The Colonial Athletic Association will hand out postseason awards on Friday night, the eve of the conference tournament as is tradition. The awards are voted on by the conference’s head coaches, SIDs and select media members. As I am one of the voters, sharing how I voted provides a worthwhile look back on the regular season.
This time around, it was a tough call for one major award and an easy call for two of them. For the all-conference teams, it wasn’t as difficult, and easier than that was the All-Rookie team as it wasn’t a big year for instant impact freshmen in the conference. With the All-Defensive team, it was difficult simply because defense is so often a team operation and with no real statistics or metrics for individual players it’s very difficult to evaluate without seeing everyone play more than once or twice. (Steals and blocked shots only tell us so much because it’s easy for players to get into foul trouble attempting both.)
With that in mind, here is a look at how I voted and what went into each vote. On each of the teams, the players are listed alphabetically.
Player of the Year: Devon Saddler, Delaware
This was a tough call. It basically came down to Saddler, Northeastern’s Joel Smith and Towson’s Jerrelle Benimon. Benimon and Saddler had the best numbers, but Smith had good numbers and was a leader on the regular season champion Huskies, especially when Jonathan Lee was out. In the end, Saddler got the nod for carrying and leading the Blue Hens after leading the conference in scoring and coming in second on the team in assists. At times he willed the team back into a game or to victory, and the Blue Hens won their share of games despite a rough start in non-conference play.
Rookie of the Year: R.J. Hunter, Georgia State
This wasn’t even a contest. Hunter was clearly the best freshmen, especially after he was the hottest player in the conference for a stretch. It wasn’t a strong group, but Hunter would win this award in a lot of years with his play this season. CAA fans won’t get to see any more of the coach’s son, however, unless the Panthers play someone in non-conference play.
Defensive Player of the Year: Jamelle Hagins, Delaware
Although his offense made a big jump over the course of his career, Hagins was still first and foremost a defensive stud. That remained the case this year, as he led the CAA in blocked shots and was second in rebounding. He led the Blue Hens as they were one of the better defensive teams in the conference and will finish his career as Delaware’s all-time leading rebounder.
Coach of the Year: Bill Coen, Northeastern
You could make a case for Pat Skerry at Towson with the big improvement in wins from last season, but Coen should win this by a good margin. The Huskies had a senior backcourt, but the leader of the team went down in early practice and they were streaky in non-conference play. Come conference time, however, this team was playing terrific team basketball to open up a big lead in the standings early, and they held on to it to capture the school’s first CAA regular season title. The Huskies were seen by many as a dark horse to contend, and they came out on top.
First Team
Jerrelle Benimon, Jr. F, Towson
R.J. Hunter, Fr. G-F, Georgia State
Keith Rendleman, Sr. F, UNCW
Devon Saddler, Jr. G, Delaware
Joel Smith, Sr. G, Northeastern
Benimon, Saddler and Smith were in the running for Player of the Year. Benimon was one of three players to average a double-double and was easily the conference’s best newcomer regardless of class. Hunter is easily the conference’s Rookie of the Year. Rendleman snags a spot as another who averaged a double-double, although he did so on a team near the bottom of the standings. Saddler led the conference in scoring and carried Delaware at times. Smith was a big part of Northeastern’s success and not just from a statistical standpoint, especially when Jonathan Lee was out for most of non-conference with a foot injury.
Second Team
Jamelle Hagins, Sr. C, Delaware
Frantz Massenat, Jr. G, Drexel
Marcus Thornton, So. G, William & Mary
Devonta White, Jr. G, Georgia State
Sherrod Wright, Jr. G, George Mason
Hagins capped a solid career with a big senior season, averaging a double-double again and being the conference’s best defensive player to close his career with over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Massenat led a disappointing Drexel team with a slump year after he was runner-up for Player of the Year last season. Thornton might have been the hottest player down the stretch, as few might have noticed that he finished second in the CAA in scoring and led the conference in three-point field goal percentage. White ran the show very well for Georgia State and was ninth in scoring. Wright had a good year, but more was expected when he started CAA play as arguably the hottest player in the league.
Third Team
Quincy Ford, So. F, Northeastern
Rayshawn Goins, Sr. F, James Madison
Damion Lee, So. G, Drexel
Tim Rusthoven, Jr. F, William & Mary
Jarvis Threatt, So. G, Delaware
Ford had an uneven season for the Huskies, not quite living up to expectations generated from his freshman season but still being a key part of Northeastern’s regular season championship. Goins was the guy James Madison could hang their hat on as their most consistent producer at both ends of the floor. Lee battled a couple of injuries but was still very good on a disappointing team. Rusthoven had a nice season controlling the paint for William & Mary, complementing their perimeter talent well. Threatt followed up his good freshman year with another one here, though you get the sense he could have been even better.
All-Rookie Team
Jerome Hairson, Towson
R.J. Hunter, Georgia State
Andre Nation, James Madison
Keenan Palmore, Old Dominion
David Walker, Northeastern
Hairston was probably the next best freshman behind Hunter, helping Towson’s big turnaround. Nation won Rookie of the Week honors several times, contributing nicely on a veteran team. Palmore led all CAA freshmen in assists on a team that had a rough season in every sense of the term. Walker didn’t put up big numbers but became a big key to the Huskies’ success as the consummate glue guy, and they also built some of their defense around having him at the top of it.
All-Defensive Team
Jerrelle Benimon, Jr. F, Towson
Jamelle Hagins, Sr. C, Delaware
Andre Nation, Fr. G, James Madison
Keith Rendleman, Sr. F, UNCW
James Vincent, Sr. C, Georgia State
Benimon didn’t just score for Towson; he led the conference in rebounding and was third in blocked shots. Hagins led the conference in blocked shots and was second in rebounding. Nation was solid all around at the defensive end in doing several things for the Dukes as a big guard. Rendleman closed out a solid career with another stellar season on the glass and never took plays off. Vincent was right behind Hagins among the leaders in blocked shots to anchor the Panther defense.
