Courtesy of MAACSports.com
EDISON, NJ – Iona College senior guard A.J. English and Monmouth University junior guard Justin Robinson have been named to the 2015-16 Lou Henson Mid-Season Watch List. The Lou Henson award is presented annually to the best Mid-Major Player in Division I basketball.
English was selected as the MAAC men’s basketball preseason player of the year. English has the Gaels out a 6-0 record in conference play, for just the second time in the last 14 seasons. Iona is also undefeated at home in 26 straight games. Currently, English is averaging 23.3 points, 6.5 steals and 4.5 rebounds per game. Back on December 1 against Fairfield, English had a night for the record books. He scored 46 points against Fairfield while hitting on 13 three-pointers. He tied the MAAC single game scoring record, and recorded the second-highest point total and the ninth 40+ point effort in Iona history. The 30 year old MAAC record was set in 1985 by Holy Cross’ Jim McCaffrey. His 13 three-pointers broke the previous record of 10, which was previously held by his former teammate Sean Armand in 2012. English earned National Player of the Week honors as well as Lou Henson Co-Player of the Week honors following that performance.
Robinson is second in the MAAC in scoring with an average of 20.1 points per game. The Hawks have made national headlines after defeating the likes of UCLA, USC, Notre Dame, and Georgetown in non-conference play. Robinson was named Lou Henson Player of the Week after setting a tournament record 77 points in three games down in Orlando at the Advocare Invitational, surpassing the record set by former NBA first round pick Michael Beasley. The Hawks are currently in second place in the MAAC with a 4-1 conference record.
The award is named in honor of Lou Henson who coached 41 years. When he left the game in 2005 he was sixth all-time in career Division I wins with 779. He is the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State. He is one of only 12 coaches in the history of the game to take two schools to the Final Four.
The winner of this year’s award will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Award Presentation on April 1 in Houston, the site of the men’s division I national championship.
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