Central Islip, N.Y. - NYIT senior guard
Darian Hooker (Washington, D.C.) has been selected as the 2014-15
East Coast Conference Player of the Year in a vote by the league's
coaches. Daemen senior forward Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y.)
repeats as the ECC Defensive Player of the Year, while St. Thomas
Aquinas freshman guard Justin Reyes (Haverhill, Mass.) takes home
the ECC Rookie of the Year honor.
Hooker has made his one season in an NYIT uniform a memorable one.
Despite missing three games due to injury in the middle of the
season, Hooker set an ECC single-season record for points with 708
and counting. Over 25 games played, his point total translates to
28.3 points per game, which not only leads the ECC, but all of
Division II. He also finds his name atop the ECC leader board in
field goals made (225), three point field goals made (80), free
throws made (178), and free throw percentage (87.3). Hooker has
scored in double-figures in every game on the season, scoring less
than 20 points only three times. He has topped 40 points on three
different occasions and scored 30 or more in 12 different games.
His scoring prowess earned him ECC Player of the Week honors five
times as well as the United States Basketball Writers Association's
(USBWA) Division II National Player of the Week honor for the week
ending February 8. In addition to his scoring exploits, Hooker has
been the ECC's top distributor as well, averaging an ECC-high 4.9
assists per game.
Beverly was a monster in the paint once again for Daemen. For the
second straight season, Beverly led the conference in blocks,
including an ECC single-game record 12 against St. Thomas (Fla.) on
December 17. His final regular-season block total topped
triple digits with 102, currently the eighth highest single-season
total in ECC history. Beverly was also a force on the boards,
topping the ECC with 334 total rebounds, 227 defensive rebounds,
and 11.9 rebounds per game.
Reyes had an outstanding debut season in helping St. Thomas Aquinas
finish 17-3 in ECC play. The guard finished second among all
first-year players in scoring with 11.1 points per game and led all
rookies with 6.5 rebounds per game. Reyes also finished among the
top-10 in the conference in field goal percentage (49.8), steals
(41), and blocks (22).
Tobin Anderson from St Thomas Aquinas has been picked as the Coach
of the Year by his peers. Anderson led the Spartans to a
share of the ECC Regular Season Championship, a first in program
history, and the top seed in the upcoming ECC Men's Basketball
Championship. Under his guidance, the Spartans also won 20 games
for the first time since joining NCAA's Division II and first time
overall since the 1998-99 season.
The ECC also announced its Men's Basketball All-Conference teams.
ECC Co-Regular Season Champions, St. Thomas Aquinas and
Bridgeport have the most selections between the three teams with
three each. Daemen, LIU Post, Molloy, and NYIT all have two apiece.
Hooker and Beverly are joined on the All-Conference First
Team by Darien Davis (Sr., G, Dowling), Torrence Dyck, Jr., (Jr.,
G, Daemen), Chaz Watler (So., G, St. Thomas Aquinas), and Willie
Williams III (Sr., F, Bridgeport).
The ECC All-Conference Second Team members are: Devon Elliott (Jr.,
G, Bridgeport), Isaac Medeiros (Sr., F, Roberts Wesleyan), Jeremiah
Mordi (Sr., G, Queens), Ernest Rouse (Jr., G, Bridgeport), and
Tyuan Williams (Sr., F, LIU Post).
The ECC Honorable Mention Team is comprised of Reyes, Jon Feiler
(Sr., F, NYIT), Marcus Henderson (Sr., G, St. Thomas Aquinas), Matt
McLeod (Sr., G, Molloy), Jaylen Morris (So., G, Molloy), and P.J.
Torres (Sr., G, LIU Post).
2014-2015 ECC
Men’s Basketball All-Conference
First Team
Gerald Beverly, Daemen (Sr., F, Rochester, N.Y.)
Darien Davis, Dowling (Sr., G, Middle Island, N.Y.)
Torrence Dyck, Jr., Daemen (Jr., G/F, Rochester, N.Y.)
Darian Hooker, NYIT (Sr., G, Washington, D.C.)
Chaz Watler, St. Thomas Aquinas (So., G, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Willie Williams III, Bridgeport (Sr., F, Norwalk, Conn.)
Second Team
Devon Elliott, Bridgeport (Jr., G, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Isaac Medeiros, Roberts Wesleyan (Sr., F, Johnston, R.I.)
Jeremiah Mordi, Queens (Sr., G, Valley Stream, N.Y.)
Ernest Rouse, Bridgeport (Jr., G, Freeport, N.Y.)
Tyuan Williams, LIU Post (Sr., F, Newark, N.J.)
Honorable Mention Team
Jon Feiler, NYIT (Jr., F, St. James, N.Y.)
Marcus Henderson, St. Thomas Aquinas (Sr., G, Newburgh, N.Y.)
Matt McLeod, Molloy (Sr., G, Greenlawn, N.Y.)
Jaylen Morris, Molloy (So., G, Amherst, N.Y.)
Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fr., G, Amherst, N.Y.)
P.J. Torres, LIU Post (Sr., G, New Rochelle, N.Y.)
Player of the Year: Darian Hooker, NYIT
Defensive Player of the Year: Gerald Beverly,
Daemen
Rookie of the Year: Justin Reyes, St. Thomas
Aquinas
Coach of the Year: Tobin Anderson, St. Thomas
Aquinas
* Six players were named to the Honorable Mention Team due to a
tie in the voting.
