2008 NESCAC Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams Announced
Amherst's Olson Repeats, Unanimously Chosen as Player of the Year
HADLEY, Mass. - Amherst senior guard Andrew Olson (San Diego, Calif.) has been unanimously chosen by the conference coaches as the 2008 NESCAC Player of the Year. It is the second year in a row that Olson has received the league’s top honor, leading the defending national champion Lord Jeffs to a 23-3 overall record this season and a perfect 9-0 conference showing for the first time in three years.
A delight to watch work on the hardwood, Olson, the 2005 Co-Rookie of the Year, has now been recognized by the NESCAC in each of his four seasons at Amherst. After earning All-NESCAC Second Team accolades in 2006, Olson received NESCAC All-Conference First Team honors in each of the last two years, culminating with a unanimous selection by the coaches to the 2008 First Team. Olson holds every assist record at Amherst, as he smashed the single-season record of 179 that he set during the 2005-06 campaign by dishing the ball 243 times last year. Leading the league in assists for the second-straight season, Olson is averaging 6.96 per game heading into this weekend’s NCAA Tournament action and ranks seventh nationally. His 181 assists through 26 games brings him to 716 during his tenure at Amherst, eighth all-time in Division III. As unselfish as Olson has been with the ball, he still manages to score a fair amount of points for the Lord Jeffs. Olson is currently fourth among his teammates in scoring, averaging a career-best 11.6 points per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor (102-212) and 43.5 percent from three-point range (37-85).
Joining Olson on the All-Conference First Team from Amherst is senior forward Fletcher Walters (Ann Arbor, Mich.), one of four individuals on this year’s squad to have All-NESCAC honors bestowed upon them for the first time ever. Walters paces the balanced Jeffs in scoring and rebounding, as his 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game both rank among the top 10 players in the conference. Walters has been the top point-scorer for Amherst on eight occasions and has also led his squad in rebounds 14 times, recording seven double-doubles so far this season. Averaging 27.6 minutes per game, Walters set personal records in scoring, rebounding and assists this year. He had a career-best 26 points twice this season (Bowdoin, Feb. 2; Rhode Island Col. Feb. 5), grabbed 15 rebounds against Wesleyan on Feb. 9, and recorded six assists in a win over Williams on Jan. 12.
Bates senior Bryan Wholey (Marshfield, Mass.) was one of three guards named to the 2008 All-Conference First Team. Wholey was third in the NESCAC in scoring, leading the Bobcats with a personal-best 15.8 points per game this year. He tied a career-high in points with 28 during an overtime win at Tufts on Jan. 26. Wholey finished his time in Lewiston ninth on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,246 points. Wholey was also first in the league in steals, averaging an even 2.0 per game.
Trinity senior guard Patrick Hasiuk (Enfield, Conn.) helped his Bantams win their first NESCAC Men’s Basketball Championship in program history. Hasiuk is having a phenomenal senior season for the Bantams, averaging a career-high 12.4 points a game to rank third among his teammates. Hasiuk is also fifth among conference players in assists, averaging 4.43 per game, and second in the league in free throw percentage, hitting 87.5 percent of his attempts (56-64).
Rounding out the NESCAC All-Conference First Team was Connecticut College senior forward Charles Stone (Hackensack, N.J.). Stone, who shared Rookie of the Year honors with Olson in 2005, was among the top players in the NESCAC in multiple statistical categories this season, averaging 14.6 points (4th), 8.3 rebounds (3rd), and 5.2 assists (3rd) while hitting 55.4 percent of his shots (8th). Stone either led or tied for the team high in rebounds in 23 of the Camels’ 25 games in 2007-08. He capped his career at Connecticut College with 1,380 points, 719 rebounds and 276 assists.
Trinity junior forward Aaron Westbrooks (Dublin, Ireland) was named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year. At 6-4, Westbrooks is part of a Bantam squad that is currently second among conference teams in field goal percent defense (.395), second in rebounding margin (+7.0), and third in blocked shots per game (3.85). Starting every game this year for Trinity, Westbrooks currently averages 4.4 points and 3.6 boards per outing.
Bates freshman Brian Ellis (Braintree, Mass.) garnered NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Averaging 26.2 minutes over 23 games this season, Ellis led the league’s first year players in scoring and was sixth overall with 14.0 points per game, second only to Wholey among the Bobcats. He also was second for Bates in rebounds with 5.0 per game and was ninth in the conference in shooting at 55.1 percent (119-216).
Coach of the Year honors went to Bowdoin’s Tim Gilbride for the first time in his career. In his 23rd season at Bowdoin, Gilbride has guided the Polar Bears to a school-record 21 wins this season, their first-ever appearance in the NESCAC championship game, and the program’s third NCAA Tournament berth (1996, 1999). Gilbride earned his 300th career victory this season on Nov. 30 against the University of New England.
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2007-08 NESCAC Men's Basketball All-Conference
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First Team |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
G
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Patrick Hasiuk
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Trinity
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Sr.
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Enfield, Conn.
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G
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Andrew Olson
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Amherst
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Sr.
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San Diego, Calif. |
G
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Bryan Wholey
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Bates
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Sr.
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Marshfield, Mass.
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F
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Charles Stone
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Connecticut College
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Sr.
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Hackensack, N.J. |
F
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Fletcher Walters
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Amherst
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Sr.
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Ann Arbor, Mich.
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Second Team |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
G
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Andrew Hippert
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Bowdoin
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Sr.
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Worcester, Mass.
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F
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Adam Choice
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Colby
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So.
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Newport, R.I.
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F
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Jordan Fliegel |
Bowdoin
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Sr.
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Cambridge, Mass.
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F
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Russ Martin
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Trinity
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Sr.
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East Longmeadow, Mass.
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| F |
Jon Pierce
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Tufts
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Jr.
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Belmont, Mass.
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F
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Aaron Smith
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Middlebury
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Jr.
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West Hartford, Conn.
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Player of the Year |
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G
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Andrew Olson
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Amherst
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Sr.
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San Diego, Calif.
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Defensive Player of the Year |
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F
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Aaron Westbrooks
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Trinity
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Jr.
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Dublin, Ireland
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Rookie of the Year |
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F
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Brian Ellis
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Bates
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Fr.
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Braintree, Mass.
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Coach of the Year |
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Tim Gilbride
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Bowdoin
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