2020 Jostens Trophy Winner
“Kena Gilmour is one of the most outstanding people I have met in my life," explained Hamilton men's basketball head coach Adam Stockwell. "He has proven over his time at Hamilton College that he is an incredible athlete; however, his true success is revealed when you learn about him as a person.“
Gilmour, a native of New Paltz, N.Y., is a three-time first team all-conference honoree by the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and earned its Player of the Year award in 2019. He was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Team for a third time and his second straight year on the NABC's first team. The former NESCAC Rookie of the Year averaged 22.0 points per game, having played in 24 contests on the way to earning All-Region honors from D3hoops.com. He finished his career fifth on the Continentals all-time scoring list with 1,935 points at an average of 17.9 points over 108 career games. Gilmour also pulled down 615 rebounds, dished out 216 assists, and came up one steal shy of 150 for his career.
RELATED: Hamilton College Release on Kena Gilmour Winning the 2020 Jostens Trophy
"Kena Gilmour epitomizes the Division III student-athlete," said Jon Hind, the Director of Athletics at Hamilton. "He is an exceptional ambassador for our basketball team, athletic department, and institution. Kena is a leader on the court, in the classroom, and throughout our community."
In the classroom, Gilmour maintains a 3.70 grade point average as a government major with minors in women's and gender studies. He made his third appearance on the NESCAC winter all-academic team last week. Gilmour has twice been honored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as he earned Academic All-America status this season following an Academic All-District nod last year. A five-time Hamilton Dean's List honoree, Gilmour received several campus awards including the Gerald Fitzgerald Dale Senior Scholarship, Ned Doyle Prize Scholarship, and Michael Maslyn Prize Scholarship.
Gilmour's contributions to his communities have been extensive. He has volunteered his time as a clinician at Special Olympics basketball clinics and "Fun Fridays" at Clinton Elementary, which allows students to see college athletes as role models. He has also been a participant in "Trust Treat" supporting a safe Halloween for children, and been an instructor at youth basketball clinics.
This past year, Gilmour worked with Hamilton Associate Athletic Director, Dr. Miriam Merrill, to create the Athletes of Color Initiative, a support group for students of color at Hamilton College. He also was the residential advisor for Hamilton's Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) this past summer, providing live-in guidance and support to 40 pre-matriculated students.
Gilmour participated in several relief efforts including Oneida County Youth Intergenerational Clean Up, Brothers Organization Area Leaf Raking, and Utica Gardens Clean Up. He also lent his time to fundraising efforts for the YMCA, A Better Chance (ABC House) Bake Sale, and the Black Latino Student Union (BLSU) Emergency Environmental Crisis.
Click HERE for the full release.