Along with collecting a pair of wins that have put it in a position to host a highly-anticipated conference championship game, the Boston University men’s basketball team also brought home a slew of America East Conference awards and honors last Friday in Hartford, Conn.
After a long and storied career in AE, 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.
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, has averaged 19.2 points per game and 5.7 rebounds a game for the Terriers, helping pace the team to an 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.
Holland responded to the honor by silencing doubt and concern surrounding his injured left ankle with excellent performances in BU’s wins over University of New Hampshire and University of Hartford in the AE tournament, averaging a team-high 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in the two games.
Partin collected first team all-conference honors playing in his first year for the Terriers 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 10-game win streak, the third-longest active win streak in the nation among 345 Division I teams.
The Terriers will look to build on the win streak and add to a potentially historic season with their matchup against Stony Brook University in the AE Championship on Saturday, a game that could send BU to its first NCAA Tournament since 2002.
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