Junior forward Kenny Adeleke was named second team All-Metropolitan New York in a vote of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, it was announced today at the Haggerty Awards Dinner at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.
Adeleke averaged a team best 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest, leading the Colonial Athletic Association in rebounding for the second season in a row. He was named first team All-CAA in a vote from a panel of conference coaches, sports information directors, and media, and was chosen to the CAA's All-Defensive team as well. The CAA was called "the best mid-major conference in the country" this season by collegeinsider.com.
After three seasons with the Pride, Adeleke already ranks 12th all-time in school history with 1,296 points, while also ranking fifth in career rebounding (837). He is well on pace to become only the third player at Hofstra to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. In addition, he finished the 2003-04 season ranked third in the nation among active players in career rebounding average (9.30 rpg), trailing only Emeka Okafor of Connecticut and Lawrence Roberts of Mississippi State (among players with at least 400 career rebounds).
Adeleke becomes the first Hofstra player to earn All-Metropolitan New York honors since Rick Apodaca was named to the third team in 2002. Hofstra had back-to-back players earn the Haggerty Award, given to the top player in the Metropolitan New York area, in 2000 (Speedy Claxton) and 2001 (Norman Richardson).
Hofstra ended the 2003-04 season with a 14-15 final record, including a 10-8 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association (fifth place), marking the Pride's best finish in its three seasons in the league. The Pride also played one of the toughest schedules in its history, facing six schools which qualified for the NCAA Tournament, including national finalist Georgia Tech. Hofstra also picked up an 81-64 win over St. John's on Dec. 2, handing the Red Storm its second-worst loss ever at Alumni Hall, and defeated Marist 79-74 for its first-ever Preseason NIT win.
