“Unfortunately, that’s out of my control,” Holmes said. “I’m happy for Ace Baldwin. He was the best player on the best team.”

Holmes, a sophomore forward who ranks fourth in the league in scoring, lost to the junior Virginia Commonwealth point guard who ranked 20th. The 15 A-10 coaches vote on the year-end awards.

Holmes averaged 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Baldwin averaged 12.6 points. 2.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.2 blocks per game.

Baldwin has the lowest scoring average by an A-10 Player of the Year since Temple point guard Pepe Sánchez won the award in 2000 with averages of 5.6 points, 8.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 3.4 steals. The last A-10 Player of the Year to not rank in the top 10 in scoring was Saint Louis guard Jordair Jett, who averaged 13.9 points per game in 2013-14.

Baldwin is the third player in the last four seasons to be named player of the year while playing for the regular-season champion, following Dayton’s Obi Toppin (2020) and Davidson’s Luka Brajkovic (2022). Bones Hyland won the award while playing for second-place VCU in 2021.

VCU (24-7, 15-3) won the league by three games over Dayton (20-11, 12-6), Saint Louis (20-11, 12-6) and Fordham (24-7, 12-6) and is the No. 1 seed in the A-10 tournament, which started Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dayton fourth-year forward Toumani Camara, who made the A-10 first team and the all-defensive team with Holmes on Tuesday, hoped Dayton could use the snub of Holmes as another piece of motivation.

“In my opinion, he’s the best player in the league, for sure,” Camara said, “But it’s out of my control. We’re only able to control what we can. Knowing him, he’s going to take that personally, and he’s going to bring all his energy to the tournament. I think it actually benefits us.”

Holmes won a different A-10 Player of the Year award Monday in a vote organized by an A-10 podcast, 3 Bid League, which surveyed a selection of media members and podcasters. Holmes also topped the KenPom.com All-A-10 team.

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Dayton had one other player honored. Freshman point guard Mike Sharavjamts made the All-Rookie team.

“I’m really happy for them,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said of the three players honored. “It’s well deserved. I think those guys would tell you it’s credit to their teammates for putting them in position to be able to do that, but those guys certainly performed to a point where I think they’re very deserving of that recognition.”

Other Flyers who have made the all-rookie team are: Holmes and Malachi Smith (2022); Mustapha Amzil (2021) Toppin (2019); Crutcher (2018); Juwan Staten (2011); Chris Johnson (2009); Chris Wright (2008); Brian Roberts (2005); Keith Waleskowski (2001); Brooks Hall (2000); and Tony Stanley (1998).

This is the first time Dayton has placed two players on the all-defensive team. Holmes, who made the team last season, is also the first Flyer to win the award twice in his career since London Warren (2009 and 2010). Other Flyers named to the all-defensive team are: Kyle Davis (2017); Charles Cooke (2016); London Warren (2010 and 2009); and Stanley (2001).

One Dayton-area player was honored in the A-10 awards. Wayne grad Darius Quisenberry, a graduate student at Fordham, made the second team. He ranked sixth in the league in scoring with 17.0 points per game, while leading Fordham to its best season of the past 30 years.

Dayton left Tuesday after practice for Brooklyn. It plays at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Barclays Center, in the quarterfinals against No. 7 seed George Washington (16-15) or No. 10 Saint Joseph’s (15-16). Saint Joseph’s beat No. 15 Loyola Chicago 72-67 in the first round Tuesday.

Sharavjamts hurt his knee Friday during a 65-61 loss at Saint Louis and said he would not be able to play Thursday. He doesn’t his status beyond that game, should Dayton advance. He said he has a bone bruise on his right knee.

Guard Kobe Elvis was also limping after the game Friday and did not appear to be practicing Tuesday.

Asked about the health of the team going into postseason, Grant said, “Healthy is a relative term. Available? I’m not sure yet. We’ll find out here in a couple of days. But I think the one thing with with our group this year is we’ve had different guys out at different times, and guys have had to assume different roles. So if for whatever reason we are not at 100% availability, I think we’ve got guys who understand what they’ve got to do.”

2023 A-10 Awards

Player of the Year: Ace Baldwin, VCU.

Defensive Player of the Year: Ace Baldwin, VCU.

Rookie of the Year: Maximus Edwards, George Washington.

Chris Daniels Most Improved Player: Brendan Adams, George Washington.

Sixth Man of the Year: Josh Nickelberry, La Salle.

Coach of the Year: Keith Urgo, Fordham

All-Conference First Team: Toumani Camara, Dayton; DaRon Holmes II, Dayton; Josh Oduro, George Mason; James Bishop IV, George Washington; Yuri Collins, Saint Louis; and Ace Baldwin, VCU.

All-Conference Second Team: Foster Loyer, Davidson; Dae Dae Grant, Duquesne; Darius Quisenberry, Fordham; Tyler Burton, Richmond; Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s; and Gibson Jimerson, Saint Louis.

All-Conference Third Team: Sam Mennenga, Davidson; Khalid Moore, Fordham; Brendan Adams, George Washington; Daryl Banks III, St. Bonaventure; Jalen DeLoach, VCU; and Brandon Johns, Jr., VCU.

All-Academic Team: Foster Loyer, Davidson; Matt Grace, Richmond; Victor Bailey, Jr., George Mason; Brendan Adams, George Washington; and Gibson Jimerson, Saint Louis.

All-Defensive Team: Toumani Camara, Dayton; DaRon Holmes, Dayton; Jimmy Clark III, Duquesne; Kyle Rose, Fordham; Yuri Collins, Saint Louis; and Ace Baldwin, VCU.

All-Rookie Team: Mike Sharavjamts, Dayton; Maximus Edwards, George Washington; Ben Schwieger, Loyola Chicago; RJ Luis, Massachusetts; and Yann Farell, St. Bonaventure.