BOSTON – Four different Great Danes combined to claim seven postseason awards from the America East, the conference announced Friday afternoon. Collecting major awards, Jamel Horton was named the America East Defensive Player of the Year and Justin Neely was named the America East Rookie of the Year.
In addition to being named Defensive Player of the Year, Horton was also named to the America East All-Defensive Team and All-Conference Second Team. Neely was also named to the All-Rookie Team alongside teammate Aaron Reddish. Graduate student Matt Cerruti was named to the America East All-Conference Third Team.
Horton led the Great Danes in scoring, averaging 12.8 ppg while shooting .426 from the field and .355 from beyond the arc. He averaged a team-leading 33.3 minutes on the court, dishing out 116 assists throughout the year to lead the America East. The senior notched 31 steals and tallied eight blocks in 29 games played.
Neely was named America East Rookie of the Week six times this season, coming just one short of tying a program-record seven times set by John Iati during the 2003-04 season. The rookie was a rebounding machine, collecting 126 throughout the year to lead the Great Danes. He averaged 6.6 ppg while shooting .459 from the field. The Miami, Florida, native hit the game-winning shot against Eastern Illinois University back on Nov. 24, securing the team's first win of the season and first under Head Coach Dwayne Killings.
Cerruti ranked second on the team with 314 points this season, averaging 11.2 per game. The sharp shooter was efficient from beyond the arc, hitting 49 of his 108 attempts from deep – good for a percentage of .454. From the field, Cerruti shot at a clip of .463 – higher than any other Great Dane. He brought in 3.0 rebounds per game, nabbed 38 steals, and dished out 30 assists while averaging 32.1 minutes per game.
Rookie Aaron Reddish saw action in 27 games this season, averaging 10.1 minutes on the court. The freshman shot at a clip of .325, hitting 10 threes while shooting .294 from beyond the arc. He recorded a career-high 11 points on Feb. 26 against Stony Brook at home, and was a key part in starting a game-winning scoring run on Feb. 5 on the road against Hartford.
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