Elite 18 Award for Killian Gribben after American East Championship final

Letterkenny man and rising basketball player Killian Gribben has been named as the winner of the Elite 18 Award.

Gribben played on Saturday for University of Maine in their defeat by Bryant University in the American East Championship final at the Chance Athletic Center in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Bryant took the silverware after a 77-59 win in the final.

Bryant were 38-27 ahead at half-time and were able to hold the lead until the end.

Gribben landed two two-pointers in the final, but Maine were unable to claw back the deficit.

The towering Gribben, who stands at 6’10”, is a former Letterkenny Blaze player and St Eunan’s College student, who has moved to Maine after two seasons with Siena College in New York.

Gribben has a 3.86 grade points average (GPA) and he is the men’s basketball Elite 18 honoree for having the highest GPA among champion game participants.

This was the University of Maine Black Bears’ first trek to the Championship phase since 2004 having beaten Vermont 57-42 in the American East.

The Black Bears ended their regular season with an 18-13 record and had the third-best scoring margin in their conference.

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In the summer of 2023, Gribben - a son of Brian and Monica Gribben - was the captain of the Irish U20 team and in 2020, he won the All Ireland Schools Cup with St Eunans College. 

A younger sister, Emma, plays Division II Basketball with Dominican University in New York.