March 5, 2010
America East All-Conference Awards List
BOSTON - For the fifth time in program history, a Boston University men's basketball player has earned back-to-back All-America East First Team honors, as junior John Holland was named one of the top five players in the league, the conference announced Friday afternoon. Seniors Corey Lowe (Second), Tyler Morris (Academic) and Carlos Strong (Defensive) each received an award in their final season, while 2009 Rookie of the Year Jake O'Brien earned Third Team honors.
With 86 points in the last 89 minutes of action, Holland is set to become the first ever Terrier to lead the league in scoring at 19.9 points per game. Also ranking in the top 10 in eight other categories, he's third in steals (1.6 spg), sixth in field goal percentage (.473), eighth in 3-point percentage (.362) and eighth in rebounding (6.2 rpg). Six rebounds shy of 500, the 2008 Rookie of the Year and All-Conference Third Team honoree is currently seventh all-time at BU with 1,462 points. He cemented one of the best offensive productive seasons in program history with a career-high 43 points at Delaware.
Three minutes away from setting the record for minutes played at BU, Lowe is the fourth Terrier to be named one of the top 10 athletes in the league three times. Placed on the first team in 2009 and the second team in 2008, the school's all-time 3-point shooter Lowe ranks third with 1,729 points. This season, he's second in the league in assists at 4.3 apg and ninth in scoring at 14.1 ppg.
O'Brien suffered zero setbacks from his freshman campaign, as he increased both his scoring and rebounding averages. With six double-doubles on the season, he currently ranks 12th in scoring at 13.0 ppg and sixth in rebounding at 6.6 rpg. He's also tied-for-fifth in blocks at 1.2 bpg and is just two away from cracking the top 10 at BU with 63 total. He posted BU's first back-to-back double-double in February since 2007 All-Conference Third Team honoree Omari Peterkin ('07) had two in a row his senior year.
Strong entered the season with 43 steals in 68 games played but stepped up his game defensively in his final season to become one of the Terriers top defensive stopper, posting 46 through 29 contests. He ranks fourth in the conference for steals at 1.6 spg and is also 20th in rebounding at 4.8 rpg. The All-Defensive team accolade is his first award from the league with the Terriers.
Majoring in business administration and management, Morris earned his second All-Academic award after first receiving it as a redshirt-freshman, when he also earned Rookie of the Year and All-Conference Second Team accolades. Battling injuries each of the next three seasons, Morris missed eight games his senior year due to a shooting hand injury but has started the last seven games. In the month of February, the three-time BU co-captain averaged 9.1 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.0 rpg and 2.3 spg.
All five men will take to the court Saturday at 2:15 p.m. against fifth-seeded and host Hartford in the quarterfinals of the America East Championship presented by Newman's Own.
