WEST HAVEN, Conn. — The University of New Haven men’s basketball team and head men’s basketball coach Al Seibert have been voted the winners of the 2008-2009 Western New England Collegiate Basketball Officials Association (WNE C.B.O.A.) Sam Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award.

Schoenfeld, former college basketball great who possessed a great deal of energy, honesty and a charismatic personality, was one of the C.B.O.A.’s founding fathers. Sam was a man of integrity and strong character. A brief illness took Sam’s life in early 1956 and as a result the C.B.O.A. decided to memorialize Sam through an award that would be annually presented to a person who exemplified the principles and characteristics displayed by Sam.

Accordingly, the award is presented to the college or university, which in the judgment of the C.B.O.A. membership, best exemplifies “the highest degree of sportsmanship, character, and ethics among their players, coaches and spectators.”
Coach Seibert and the Chargers will be presented with a plaque and commemorative letter in the near future. In their first year in the Northeast-10 Conference, the Chargers concluded the 2008-09 season with an 8-19 record.