SOMERSET, N.J. - Following a break-out freshman season, Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball big man
Anquan Hill was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. Joining the Philadelphia, Pa. native on the All-Rookie Team is fellow freshman
Oscar Berry and sophomore
Sébastien Lamaute.
Hill, a three-time Rookie of the Week this season, put on quite the display in his maiden season in the Burgundy and Blue. Logging two of FDU's three double-doubles this season (the other being Lamaute against Saint Francis U [Pa.]), Hill shined bright in NEC play with 154 points, the second most of any Knight behind only junior
Brandon Rush. Getting the job done on both sides of the court overall on the season, Hill logged a team-best 134 rebounds with a Knights-leading 94 defensive boards and a whopping 40 off the offensive glass. Hill cemented himself as a blocking specialist for the Knights with 23 in 26 appearances, averaging just shy of one per game. Shooting .448 from the field (81-181), Hill came into his own in the big moments, including two games in his native City of Brotherly Love in non-conference play.
The third Knight in program history to be named Rookie of the Year, the Archbishop Carroll product finished tenth in the ten-team NEC in blocked shots (conference games only) with 13 blocks.
"Well it's very obvious that we had a great freshman class and have an extremely bright future for our program here at FDU," said head coach
Greg Herenda. "Anquan just stood a little bit taller than the rest, but Oscar and Sébastien had incredibly solid rookie seasons as well. I am so very happy for these guys because they came into a situation where a great deal of responsibility was placed on their shoulders and they performed extremely well. These guys are helping us build the cornerstone for future success and championships."
Berry, one of the top three-point shooters in the NEC, earned 12 starts in 22 appearances, shooting 31-71 from downtown (.437). The Melbourne, Australia native and IMG Academy grad also logged 14 steals. Another FDU student-athlete on the All-Rookie Team is Lamaute, a sophomore hailing from Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, Canada. "Séb" started in 18 of his 26 games and logged the Knights' first double-double of the season in the team's New Year's Eve matchup at Saint Francis U (Pa.). Averaging 6.3 points per game in NEC play, Lamaute shot .359 from the field overall and .352 from deep.
Click here to read the full NEC release.
