University of Albany's Will Brown Named America East Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year - UAlbany Sports 2015

BOSTON, MASS. – University at Albany men’s basketball head coach Will Brown was named America East Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year on Monday as part of the conference’s regular season awards. In addition, Sam Rowley and Evan Singletary were named to the All-Conference First Team, Peter Hooley earned a spot on the Second Team, and Ray Sanders took Third Team and All-Defensive accolades. Will Brown was named America East Coach of the Year for the first time on Monday, in his 14th season. He picked up his 200th career win on Jan. 14 over Binghamton. Brown led UAlbany to its second league regular season crown, and its best all-time America East regular season record at 15-1. The Danes went 13 games without a loss in 2015, including a 12-0 start in league play for its longest Division I program winning streak. Brown collected his fourth 20-win season last week against UMBC, after losing three starters and adding nine newcomers in 2014-15. The Danes have also been ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll for four consecutive weeks, the first time Will Brown has seen a squad ranked in back-to-back weeks all-time. The Purple & Gold takes its 15-1 record and No. 1 seed to the America East Playoffs stage on Wednesday. Sam Rowley took a spot on the America East All-Conference First Team, thanks to eight double-doubles in 2014-15. He ranks fourth in the league in conference-only scoring (15.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). In addition, he posts an 86.3% shooting clip from the free throw line in America East play. He was a two-time America East Player of the Week, and scored his 1000th career point in a 47-44 victory over Vermont on Jan. 28. The senior has posted 15 double-digit scoring games in a row, and eight 10+ rebound performances to date. Rowley was also named to the All-Academic team for the third consecutive year. For the first time since 2006-07, two Danes were named to the America East All-Conference First Team. Evan Singletary joins Rowley on the First Team after averaging 12.9 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in league play. Singletary led the conference in assist-turnover ratio, and had more than one assist in every league regular season game. The junior hit a number of game-winning shots this season, including a trey with two seconds left at Vermont for a 47-44 victory. He was the America East Player of the Week on Feb. 9, and stands as the only first-year junior college transfer on the First Team. Hooley was voted onto the Second Team by the league’s coaches, despite an eight-game absence to be with his late mother in his native Australia. The junior was the team’s leading scorer and ranked second in the conference up until a Jan. 14 home game against Binghamton. Since his return to league play against Stony Brook on Feb. 17, he has recorded double digit scoring in three of his last four games, including 18 points against Vermont in the regular season finale. Hooley was named to the Capital One Academic All-District First Team and the America East All-Academic team for the second straight season. Sanders earned a nod on the Third Team and All-Defensive team thanks to 25 steals in league play, averaging 1.6 per game to rank fourth. He recorded his first double-double as a Great Dane on Jan. 28 in a crucial game at Vermont with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Typically assigned to the opposition’s top scorer, Sanders has tallied at least one steal in his last four games. The junior is averaging 11.2 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game against America East foes. On the All-Academic side, Hooley, Rowley and Dallas Ennema gave the Danes three members of the five-player squad. Hooley is a double journalism and psychology major with a 3.54 GPA. Rowley is a double major in math and business administration, posting a cumulative GPA of 3.60. Ennema is an intended accounting major with a 3.56 GPA. FACTS ABOUT THIS YEAR’S TEAM: For the first time since 2006-07, UAlbany has two players on the First Team. Between the first, second and third teams, the Danes have their all-time largest total number of members between the three squads with four. Ray Sanders is the fourth Dane all-time to earn All-Defensive accolades. For the first time since 2010-11, the Purple & Gold has three student-athletes on the All-Academic team. Sam Rowley is just the fourth America East student-athlete among current league members to be a three-time All-Academic selection.