Central Islip, N.Y. - For the second straight season, St. Thomas Aquinas junior guard/forward Justin Reyes (Haverhill, Mass.) has been named the East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award in a vote by the league's coaches. Bridgeport senior forward/center Kyle Benjamin (Bronx, N.Y.) and Molloy sophomore guard Curtis Jenkins (Farmingdale, N.Y.) share the conference's Defensive Player of the Year honor, while Molloy freshman guard Nick Corbett (Staten Island, N.Y.) takes home the ECC Rookie of the Year honor.
Reyes was once again the driving force behind the Spartans run to an ECC Regular Season Championship. He comes into ECC Championship play ranked in the top five in the conference in both scoring at 19.8 points per game and rebounding at 8.9 per game. Reyes scored in double figures in every game this season and also compiled 11 double-doubles. The four-time ECC Player of the Week was also incredibly efficient, shooting 62.8 percent from the floor, which is good for 14th in all of Division II. In addition, Reyes showcased his all around game by ranking in the fourth in the conference with 57 steals and 34 blocks on the year.
Benjamin controlled the paint for the Purple Knights to earn a share of the league's defensive honor. Coming in to postseason play, Benjamin ranked in the top 15 in Division II with 10.5 rebounds per game, 7.96 defensive rebounds per game, and 2.78 blocked shots per game. His blocks per game total is also first on the ECC leaderboard and one full block per contest more than the runner-up.
Jenkins is the other half of the Defensive Player of the Year duo as a lock down defender who was typically tasked with shadowing the opponent's top player. His name can also be found among the nation's leaders, coming in at No. 11 in Division II with 2.4 steals per game. Jenkins also contributed on the glass, pulling down 5.1 rebounds per game from th guard position.
Corbett excelled at point guard for the Lions in his debut season. He averaged 9.6 points per game, second among the league's freshman, and also dished off 3.5 assists per game. A five-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, Corbett also ranked second in the league with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio and finished the regular season fifth in the conference with 94 assists.
Charles Marquardt from Molloy earns his peers' vote as Coach of the Year. After missing the ECC Championship for the first time since 2005-06 a year ago, Marquardt led the Lions to a bounce back season. Under his guidance, Molloy finished with a 17-10 mark and also earned the No. 2 seed and a first round bye in the conference tournament with a 13-5 mark in ECC play. The Lions also broke into the NCAA East Regional rankings, coming in at No. 10 in the final poll before postseason play.
The ECC also announced its Men's Basketball All-Conference teams. Reyes and Benjamin are joined on the All-Conference First Team by Charlie Marquardt (Sr., G, Molloy), Jaylen Morris (Sr., G, Molloy), Joseph Nickerson (Sr., G, Dist. Columbia), and Tyree White (Sr., G/F, Queens).
The ECC All-Conference Second Team members are Kasim Chandler (Sr., G, Dist. Columbia), Greg Dotson (Sr., F, LIU Post), Jon Feiler (Gr., F, NYIT), Arif Mehmetaj (R-Sr., F, Daemen), and Chaz Watler (Sr., G, St. Thomas Aquinas).
The ECC Third Team is comprised of Jared Hall (Sr., G, LIU Post), Supreme Hannah (R-Sr., G, Daemen), Sam Joseph (Jr., G/F, Bridgeport), Diego Maldonado (Sr., G, Queens), and Stefano Osuji (Sr., G/F, Bridgeport).
2016-2017 ECC Men’s Basketball All-Conference
First Team
Kyle Benjamin, Bridgeport (Sr., F/C, Bronx, N.Y.)
Charlie Marquardt, Molloy (Sr., G, Rockaway Beach, N.Y.)
Jaylen Morris, Molloy (Sr., G, Amherst, N.Y.)
Joseph Nickerson, Dist. Columbia (Sr., G, Newark, N.J.)
Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas (Jr., G/F, Haverhill, Mass.)
Tyree White, Queens (Sr., G/F, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Second Team
Kasim Chandler, Dist. Columbia (Sr., G, Newark, N.J.)
Greg Dotson, LIU Post (Sr., F, Abington, Pa.)
Jon Feiler, NYIT (Gr, F, Smithtown, N.Y.)
Arif Mehmetaj, Daemen (R-Sr., F, Jamaica, N.Y.)
Chaz Watler, St. Thomas Aquinas (Sr., G, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Third Team
Jared Hall, LIU Post (Sr., G, South Orange, N.J.)
Supreme Hannah, Daemen (R-Sr., G, Rochester, N.Y.)
Sam Joseph, Bridgeport (Jr., G/F, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Diego Maldonado, Queens (Sr., G, Valley Stream, N.J.)
Stefano Osuji, Bridgeport (Sr., G/F, Voorhees, N.J.)
Player of the Year: Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Benjamin, Bridgeport
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Curtis Jenkins, Molloy
Rookie of the Year: Nick Corbett, Molloy
Coach of the Year: Charles Marquardt, Molloy
