Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University senior guard
Juan'ya Green was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, it was announced this evening by the conference office.
Green led a trio of Hofstra players honored by the CAA as breakout star, sophomore center
Rokas Gustys picked up three different awards, while senior forward
Ameen Tanksley was named to the All-CAA Second Team.
Green was named to the All-CAA First Team in addition to his player of the year honor, while Gustys was a first team selection, along with earning CAA All-Defensive Team and CAA All-Academic Team accolades.
Green becomes the third-ever member of the Pride to earn the CAA's top honor as he joins Charles Jenkins (2010 and 2011) and Loren Stokes (2007) as Hofstra student-athletes named CAA Player of the Year in men's basketball.
With Green and Gustys on the first team, it marks the first time since 2007 that Hofstra has had a pair of teammates on the All-CAA first team as that season saw Antoine Agudio and Stokes on the first team.
Green, a five-time CAA Player of the Week recipient, averaged team-highs of 17.7 points, 7.2 assists and 37.4 minutes per game in leading Hofstra to 22 regular season victories. He posted eight double-doubles and had season-highs of 30 points versus William & Mary, 14 assists at Northeastern and 10 rebounds versus UNCW. Green became just the fourth player to score more than 1,000 points at two NCAA Division I schools and he's currently among the top five active Division I players in career points (2,242), assists (746) and steals (227).
Green ranks first in the CAA in assists, second in steals, third in scoring and second in minutes per game. In the NCAA rankings he is seventh nationally in assists per game.
Green's 216 assists this season rank as the fourth-most in a single season in program history and he is only 12 away from the top spot on the list.
Gustys had a remarkable second season for Hofstra as he averaged a double-double with 13.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per outing. He had 19 double-doubles, breaking the program's CAA-era single season record, and had five games of at least 20 rebounds. Gustys tallied career-highs of 25 points on a pair of occasions, most recently at William & Mary, and his career-high of 21 rebounds occurred three times,the last at UNCW.
Gustys, who was named CAA Player of the Week twice this season, ranks first in the CAA in rebounding and field goal percentage, fourth in blocked shots and 11th in scoring. He ranks fourth in the NCAA in rebounds per game and seventh in double-doubles. A rhetorical studies major, Gustys has a grade point average of 3.21.
Gustys' 382 rebounds this season rank as the sixth-most in a single season in program history.
Tanksley made his way on to the second team after averaging 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season. He was the team's second-leading scorer and tallied a season-best 24 points in the win at St. Bonaventure and 11 rebounds versus Florida Atlantic.
Tanksley ranks eighth in the league in scoring.
Tanksley was a second team All-CAA selection a season ago as well, while Green repeats as a first team honoree.
Hofstra's regular season conference title is the program's first-ever in the CAA and the first since capturing back-to-back regular season titles (and tournament titles) in the America East Conference in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. With 22 wins so far this season and 20 a season ago, it marks the first time Hofstra has had consecutive 20-win campaigns since 2005-06 and 2006-07. In addition, the 22 overall wins are the most since 2006-07.
Hofstra will open play at the CAA Championship on Saturday when it faces either #8 Elon or #9 Drexel. The top-seeded Pride will tip-off against one of those two squads at 12 p.m. and that contest will be televised in the New York area on SNY. Check your local listings for broadcast information in your area.
