City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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This was an impressive year for the area's various Division II programs. Two teams from both Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)'s East Division and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC)'s South Division made it to the NCAA Tournament: Kutztown and West Chester from the PSAC, Philadelphia University and Holy Family from the CACC.

Without further ado, here are our area Division II awards for the 2015-16 season, as selected by the CoBL staff with help from the area's head coaches:

Player of the Year
Reggie Charles, Holy Family

Holy Family head coach R.C. Kehoe had nine seniors to lean on this year, which certainly played a big role in the Tigers going 26-6 and getting the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament's East Regional. But Charles was the reason it all happened.

The 6-foot-3 guard out of Philly's own Father Judge had a spectacular two seasons at the Northeast Philly institution after transferring in from Shippensburg in 2013, scoring 1058 points in his two years at Holy Family for a 17.1 ppg average.

A muscular, talented lead guard, Charles was Holy Family's go-to bucket getter as well as the primary offense-runner for Kehoe's attack, and was equally important on the defensive end.

As a senior, he was sixth in the CACC in scoring (16.7 ppg) and tops in assists per game (6.1), chipping in 3.7 rpg as well.

"Every program that wins and wins big has a point guard that can do special things; in Reggie for the past two years we were fortunate to have just that," Kehoe said. "His ability from one game to the next to change how he helped us win was one of the most remarkable things I've seen in my 15 years of coaching."

Indeed, Charles didn't always need to go for 20 points or more (which he did 10 times as a senior) to help his team win. He dished out 10-or-more assists five times and grabbed four-or-more rebounds 19 times, grabbing three-or-more steals on 11 occasions as well.

His best individual effort of the season was arguably his triple-double against Saint Rose on Dec. 20, when he scored 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting, with 10 assists and 10 rebounds against just two turnovers.

All-Area First Team
Peter Alexis, Philly U (Sr./F)
   -- Originally recruited by Penn State, Alexis found himself very comfortable in the CACC over the course of his four-year career as a 6-11 big man with size few could match. Became the second player in program history to finish with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds after averaging 19.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 2.4 bpg as a senior, helping the Rams to a 23-9 record.
Reggie Charles, Holy Family (Sr./G)
   -- Won 48 games over his two years at Holy Family, leading the Tigers to host NCAA Tournament for first time ever as a senior.
Josh Johnson, Kutztown (Sr./F)
   -- A 6-8 forward out of Norristown, Johnson led the Golden Bears in scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg), shooting .538 from the floor as Kutztown went all the way to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Johnson had 10 double-doubles on the season, including 19 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to West Liberty in the Sweet 16, finishing off an end to the season where he hit double figures in 13 of 14 games.
Dustin Sleva, Shippensburg (Soph./F)
   -- One of the few players on this list not to hail from the CoBL coverage range, this 6-8 forward from Montour (Pa.) looks headed towards a special career after averaging 15.8 ppg and 11.0 rpg as a sophomore, with 16 double-doubles on the year. His best individual game was likely a 20-point, 21-rebound performance against Mansfield, though 26 and 13 against Kutztown wasn't bad either. Oh, and he hit 39.2 percent from 3-point range.
Matt Wisley, West Chester (Sr./F)
   -- Nothing flashy about this hard-working 6-6 forward, who averaged a double-double (11.9 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and was a talented defender who could guard all five positions on the floor. The Emmaus native had as many as 21 rebounds in one game, against Ursinus; grabbed 19 rebounds in his final college game, a loss to Kutztown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

All-Area Second Team
Sho Da-Silva, USciences (Sr./G)
   -- An athletic, 6-2 wing out of Bishop Eustace (N.J.), Da-Silva got his chance to shine as a senior, and took the reigns of the Devils' offense. He averaged 20.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 2.4 bpg during his final college campaign, finishing his career with 1,598 points and 560 rebounds, leading USciences to a 17-12 record this past season; younger brother Flo, a sophomore, could be in this spot next year.
Christian Mortellite, Bloomsburg (Soph./SF)
   -- A 6-5 sophomore out of Hammonton (N.J.), Mortellite has had an impressive first two years in the PSAC. He went from super-sub as a freshman to full-time star as a sophomore, averaging 19 ppg and 6.0 rpg and shooting 43.1 percent from the 3-point arc. He's already at 871 points and 261 career rebounds, putting him on track to finish in the top three in school history in scoring.
T.J. Huggins, Philly U (Sr./F)
   -- Playing 39.9 mpg for head coach Herb Magee, Huggins did just about everything the Hall of Fame coach asked of him. Despite being a natural wing, he often played point guard for the Rams, averaging 14.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 4.0 apg. Finished off his career with a 34-point, 10-rebound effort against Saint Anselm in the NCAA Tournament.
Rasheed Moore, East Stroudsburg (Jr./F)
   -- A 6-5 forward out of Wilkes-Barre's Meyers, Moore led ESU with 13.1 ppg and was second on the Warriors with 7.1 rpg, shooting 51.7 percent from the floor. A three-time All-PSAC selection, he was an all-league first teamer for the first time this season, and was the fourth-straight ESU player named Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Player of the Year.
Tyaire Ponzo-Meek, Wilmington (Jr./G)
   -- Ponzo-Meek put up absolutely huge numbers (23.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.0 spg) but the Wildcats only won nine games, which was enough to keep him off the all-area first team. The 5-10 guard from Wilmington hit the 25-point mark 10 times, including a season-high 37 point outing while playing all 50 minutes of a double-overtime loss at West Chester.

All-Area Third Team
Avery Brown, West Chester (Sr./SF)
   -- Similar to his teammate Wiseley, Brown had a very good season but managed to stay somewhat under the radar for a successful Rams squad. Averaged 10.6 ppg and 4.7 rpg, shot 37.3 percent from the 3-point arc and usually drew the opponent's top perimeter scorer, making him one of the better two-way players around.
Ryan Connolly, Kutztown (R-Jr./F)
   -- The Golden Bears' sharpshooting forward led the team with 67 triples (41.9 percent) en route to 12.2 ppg, but was more than just a stand-still shooter, as evidenced by his 108 free-throw attempts on the season. The Souderton product, who enters his senior year with 815 career points, will team with Johnson to one of the more dangerous frontcourts around again next year.
Marvin Crawford, Holy Family (Sr./SF)
    -- Another key piece to the Tigers' run was this 6-5 wing out of Edison, N.J. Crawford averaged 14.6 ppg and 6.6 rpg and really stepped his game up at the end of the year, averaging 18.3 ppg over the final six games of the season.
Wes Kerr, USciences (Sr./SF)
   -- Doubled his scoring average from his junior year up to 14.2 ppg as the Devils' top defender also took on the role of featured scorer following the graduation of his older brother Garret, a two-time D-II All-American. Versatile, athletic 6-4 wing shot 44 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from 3, grabbed 4.9 boards/game as well.
Derrick Stewart, Holy Family (Sr./F) -- 9.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg
   -- The Rider transfer, a 6-7 forward, didn't always wow you with his scoring totals but was a force on the glass and was a top-notch defender who made Kehoe's 2-3 zone click. Grabbed 794 boards (8.5/game) in his three years at HFU.

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Rookie of the Year
Matt Penecale, West Chester (Fr./G)

At Abington High School, this 6-foot-3 guard showed that he was a winner, leading the Ghosts to the District 1 AAAA title in 2015 after helping them to the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals as a junior.

In college, Penecale stepped right into the starting lineup as West Chester's point guard from the get-go and helped the Rams into the D-II national top-25 poll, PSAC title game and NCAA Tournament.

He began his career with a bang, putting up eight assists in the second, third, fourth and fifth game of the season, and topped that with an an 11-assist effort against California (Pa.) on Jan. 6 as part of his first and thus far only career double-double (10 points).

Starting 29 games and playing 33.9 minutes, Penecale averaged 10.3 ppg, 4.9 apg and 3.5 rpg, putting up an assist-to-turnover ratio of just over 2-to-1, finishing third in the conference in assists and seventh in ratio.

"Matt is a perfect role model of what a college basketball player should be," WCU head coach Damien Blair said. "Great student, hard worker, unselfish and only cares about winning and being a great teammate."

All-Area Rookie Team
Malik Jackson, West Chester (F./G)
   -- Many of Penecale's assists went to his fellow freshman, who led the Rams with 15.7 ppg, and shot .362 from the 3-point arc. The Penn Wood grad went for 34 points twice as a freshman, finishing in double-figures in all but three games. Needs to continue to round out his game and he'll be a MVP candidate before long.
Antonio Kellem, Shippensburg (Fr./G)
   -- This 6-0 guard from Lincoln Park (Pa.) was third on the Raiders in scoring (11.3 ppg), adding in 4.4 rpg and shooting 39.3 percent on 89 3-point attempts. And in a deep rotation that saw 10 players average 10-or-more minutes, his 30.1 per game were second-most on the team behind only Sleva. His best two-game stretch saw him drop 23 each on Kutztown and Millersville.
Anthony Lee, Kutztown (R-Fr./G)
   -- This athletic, 6-2 guard out of Abington proved to be a dynamo after his insertion into the starting lineup six games into the season. He scored 20 points or more four times despite being the third or fourth option on offense, finishing the year with 13.0 ppg and  4.8 rpg while shooting 57.0 percent from the floor. Big things are ahead for this young man.
Corey Taite, Goldey-Beacom (Fr./G)
   -- A 5-11 guard from Sayreville Memorial (N.J.), Taite gives Lightning fans something to look forward to. As a freshman, he averaged 13.9 ppg, good for second on the team, behind junior guard Shakeem Wilson (15.0 ppg), along with 3.8 rpg and a 35.9 percent clip from 3-point range. Also chipped in 2.8 assists and 2.1 steals.
Najee Walls, East Stroudsburg (Fr./G)
   -- Another Philadelphia-area product who began his college career successfully is this La Salle HS grad, who led the PSAC with 5.4 apg to go along with 7.7 ppg in his freshman campaign. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.2-to-1 was fifth in the league, and though he wasn't called upon much to shoot, he did knock down 36.3 percent of his 3-point attempts.

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Coach of the Year
Bernie Driscoll, Kutztown

The Golden Bears have improved in each of the last three season since winning just five games in 2012-13, and this year it all paid off for Kutztown and Driscoll, who just wrapped up his 16th season on the KU sidelines.

The final tally was 23 wins and 7 losses, 21 of which came in the regular season before two wins in the NCAA Tournament brought Driscoll into the Sweet 16 for the second time in his career and first since a 28-win season in 2008-09 that still stands as the high-water mark in his decade-and-a-half at the PSAC East institution.

What's scary about this Kutztown team is that with only two seniors on the roster and several key freshmen contributors, they should be even better next year.

For the success his team had this year, Driscoll was the overwhelming favorite amongst the area's Division II coaches, getting support from fellow PSAC coaches as well as those in the CACC.

Honorable mention: Damien Blair, West Chester; R.C. Kehoe, Holy Family