FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Moreton Becomes First Stonehill Player to Earn POY Since 1997-98.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Stonehill's Will Moreton has been named Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, becoming the first Skyhawks' player in 22 years to win the honor, as the league office announced major award winners and all-conference teams on Tuesday afternoon.
Additionally - Bentley's Chris Hudson has been tabbed Defensive Player of the Year, Saint Michael's Kasai Brown earns Rookie of the Year and Le Moyne's Nate Champion, who led the Dolphins to the Southwest Division title, is the Coach of the Year.
13 of 14 NE10 institutions had at least one player earn all-conference recognition, while Northeast Division champion Saint Anselm led all programs with three selections. The First Team, headlined by Moreton, consists of six players from six different teams, while seven teams had multiple players recognized by the conference overall.
For a complete list of all-conference honorees, please see below.
After earning Second Team All-Conference honors as a sophomore and junior, Moreton finally broke through in his senior season – being named not only to the First Team, but also the NE10 Player of the Year. He averaged a team-high 18.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for the Skyhawks, leading them to a second place finish in the Northeast Division.
Moreton had 13 games with 20 or more points this season, including a season-best 35 in a win over Adelphi on Jan. 14. The lefty shooter ranked in the top 10 of the league in three-point field goal percentage (43.7-percent), while also racking-up 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Hudson did a little bit of everything for Bentley this season, averaging 19 points per game on 56.8-percent shooting from the field – both top five marks in the NE10 – while still making defense a big part of his game. He averaged a league-high 1.4 blocks per game, along with 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals, to help lead the Falcons back to the postseason as the fourth seed in the Northeast.
Brown had a sensational rookie campaign for the Purple Knights, leading him to becoming the first Saint Michael's player since Mike Keating in 2002-03 to win Rookie of the Year. The first-year forward averaged 16.0 points per game, 12th-best in the league and the highest total among freshmen. He also recorded 1.4 blocks per contest, tying Hudson for the league lead.
It didn't take long for Champion to find a home at Le Moyne, as the first-year head coach of the Dolphins won NE10 Coach of the Year after leading the program to its fourth-straight Southwest Division title. Le Moyne is currently ranked fourth in the NCAA East Region rankings, the highest among all NE10 teams, with a 19-8 overall record (15-4 NE10).
The NE10 Men's Basketball Championship continues on Wednesday with semifinal action. Both games are available on NE10NOW.tv, as only two teams will advance to play in Saturday's championship game with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament at stake.
NE10 Men's Basketball All-Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Will Moreton, Stonehill
Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Hudson, Bentley
Rookie of the Year: Kasai Brown, Saint Michael's
Coach of the Year: Nate Champion, Le Moyne
All-Conference – First Team
Ronnie Silva, Adelphi
Chris Hudson, Bentley
Doyin Fadojutimi, Franklin Pierce
Peyton Wejnert, Pace
Chris Paul, Saint Anselm
Will Moreton, Stonehill
All-Conference – Second Team
Tom Brown, Le Moyne
Ryan Roland, Le Moyne
Elijah Bailey, New Haven
Sekou Sylla, Saint Rose
Eamonn Joyce, Southern New Hampshire
All-Conference – Third Team
Matthew Kelly, Assumption
Brandon Jacobs, Pace
Miles Tention, Saint Anselm
Taurus Adams II, Southern Connecticut
Brandon Twitty, Stonehill
All-Rookie Team
Tyler Arbuckle, Saint Anselm
Kasai Brown, Saint Michael's
Cartier Bowman, Saint Rose
Lyron Bennett, Southern Connecticut
Jacari Sanders, Southern New Hampshire
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
