St. Thomas Aquinas College's James Patterson was named the ECC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and was one of three Spartans to earn All-ECC honors, the East Coast Conference announced on Thursday.
Patterson also took home First Team All-Conference honors, while Rich Smith and Kyle Pulliam scored Second Team accolades. It is the second straight all-conference selection for Patterson, while both Smith and Pulliam earn their first nods on an all-conference team.
James Patterson (Richmond, Virginia), now a two-time All-Conference First Team honoree after earning Rookie of the Year honors a season ago, was the selection as the league’s top player after leading the ECC in regular-season scoring with 24.0 points per game, which currently ranks him fourth in the nation. The STAC standout also led the ECC in total points (671, fifth nationally), free throws made (175, ninth nationally) and field goals made (221, 11th nationally), ranked second in total rebounds (232), sat third in rebounds per game (8.3, with 5.9 defensive) and total steals (47) and finished fourth in steals per game (1.68) and sixth in both field goal percentage (44.0) and free throw percentage (77.8). Patterson turned in 11 double-doubles, which ranked second in the ECC and 15th nationally, and scored in double figures 27 times in 28 games, including 23 20+ point games, five 30+ point games, and a 41-point game against Post on November 18. In an impressive feat, Patterson scored his 1000th point - as a sophomore - at Daemen on February 16.
Led by nine-time ECC Player of the Week Patterson, St. Thomas Aquinas (23-5, 14-2 ECC) led the ECC in multiple categories, including winning percentage (82.1), scoring offense (92.4 points per game), scoring margin (11.8), rebounds per game (42.8), and rebound margin (8.5).
Rich Smith led the STAC and the ECC in assists per game with 5.4 and total assists with 152. The sophomore guard from the Bronx, New York also ranks first on the team in total blocked shots (15) and blocks per game (0.5), while placing second on the team in total rebounds (181), rebounds per game (6.5), total steals (44, also 5th in ECC) and steals per game (1.6). He also averaged 9.4 points per game and totaled 262 points to finish fourth in scoring on the squad in the regular season. Additionally, Smith earned a pair of ECC Defensive Player of the Week accolades during the year.
Kyle Pulliam placed first in both the ECC and with the Spartans in three-point field goal percentage at 45.2 percent. The sophomore guard from Silver Spring, Maryland finished second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game and 383 total points, along with assists per game (1.8) and total assists (51). Pulliam's overall field goal percentage of 47.0 percent put him second on the squad between his Spartan teammates Rich Smith (1st) and James Patterson (3rd).
Top seeded St. Thomas Aquinas hosts #4 Roberts Wesleyan University in the semifinal round of the ECC Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 9. The Spartans and Redhawks will tip-off at noon inside of Aquinas Hall Gymnasium on the STAC campus in Sparkill. The teams split their regular season series with each side taking a game on their own home court.
2023-24 ECC Men’s Basketball All-Conference
First Team
Joey Atkins, Daemen
Malik Brooks, Roberts Wesleyan
Dylan Fasoyiro, Daemen
Messiah Mallory, Staten Island
James Patterson, St. Thomas Aquinas
Bryce Waterman, Staten Island
Second Team
Sunnie Diamond, Queens
Rob Matos, Molloy
Eric Morgan, Jr., District of Columbia
Kyle Pulliam, St. Thomas Aquinas
Rich Smith, St. Thomas Aquinas
Third Team
Malik Bentinck, Queens
Kevin Constant, Roberts Wesleyan
Tevin Curtis, Jr., District of Columbia
Justin Glover, Daemen
Justin Hemphill, Daemen
Player of the Year: James Patterson, St. Thomas Aquinas
Defensive Player of the Year: Joey Atkins, Daemen
Rookie of the Year: Rob Matos, Molloy
Coach of the Year: T.J. Tibbs, Staten Island