Estrada, Williams Collect Back-to-Back Major CAA Awards

3/2/2023 10:59:10 AM

Miles McQuiggan

RICHMOND, Va. (March 2, 2023) – For the first time in 20 seasons, the CAA men’s basketball season produced repeat winners of Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same campaign, highlighting the major awards and All-CAA teams announced Thursday.

Hofstra’s Aaron Estrada was unanimously voted CAA Player of the Year by conference head coaches, while Drexel’s Amari Williams collected Defensive Player of the Year honors, Elon’s Max Mackinnon was named Rookie of the Year, Charleston’s Pat Robinson III earned Sixth Man of the Year, and Hofstra’s Speedy Claxton was picked by his peers as Coach of the Year. In additional honors, Elon’s Zac Ervin was tabbed as Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Northeastern’s Coleman Stucke is the recipient of the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award.

Estrada is the seventh repeat winner of Player of the Year honors since the turn of the century and the third from Hofstra, joining Charles Jenkins and Justin Wright-Foreman; Williams is the first repeat winner of Defensive Player of the Year honors since William & Mary’s Terry Tarpey in 2015 and 2016. Estrada and Williams are the first back-to-back winners in the same season since UNCW’s Brett Blizzard and Drexel’s Robert Battle both collected hardware in 2002 and 2003.

Estrada’s all-around impact was felt again in 2022-23 for Hofstra, which earned a regular season title for the third time in the last five years. The guard from New Jersey ranks second in the league and 23^rd nationally at 20.3 points per game and sixth in assists at 4.1, while adding 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest. Estrada has been in double figures in 26 of 27 games played this season and finished five points shy of the CAA lead in total points in the regular season despite missing four games.

Williams made his presence in the paint known again this winter for a Drexel squad that exceeded expectations. The junior from England enters the CAA Championship 11^th nationally with a league-leading 2.36 blocks per game while placing third in the conference at 8.8 rebounds per game. Williams added 13.6 points per game at the offensive end for a Drexel team that finished fifth after being picked seventh in the preseason.

Mackinnon’s efficiency throughout his freshman campaign was key to Elon being another team to climb a few spots from its preseason pick. The freshman from Australia averaged 11.7 points per game on 50% shooting during the full season and 51% in conference games and was in double figures 17 times in his first collegiate season. Mackinnon notched three double-doubles and collected 5.2 rebounds per game for the year.

Robinson was key to Charleston’s remarkable depth and the impact it had on the Cougars’ 28-3 regular season. The graduate student from New Jersey was second on the Cougars with 11.2 points per game to lead a bench that ranked third nationally in the regular season at 34.03 points a night. Robinson shot 50% while coming off the bench in 29 of 31 contests and grabbed 3.2 rebounds per game.

Ervin returned from missing 29 games due to injury as a freshman and sophomore to play in 62 of his last 63 entering the CAA Championship while excelling in the classroom. The guard from Southwest Virginia completed his undergraduate work in Project Management with a 3.69 GPA and holds a 3.65 mark in master’s studies in Business Analytics. Ervin is third on the Phoenix in scoring this season at 9.4 points per game and ranks in the top 10 in the league with 60 made three-pointers.

Stucke has contributed in the classroom and in the Boston and campus communities throughout his time at Northeastern and in an elevated role on the court for the Huskies this winter. The junior from Canada holds a 3.8 GPA while studying Accounting. A member of SAAC and a team captain, Stucke is also involved in mentorship and other activities at Kings Hill Church. Stucke started 23 games for the Huskies in the regular season with 11 in double figures, including a 34-point game in January.

Claxton steered Hofstra to the No. 1 seed in the CAA Championship with a 16-2 mark in league play and 23-8 overall record before heading to D.C. this weekend. The Pride defeated a top-25 opponent for the second consecutive season and hold claim to top-100 marks across numerous metrics plus the CAA’s most efficient defense in conference play. Claxton is the second Hofstra coach to capture CAA Coach of the Year honors, following his former boss Joe Mihalich in 2019.

Five schools were represented on the All-CAA first team with major award winners Estrada and Williams joined by preseason projections Jameer Nelson Jr. of Delaware and Nicolas Timberlake of Towson. Charleston’s Dalton Bolon rounded out the group in his first full year in the league. Nine of 13 members were represented on the three All-CAA teams.

All-CAA First Team

Dalton Bolon	Charleston	Gr.	G	Gnadenhutten, Ohio
Aaron Estrada	Hofstra	R-Sr.	G	Woodbury, N.J.
Jameer Nelson Jr.	Delaware	R-Jr.	G	Haverford, Pa.
Nicolas Timberlake	Towson	Gr.	G	Braintree, Mass.
Amari Williams	Drexel	Jr.	F	Nottingham, England

All-CAA Second Team

Cam Holden	Towson	R-Sr.	G	Forsyth, Ga.
Tyler Thomas	Hofstra	R-Sr.	G	New Haven, Conn.
Charles Thompson	Towson	Sr.	F	Fort Washington, Md.
Trazarien White	UNCW	So.	F	Mansfield, Texas
Kam Woods	North Carolina A&T	So.	G	Bessemer, Ala.

All-CAA Third Team

Ante Brzovic	Charleston	So.	F	Zagreb, Croatia
Jyáre Davis	Delaware	R-So.	F	Newark, Del.
Ryan Larson	Charleston	Gr.	G	St. Paul, Minn.
Tyler Stephenson-Moore	Stony Brook	Sr.	G	Jamaica, N.Y.
Jahmyl Telfort	Northeastern	Jr.	G	Boucherville, Quebec

CAA All-Rookie Team

Jack Collins	Monmouth	Fr.	G	Manasquan, N.J.
Max Mackinnon	Elon	Fr.	G/F	Brisbane, Australia
Justin Moore	Drexel	Fr.	G	Philadelphia, Pa.
Kyrese Mullen	Hampton	Fr.	F	Norfolk, Va.
Duncan Powell	North Carolina A&T	R-Fr.	F	Dallas, Texas

CAA All-Defensive Team

Jaquan Carlos	Hofstra	So.	G	Brooklyn, N.Y.
Jameer Nelson Jr.	Delaware	R-Jr.	G	Haverford, Pa.
Jaylon Scott	Charleston	Gr.	G	Allen, Texas
Charles Thompson	Towson	Sr.	F	Fort Washington, Md.
Amari Williams	Drexel	Jr.	F	Nottingham, England

Player of the Year: Aaron Estrada, Hofstra
Rookie of the Year: Max Mackinnon, Elon
Defensive Player of the Year: Amari Williams, Drexel
Sixth Man of the Year: Pat Robinson III, Charleston
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Zac Ervin, Elon
Dean Ehlers Leadership Award: Coleman Stucke, Northeastern
Coach of the Year: Speedy Claxton, Hofstra

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