CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Bucknell senior forward Zach Thomas was named the Patriot League Player of the Year, after leading the Bison to their fourth-consecutive regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Patriot League Men’s Basketball Tournament, when postseason major awards and all-League honors were announced by the League office on Monday afternoon.
Thomas finished the regular-season among the nation’s leaders in scoring (21.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.1), while breaking Bucknell’s single-season scoring record with 651 points. The seven-time Patriot League The Rock Player of the Week, helped the Bison to 16 League victories, the highest single-season mark in League history.
Holy Cross junior forward Jehyve Floyd earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, after leading the League with 2.2 blocks per game. Floyd anchored a Crusaders’ defense that allowed just 68.0 points per game, second lowest in the League.
Lafayette freshman guard Alex Petrie was picked as Rookie of the Year after leading all League freshmen, averaging 15.9 points per game. Petrie, a three-time Patriot League The Rock Rookie of the Week, broke the Leopards single-season freshman scoring record with 445 points.
Colgate head coach Matt Langel was selected Coach of the Year, after guiding the Raiders to a seven-game improvement from a year ago and second-place in the League, the program’s best finish since the 2014-15 season.
The Patriot League major awards and all-League teams were voted on by Patriot League men’s basketball head coaches, who could not vote for their own student-athletes or themselves.
2017-18 All-Patriot League Teams
Thomas is joined on the All-Patriot League First Team by a pair of teammates, including senior center Nana Foulland (15.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 bpg), the 2016-17 Patriot League Player and Defensive Player of the Year, and senior guard Stephen Brown (14.3 ppg, 4.3 apg). The trio of Bison marks the most players from a single-team to be selected to the first-team in League history. Loyola Maryland senior guard Andre Walker (15.6 ppg), who scored a League single-game high 43 points earlier this season, is joined on the first-team by Navy senior guard Shawn Anderson, who became the first Midshipmen to eclipse 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists for his career. Brown, Foulland and Walker are three of 23 Patriot League student-athletes to earn all-League honors three times.
Senior guard Kahron Ross (13.0 ppg, 4.3 apg), who became the Patriot League’s career assists leader highlights the second-team along with Lafayette senior forward Matt Klinewski (16.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg), who has finished in the top-three in the League in scoring in each of the last two seasons. Colgate sophomore forward Will Rayman (14.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the 2017 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, also earns a spot on the second-team, with fellow sophomore American guard Sa’eed Nelson, who finished second in the League in points (17.8 ppg) and assists (4.9 apg). Lehigh junior guard Lance Tejada (14.7 ppg) makes the team after finishing among the nation’s leaders in 3-point field goal percentage (46.4 percent).
Floyd, the League’s defensive player of the year, and Petrie, the rookie of the year, both earn spots on the third-team, along with Boston University sophomore forward Max Mahoney (12.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and a pair of Colgate seniors, including guard Sean O’Brien (11.0 ppg, 3.7 apg) and forward Jordan Swopshire (12.3 ppg). O’Brien finished among NCAA DI’s leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.6), while Floyd (.657) and Mahoney (.607) finished first and second in the League in field goal percentage, respectively.
The All-Defensive Team features two defensive players of the year, including Floyd and Foulland, the 2017 honoree. Brown made the all-defensive team for the third-straight season, while Navy senior guard Bryce Dulin makes the squad for the second-consecutive year. Loyola Maryland sophomore guard Andrew Kostecka earned a spot on the team, after tying for the League lead with 2.1 steals per game.
The All-Rookie Team is highlighted by Petrie, who led all Patriot League freshmen and finished fifth in the League overall with 15.9 points per game. American freshman forward Sam Iorio finished second in scoring among rookies (14.8 ppg), while leading the class in rebounding (6.6 rpg). Colgate freshman guard Jordan Burns (11.8 ppg, 3.2 apg), a three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week, makes the squad along with Boston University freshman forward Walter Whyte (9.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Holy Cross freshman guard Austin Butler (9.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
The 2017-18 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Tournament begins with first-round action on Tuesday, February 27. No. 8 Loyola Maryland (8-21, 6-12 PL) hosts No. 9 Army West Point (8-21, 6-12 PL) at Reitz Arena with coverage of the Stadium-produced game beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Fans can watch on a variety of Over-The-Air channels and via Twitter by following @Watch Stadium. No. 7 Lafayette (9-20, 7-11 PL) welcomes No. 10 American (6-23, 3-15 PL) to Kirby Sports Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off, with live coverage on the Patriot League Network (PLN) in addition to the Lafayette Sports Network.
2017-18 Men’s Basketball All-Patriot League Team and Major Awards
Player of the Year: Zach Thomas, Bucknell (Sr., C)
Defensive Player of the Year: Jehyve Floyd, Holy Cross (Jr., F)
Rookie of the Year: Alex Petrie, Lafayette (Fr., G)
Coach of the Year: Matt Langel, Colgate
First-Team All-Patriot League
Nana Foulland, Bucknell (Sr., C)
Zach Thomas, Bucknell (Sr, F)
Stephen Brown, Bucknell (Sr., G)
Andre Walker, Loyola Maryland (Sr., G)
Shawn Anderson, Navy (Sr., G)
Second-Team All-Patriot League
Sa’eed Nelson, American (So., G)
Will Rayman, Colgate (So., F)
Matt Klinewski, Lafayette (Sr., F)
Kahron Ross, Lehigh, Sr., G)
Lance Tejada, Lehigh (Jr., G)
Third-Team All-Patriot League
Max Mahoney, Boston University (So., F)
Sean O’Brien, Colgate (Sr., G)
Jehyve Floyd, Holy Cross (Jr., F)
Jordan Swopshire, Colgate (Sr., F)
Alex Petrie, Lafayette (Fr., G)
All-Defensive Team
Nana Foulland, Bucknell (Sr, C)
Stephen Brown, Bucknell (Sr., G),
Jehyve Floyd, Holy Cross (Jr., F)
Andrew Kostecka, Loyola Maryland (So., G)
Bryce Dulin, Navy (Sr., G)
All-Rookie Team
Sam Iorio, American (Fr., F)
Walter Whyte, Boston University (Fr., F)
Jordan Burns, Colgate (Fr., G)
Austin Butler, Holy Cross (Fr., G)
Alex Petrie, Lafayette (Fr., G)
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.