By Craig Meyer and René Reyes/DFP Staff
After a long and storied career in the America East Conference, Boston University men's basketball senior forward John Holland was recognized with the conference's highest honor Friday afternoon, being awarded the 2011 America East Player of the Year in Hartford, Conn.
Holland was one of several Terriers to receive postseason accolades, as junior guard Darryl Partin joined Holland as a first team all-conference honoree, junior forward Patrick Hazel was honored as an AE first team all-defensive performer, and freshmen Dom Morris and D.J. Irving were named to the all-rookie team.
Holland, a preseason all-conference selection, is averaging 19.2 points per game and 5.7 rebounds a game for the Terriers, helping pace the team to a 18-13 regular season mark, including a 12-4 record in conference play, BU's best AE record since 2004.
It is the Bronx, N.Y., native's first AE Player of the Year award after being a finalist each of the past two seasons.
Partin collected first team all-conference honors playing in his first year in the league after transferring to BU from La Salle University in 2009. In AE play, Partin emerged as a viable second scoring option for the Terriers in wake of a season-ending foot injury to junior forward Jake O'Brien, averaging 14.9 PPG and 3.4 RPG, including 16.9 PPG in 16 conference games.
Like Partin, Hazel was also able to capture a postseason honor in just his first year in the AE. After transferring from Marquette University, Hazel quickly became a formidable low-post presence for the Terriers. While he only averaged 4.5 PPG for the season, the tri-captain was second in the conference in blocks per game with 1.8 while averaging 5.8 RPG, ranking him 11th in the AE.
Both highly-touted members of BU coach Patrick Chambers' first major recruiting class to BU, Morris and Irving were able to provide significant contributions for a battered and retooled BU team in just their freshman year. Irving, a speedy Chester, Pa., product, averaged 7.9 PPG to go along with a team-high 3.8 assists per game, ranking him third among all AE players. Morris posted averages of 5.5 PPG and 4.6 RPG while being able to provide BU with interior toughness and an uncanny ability to shoot 3-pointers for a player his size.
Coincidentally enough, the five BU honorees were the starting unit in every one of the Terriers' games on their current season-high eight-game win streak.
The Terriers will now try to translate the postseason accolades to success on the court as they begin a possible run to the NCAA Tournament against the University of New Hampshire at 6:05 p.m. in the AE Tournament quarterfinals at Chase Family Arena in Hartford.
Below are the full awards for the America East 2010-11 season:
Major Awards:
Kevin Roberson Player of the Year
John Holland, Boston University
Coach of the Year
Mike Lonergan, Vermont
Rookie of the Year
Brian Voelkel, Vermont
Defensive Player of the Year
Brendan Bald, Vermont
All-Conference Awards:
First-Team
Troy Barnies Sr. F Maine
Tim Ambrose Sr. G Albany
John Holland Sr. G/F Boston University
Darryl Partin Jr. G Boston University
Evan Fjeld Sr. F Vermont
Second-Team
Joe Zeglinski Sr. G Hartford
Gerald McLemore Jr. G Maine
Chris De La Rosa Jr. G UMBC
Tyrone Conley Sr. G New Hampshire
Bryan Dougher Jr. G Stony Brook
Third-Team
Logan Aronhalt So. G Albany
Mike Black So. G Albany
Mahamoud Jabbi Sr. F Binghamton
Morgan Sabia Sr. F Hartford
Brendan Bald So. G Vermont
All-Rookie Team
Luke Devlin Fr. F Albany
D.J. Irving Fr. G Boston University
Dom Morris Fr. F Boston University
Jordon Bronner Fr. G New Hampshire
Brian Voelkel Fr. F Vermont
All-Defensive Team
Mahamoud Jabbi Sr. F Binghamton
Patrick Hazel Jr. F Boston University
Milton Burton Sr. G/F Hartford
Chandler Rhoads So. G New Hampshire
Brendan Bald So. G Vermont
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