NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – St. Bonaventure’s Andrew Nicholson has been named the Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, the league office announced Monday.
Nicholson embarked on an unprecedented run down the stretch of the Atlantic 10 schedule, averaging 25.3 points and 11.5 rebounds over the final eight conference games to help SBU secure the No. 4 seed and a bye in the Atlantic 10 Championship at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
The senior also earned his second consecutive First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive Team plaudits.
He became the first player ever in the Atlantic 10 to earn four straight Player of the Week awards, putting the finishing touches on a regular season that included his 2,000th career point, seven double-doubles, the first 20-20 game since Bob Lanier in 1967, his 200th career block and the Bonnies’ best win percentage since 1999-00.
Nicholson led the conference in scoring (20.6 in league games) and ranked third in rebounding (9.3), while shooting 62 percent from the field overall and an incredible 46 percent from beyond the arc.
Named Rookie of the Year in 2008-09, the Mississauga native bookends his career with the league’s top honor. He is the seventh player in the 35-year history of the league to earn both Rookie and Player of the Year honors and the first Bona hoopster to earn the top overall award since Earl Belcher won two in a row in 1980 and 81.
Temple head coach Fran Dunphy earned his second Coach of the Year honor in three seasons. Saint Joseph’s sophomore forward C.J. Aiken was named the Defensive Player of the Year while Richmond freshman Kendall Anthony was selected as the Rookie of the Year. Sophomore forward Ronald Roberts of Saint Joseph’s was voted the Sixth Man of the Year and La Salle senior guard Earl Pettis earned the Chris Daniels Most Improved Player Award.
Nicholson and the Bonnies (17-11, 10-6) notched the program’s third double-digit A-10-win season and will play the winner of the No. 12 Charlotte/No. 5 Saint Joseph’s matchup at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 9.
Coach of the Year
Fran Dunphy, Temple
Player of the Year
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Defensive Player of the Year
C.J. Aiken, Saint Joseph’s
Rookie of the Year
Kendall Anthony, Richmond
Sixth Man of the Year
Ronald Roberts, Saint Joseph’s
Chris Daniels Most Improved Player
Earl Pettis, La Salle
First Team All-Conference
Chaz Williams, Massachusetts
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Brian Conklin, Saint Louis
Ramone Moore, Temple
Tu Holloway, Xavier
Second Team All-Conference
Kevin Dillard, Dayton
Chris Gaston, Fordham
Ramon Galloway, La Salle
Langston Galloway, Saint Joseph’s
Khalif Wyatt, Temple
Third Team All-Conference
Chris Braswell, Charlotte
T.J. McConnell, Duquesne
Kwamain Mitchell, Saint Louis
Juan Fernandez, Temple
Mark Lyons, Xavier
All-Conference Honorable Mention
Chris Johnson, Dayton
Earl Pettis, La Salle
Carl Jones, Saint Joseph’s
Halil Kanacevic, Saint Joseph’s
All-Defensive Team
T.J. McConnell, Duquesne
Darrius Garrett, Richmond
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
C.J. Aiken, Saint Joseph’s
Jordair Jett, Saint Louis
All-Rookie Team
Pierria Henry, Charlotte
Jarrell Wright, La Salle
Jonathan Holton, Rhode Island
Kendall Anthony, Richmond
Dezmine Wells, Xavier
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