The St. Thomas Aquinas College basketball teams have five honorees in this season's East Coast Conference post-season awards. Justin Reyes was named men's basketball Player of the Year and Jon Lawton became STAC's fourth straight Rookie of the Year. Here are the 2015-16 honorees:
Justin Reyes - Player of the Year
After earning conference Rookie of the Year honors one season ago, Justin Reyes was named the ECC's top player in just his sophomore season. Reyes placed 6th in the conference in scoring with 17.3 points per game, and third in rebounds with 10.2 per contest. The forward from Haverhill, MA, had double-doubles (points/rebounds) in 18 contests, while leading the ECC from the field, shooting 62.5%
Chaz Watler - 1sr Team All-Conference
Watler was named the ECC's pre-season Player of the Year after his 1st team showing a year ago. He duplicated that feat with 1st Team honors this year after averaging 15.0 points per game for the regular season champ Spartans. The junior from Brooklyn, NY, was also among league leaders in three-point shooting, avergaing 40% from beyond the arc. Watler was the conference Rookie of the Year in 2013-14.
Jonathan Lawton - Rookie of the Year
Jon became the Spartans' fourth straight Rookie of the Year, averaging 8.9 points per game on a talented squad. He shot an amazing 49% (40-81) from behind the arc, and dished out 57 assists overall. Lawton joins TJ Jones (2012-13), Watler ('13-14), and Reyes ('14-15) as the Spartans' previous ROTY winners.
Tobin Anderson - Coach of the Year
For the second straight year, Tobin earned ECC Coach of the Year honors. His first two seasons included a pair of trips to the conference finals and last year's regular-season Co-Championship. This year, he piloted the Spartans to the top seed in the conference tournament with an 18-2 league mark, a 24-4 overall record, and a national-best 18-game winning streak. In his brief three year stint at STAC, Anderson carries a 60-29 record into this season's tourney.
Jenna Erickson - 2nd Team All-Conference
After winning Rookie of the Year in her freshman season, Jenna capped off her sophomore season with 2nd Team honors. Erickson led the Lady Spartans with 14.4 points per game, and her 87 three-pointers ranked as best in the East Coast Conference. Her 88 assists tied for 7th among the conference's best.