North Carolina Central redshirt senior Patrick Cole was named the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, the conference announced today. Howard’s Charles Williams was selected as the Rookie of the Year, while Phillip Carr, from Morgan State, earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor. North Carolina Central head coach LeVelle Moton was named the MEAC Coach of the Year.
All awards are voted on by the conference’s head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.
Cole ranks 3rd in the MEAC in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game, after playing in 29 games for the Eagles. He also led the conference in assists (164) and ranked 22ndnationally in assists per game (5.8). He had one 30-point performance, with 32 points in a win over Northern Kentucky, and 13, 20-point games. He also recorded NCCU’s first triple-double in the Division I era, with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Jackson State. A six-time MEAC Player of the Week, Cole totaled 567 points, including 62 3-pointers, 199 rebounds, 164 assists, 23 steals and 7 blocks.
Williams is Howard’s leading scorer and the top freshman scorer in the MEAC with 15.7 points per game in 31 games played. A seven-time MEAC Rookie of the Week, the Richmond, Va. native notched two 30-point games, including a career-high 37 points, on 15-of-25 shooting, against Savannah State.
Carr, a two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, led the MEAC in rebounding (229/9.5 rpg), with 150 coming off the defensive glass. He recorded 22 blocks and 13 steals in 24 starts for the Bears. He notched 11 double-doubles this season, including a career-high 29 points with 12 rebounds in a victory over Norfolk State.
Moton was selected Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to a 13-3 record in conference play. He led the team to a 22-8 overall mark, including road wins over the University of Missouri, Northern Kentucky and Western Carolina.
Cole and Carr are joined on the 2017 All-MEAC First Team by Norfolk State’s Jonathan Wade, Maryland Eastern Shore’s Bakari Copeland and Morgan State’s Tiwian Kendley.
The 2017 regular-season champions, regular-season runners-up, first team honorees and award winners including Player, Rookie, Defensive Player and Coach of the Year, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to the honorees’ first games in tournament play. Tournament play tops-off March 6-11 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
2016-17 Men’s Basketball All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the conference’s head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.
Player of the Year: Patrick Cole, North Carolina Central
Rookie of the Year: Charles Williams, Howard
Defensive Player of the Year: Phillip Carr, Morgan State
Coach of the Year: LeVelle Moton, North Carolina Central
| First Team | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Patrick Cole | G | 6-5 | r-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Newark, N.J. |
| Jonathan Wade | G | 6-4 | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Panama City, Fla. |
| Bakari Copeland | F | 6-6 | Sr. | Maryland Eastern Shore | Decatur, Ga. |
| Tiwian Kendley | G | 6-5 | Jr. | Morgan State | Harlem, N.Y. |
| Phillip Carr | F | 6-8 | Jr. | Morgan State | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Second Team | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Troyce Manassa | G | 6-4 | Sr. | Savannah State | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Eric Eaves | G | 6-3 | Sr. | South Carolina State | Columbia, S.C. |
| Dajuan Graf | G | 6-0 | r-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Brandon Tabb | G/F | 6-5 | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Hampton, Va. |
| Zaynah Robinson | G | 5-11 | Jr. | Norfolk State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Third Team | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Dexter McClanahan | G | 6-5 | So. | Savannah State | Stockbridge, Ga. |
| Devin Morgan | G | 5-10 | So. | Delaware State | Chester, Va. |
| Desmond Williams | F | 6-6 | Jr. | Florida A&M | Atmore, Ala. |
| Jermaine Marrow | G | 6-0 | Fr. | Hampton | Newport News, Va. |
| Charles Williams | G/F | 6-5 | Fr. | Howard | Richmond, Va. |
| All-Rookie Team | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Dejuan Clayton | G | 6-2 | Fr. | Coppin State | Bowie, Md. |
| Charles Williams | G/F | 6-5 | Fr. | Howard | Richmond, Va. |
| Jermaine Marrow | G | 6-0 | Fr. | Hampton | Newport News, Va. |
| Zach Sellers | G | 6-1 | Fr. | Savannah State | Cheraw, S.C. |
| Robert Kelly, Jr. | F | 6-7 | Fr. | Savannah State | Powder Springs, Ga. |
