and No. 21 nationally-ranked WPI 82-60 to advance to their first conference championship tilt since 2005.
