Courtesy of Brennan Columbia-Walsh

One summer morning, Brennan Columbia-Walsh ’26 and Will Sanok Dufallo ’26, two seniors on the Yale’s club men’s basketball team, woke up to the news that both had been named All-Americans by the National Club Basketball Association.

The honor capped off a milestone season for Yale Club Men’s Basketball. Just a few months prior, the team finished its season on a hot streak, winning 14 of 18 games in its conference and earning a ticket to the North Atlantic Regional Championship for the first time in five years.

“After qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in five years, the guys and I took a dingy My Limo bus all the way to Buffalo, New York — an eight-hour trip — with nothing but our jerseys and a cheap hotel at the end of our journey,” Columbia-Walsh said. “The next morning, we started the playoffs, and we knew that our brotherhood had taken us far.”

That playoff run set the stage for the two players’ individual recognition. Columbia-Walsh, the club’s former president, was selected as a First-Team All-American, and Dufallo, the team captain, was selected as a Second-Team All-American. Both were also named to the North Atlantic All-Regional First Team.

For Dufallo, who played Amateur Athletic Union basketball for six years and high school varsity basketball for two, joining the club team was a no-brainer when came to Yale.

However, it would’ve been hard to predict how successful his college club basketball career has been so far.

“I was pretty surprised, as I did not expect to receive the award, but it felt great for Brennan and I to be recognized for all the hard work we put into the team this year,” Dufallo told the News. He added that other teammates — such as Owen Zhang ’26, Henry Aguirre ’26 and Thai Sapenter ’26 — also deserved recognition.

“I really view this as a team award more than anything,” Dufallo said.

Basketball has also been a major part of Columbia-Walsh’s life. A four-year varsity starter and two-year captain in high school, he scored 1,000 points before coming to Yale and once considered playing Division III basketball.

“I love basketball and come from a basketball family, so getting a nod as a First-Team All-American was an honor after over a decade in the game,” Columbia-Walsh told the News. He also described the award as a collective success for the team.

Columbia-Walsh said the team has made progress on building camaraderie in recent years.

“We are a class of nearly ten guys who entered a team that was struggling to garner real commitment at practices and games,” Columbia-Walsh told the News. “Over the course of three seasons, we didn’t just find the commitment; we packed our tryouts, flipped our record, made it to the playoffs and even got some All-American nods.”

Zhang, another player on the team, praised the team’s combination of hard work and deep personal connections.

“I was drawn to the team because I wanted to keep playing competitive basketball while at Yale, but in an environment that balanced competition and community,” Zhang said. “My first impression was that the guys were both serious about winning and laid-back enough to enjoy the experience.”

As Yale Club Men’s Basketball gears up for a new season, its players are hoping to continue their string of impressive performances from past seasons and continue expanding their culture of competition and community.

“We want to continue to provide our young guys with the opportunity that others provided us: to play excellent club basketball alongside best friends,” Columbia-Walsh said.

The club sports directory lists 49 teams.