NEW YORK (April 17, 2024) - Hofstra men's basketball guard
Tyler Thomas was named the recipient of the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award. This marks the second consecutive year that Hofstra has earned the award and the first time since Charles Jenkins won the award three times in a row from 2009 to 2011 that the Pride has earned the honor in at least back-to-back seasons.
Thomas was also named to the All-Met First Team along with Monmouth guard
Xander Rice, while Hofstra's
Darlinstone Dubar was selected to the Second Team and Stony Brook's
Tyler Stephenson-Moore to the Third Team.
The Haggerty Award is given to the All-Metropolitan New York Division I Men's College Basketball Player of the Year, presented by the National Invitation Tournament and the Met Basketball Writers Association. First presented in 1936, it is arguably the oldest and most prestigious award given to a metropolitan area player.
The awards are being announced at the 91st MBWA All-Met Haggerty Awards dinner at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center on Thursday, April 18.
Thomas is the seventh-ever Hofstra student-athlete to earn the prestigious honor. Since 2000, Hofstra has led all the metro area schools in Haggerty Award recipients. Hofstra has won the award seven times since 2000, one more than Seton Hall and three more than St. John's.
Thomas, the CAA Player of the Year and an All-CAA First Team Selection, averaged 22.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game this season.
He led the CAA and ranked fourth nationally in scoring while leading the conference and ranking second in the nation in made three-pointers per game with 3.8. Thomas reached double figures 31 times this season and tallied 20 or more points 22 times this year. One of the best scorers in the nation, Thomas totaled 2,321 career points and his 1,320 points at Hofstra ranks 20th in program history.
It was an incredible breakout season for Dubar as he increased his scoring average by nearly eight points per game and his rebounding average by nearly two per contest. Dubar, named to the All-CAA Second Team, ranked second on the Pride and sixth in the conference with 17.8 points per outing. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. His rebounding total was tops on Hofstra and 10th in the league and his 73 three-pointers this season ranked second on the team and he ranked ninth in the CAA with 2.2 three-pointers made per game. Dubar scored in double figures 31 times and had 12 games this season of at least 20 points. Dubar's 1,322 points at Hofstra ranks 19th in program history.
Rice is the second Hawk in program history to earn All-Met First Team honors, joining Justin Robinson, who did it twice in 2016 and 2017. Rice finished the season 25
th nationally in total points and 28
th in points per game. An All-CAA First Team selection and NABC All-District First Team choice, Rice scored 674 points this season, second most in school history. He tied the program mark with five 30-point games and became the third Hawk to score more than 20 points per game in a season.
Stephenson-Moore led the way for Stony Brook during its run to the CAA Championship Game, averaging 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds all while playing 42.5 minutes per game during postseason play. He shot 47 percent from beyond the arc, 46 percent from the floor, and 90 percent at the free-throw line. Individually, Stephenson-Moore finished as one of seven CAA players to register 10 or more 20-plus point scoring efforts. He scored 20 or more points in seven league contests, tied for fourth-most among his counterparts in the CAA. During league play, Stephenson-Moore averaged 16.9 points per game, shot 44.0 percent from the field and 86.5 percent from the line, and averaged 2.4 three-pointers per game and 1.4 steals per game, all while logging on average more than 35 minutes a night. All the aforementioned numbers ranked inside the top 10 in the CAA during conference play. Stephenson-Moore's season-long three-point field goal percentage (.435) was No. 7 in the NCAA.
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