The Colonial Athletic Association will hand out postseason awards on Thursday night, the eve of the conference tournament. The awards are voted on by the conference’s head coaches, SIDs and media members. As I am one of the voters, sharing how I voted is one way to look back on the regular season. This time around, the voting was tougher than last year in most categories, which mirrors the preseason when there wasn’t as much established talent returning as last year. Plenty of players emerged over the course of the season, but none of the votes were easy and the biggest one of them all was probably the toughest one since I first became a voter back in 2006.
With that in mind, here is a look at how I voted and the thought process behind each vote. Note that on all of the teams, the players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Player of the Year: Frantz Massenat, Drexel
This was a tough call, and not just because as the season went along, there weren’t a lot of clear-cut favorites that leaped out at you as was the case in some recent years. Ryan Pearson of George Mason was right there, and some consideration was given to Devon Saddler and Bradford Burgess, the latter as the best player and unquestioned leader of the second-place team. But in the end, Massenat ran the show for the conference’s best team and was not just a ball handling floor leader like he was as a freshman. The sophomore was third in the conference in assists and led the conference in three-point shooting, the latter a big sign of his growth as that was not something he has been known for. He grew up a great deal and helped lead what was a balanced attack on a team known more for its defense.
Rookie of the Year: Damion Lee, Drexel
Lee had some good competition, but from start to finish, he was the most consistently good freshman in the conference. Quincy Ford made good strides as the season went on, Adam Smith wasted no time making an impact at UNCW and Marcus Thornton gave William & Mary another impressive young guard. Jarvis Threatt came on strong late in the season, matching Lee’s total of weekly conference honors in the end. But Lee was good all along, led the Dragons in a number of games and comes away as the best newcomer this season. He was second among freshmen in scoring and finished in the top ten in the conference in field goal percentage and three-point percentage.
Defensive Player of the Year: Eric Buckner, Georgia State
You could make a case for a couple of players in this category, and it’s one that’s never easy to vote on because it requires really seeing each team play more than just once. Jamelle Hagins, who I voted for last year, was a strong consideration once again, but Buckner got my vote this time around. The senior led the conference and is fifth nationally in blocked shots, setting a school single-season record with 106, and was seventh in the conference in rebounding. He helps anchor one of the nation’s best defenses, as Georgia State ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage defense and led the CAA in that category.
Coach of the Year: Bruiser Flint, Drexel
There were a lot of good coaching jobs this season. Bill Coen got Northeastern to a 9-9 mark with basically no backcourt depth and freshmen anchoring the frontcourt. Monte Ross took a Delaware team with no significant seniors and produced a fifth-place finish. Ron Hunter nearly got my vote for how he came in and won with Georgia State after they struggled to do that previously, and he also made them relevant both inside and outside the conference. And one might ask: wasn’t Drexel picked to win the conference? Yes, but that didn’t mean it was automatic, as Blaine Taylor can attest. Flint led this team to a 16-2 mark and a 17-game winning streak to enter the conference tournament. He had to go without his best returning scorer early on, and after his return he wasn’t the same player all season. Last season Flint didn’t get a single vote for this award; this year he deserves it in a year where a couple of others have made good cases.
First Team
Bradford Burgess, Sr. G-F, VCU
Frantz Massenat, So. G, Drexel
Ryan Pearson, Sr. F, George Mason
Keith Rendleman, Jr. F, UNCW
Devon Saddler, So. G, Delaware
Burgess had good, not great, numbers, but that was because he was being who he is, and that’s not a 25 points per game scorer even though he’s capable of it on a given night. His leadership of a young Rams team is a big reason they finished second. Massenat ran the show for the best team in the conference. Pearson was a rock for George Mason, a consistent scorer and rebounder and like Burgess a very tough matchup. Rendleman blossomed this year and is one of three players in the conference who averaged a double-double, as he finished second in the conference in rebounding. Saddler was second in the conference in scoring and was a key player from an intangible standpoint on the young Blue Hens as they surged into fifth place.
Second Team
Kent Bazemore, Sr. G, Old Dominion
Chris Cooper, Jr. F, Old Dominion
Jamelle Hagins, Jr. C, Delaware
Mike Moore, Sr. G, Hofstra
Darius Theus, Jr. G, VCU
Bazemore was projected to miss a lot of the non-conference slate, but came back early and got better as the season went along in leading the Monarchs. Cooper, his teammate, emerged as a consistent double-double threat now that he had a larger role and averaged that on the season. Hagins remained a defensive stalwart and emerged as a big offensive threat on the post for Delaware this season. Moore led the conference in scoring in a stellar senior year, but didn’t have much help as the Pride finished near the bottom. Theus took advantage of the opportunity to play more and not only finished second in the conference in assists, but became one of VCU’s leaders.
Third Team
Eric Buckner, Sr. F, Georgia State
Samme Givens, Sr. F, Drexel
Humpty Hitchens, Sr. G, James Madison
Jonathan Lee, Jr. G, Northeastern
Nathaniel Lester, Sr. G, Hofstra
Buckner was the conference’s best defensive player and got the nod over a couple of other candidates from his team. Givens is closing out a stellar career, and while he didn’t have the numbers he had last season, he was still solid and a key part of the conference’s best team. Hitchens was a bright light on a team that was beset with injuries, and he did everything he could to help this team win games, including becoming a better defender and leading the conference in minutes per game. Lee finished in the top ten in a number of statistical categories while playing a lot of minutes because of a lack of guard depth – in fact, he was second to Hitchens in that category. Lester provided most of the support that Moore got at Hofstra, and while it was a good year for him it was an inconsistent one.
All-Rookie Team
Quincy Ford, Northeastern
Damion Lee, Drexel
Adam Smith, UNCW
Marcus Thornton, William & Mary
Jarvis Threatt, Delaware
Not only did Ford have a fine rookie season, but it was one that saw him clearly get better as it went along, as by February he was noticeably more confident and thus got even better. Lee was the best of the rookies pretty much from start to finish, tying for the high mark in winning the conference’s Rookie of the Week honor four times. Smith led all CAA freshmen in scoring and has a bright future as a key part of the young nucleus at UNCW. Thornton got better as the season went along and made an impact right away for William & Mary to give them three good young guards. Threatt, who tied Lee with four Rookie of the Week honors thanks to receiving it the last three weeks, made a big push late in the season and was the best of Delaware’s fine freshman class that will help make them one of the teams to beat next year and beyond.
All-Defensive Team
Kent Bazemore, Sr. G, Old Dominion
Eric Buckner, Sr. F, Georgia State
Jamelle Hagins, Jr. C, Delaware
Robert Nwankwo, Sr. F-C, Towson
Briante Weber, Fr. G, VCU
Bazemore was an even bigger key to Old Dominion’s defense this year since they had a new look, with a focus more on putting pressure on the ball. Buckner led the way for one of the best defenses in the country, as mentioned earlier. Hagins had another stellar year as Delaware’s defensive stopper inside and led the conference in rebounding. Nwankwo was a much-needed veteran presence for a young Towson team and was better defensively than offensively, finishing third in blocked shots and fourth in rebounding. Weber fits VCU’s style of play very well and led the conference in steals, which helped VCU lead the conference in turnovers forced.
