Courtesy of MonmouthHawks.com
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ– Monmouth men’s basketball head coach King Rice was named NABC District 1 Coach of the Year, while Justin Robinson (Lake Katrine, NY/Kingston) picked up District 1 First-Team honors. The duo helped Monmouth to a program record 28 wins this past season, and a MAAC regular season title.
Rice earns NABC District 1 Coach of the Year honors after leading Monmouth to a program-record 28 victories this season, his third Coach of the Year accolade after earning MAAC and ECAC Coach of the Year. Rice posted 17 league victories, including an 11-2 mark at home and a nation-leading 13 road tallies. He secured Monmouth’s first regular season title in 11 years and the top seed in the conference tournament while knocking off five high-major programs in the non-conference.
Robinson earns a spot on the NABC District 1 First Team, adding to his list of honors this season. He was the 2016 MAAC Player of the Year and a 2016 MAAC 1st-Team unanimous selection, his second straight season on the first team. He was placed on the All-MAAC Tournament team and was an ECAC 1st-Team choice. Robinson topped the school record for points in a single-season with 693, besting former Los Angeles Laker Alex Blackwell’s mark. The junior was a three-time MAAC Player of the Week, tied for the most in the league, a two-time Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week, and named to Lou Henson Award Watch List as well as a three-time ECAC Player of the Week. Earlier this month, Robinson was named as a USBWA All-District II Team selection. He led Monmouth in scoring and assists and steals, finishing third in MAAC in scoring and leading the conference in steals while finishing third in free throw percentage. Robinson became the seventh Hawk in program history to top the 1,000 point mark as a junior and is currently 9th all-time in scoring. He was named MVP of the AdvoCare Invitational after scoring 77 points to top Michael Beasley’s tournament scoring record.
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