Akoi Yuot of the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners is the 2022 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.

In addition, Yuot and 12 other players have been named 2022 CCAA Men’s Basketball All-Canadians. See the full list below.

The student-athletes were honoured at the 2022 CCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship, hosted by Humber College in Etobicoke, ON.

“Akoi was a major factor in the Mariners’ team success this season,” said David Munro, CCAA VP Programs. “He is known as a student-athlete who loves to play and practice and is a great teammate.”

Yuot led the Mariners to a perfect 17-0 record and first-place finish in the Pacific Western Athletic Assocation (PACWEST). VIU defeated Capilano in the Conference Championship final to advance to the CCAA Championships.  

The PACWEST Player of the Year ranked second in the conference with 22.1 points per game, while averaging 9.38 rebounds per game. He ranked first in the PACWEST with a 62.8% shooting percentage.

Akoi is a pleasure to coach and has an enthusiasm for the game that is infectious. He loves to practice and is very receptive to all feedback to help him improve. He is also a great teammate who is compassionate toward others and has a great sense of humour.

Yuot is a next-level athlete in the CCAA and has proven to be a crowd favourite thanks to his acrobatic dunks and blocks, according to Matt Carter, Communications & Sports Information Coordinator at VIU.

“He has the quickness to guard smaller players and the size to defend forwards, so he can match up against any player at any position,” said Carter. “Offensively, he can draw on precision or power, depending on how the play unfolds and his conference-leading shooting percentage shows that he overwhelmingly makes the right decisions.”

Yuot has also coached in the local community through the VIU summer camps as well as ‘Island Swish’ youth basketball, where he has coached elementary-aged kids. In addition, he volunteers his time two days a week to help with boys and girls’ teams at Learning Alternatives, a Nanaimo-based alternative education & support program.

The CCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year receives a customized ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA.

2022 CCAA Men's Basketball All-Canadians