WESTFIELD, Mass. — Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) of Worcester State has been recognized as the 2015-16 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year.
The freshman guard tallied 13.8 points per game while shooting 76 percent from the free throw line and added 60 assists and 78 rebounds in helping the Lancers to an 8-4 conference record and the fourth seed in the conference tournament.
Worcester State's Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) and Bilal Shakir (Worcester, Mass.) were both named to the first-team All-Conference squad.
Brooks topped the conference in blocks with 91 on the season. He also held the conference's top spot in field goal percentage, shooting 59.4 percent from the field. Brooks averaged 9.8 rebounds per game and tallied up a total of 225 throughout the season.
Shakir held the charge on the offensive end, as he led the conference with 17.3 points per game in the 2015-16 campaign. He tallied up a total of 449 points and 79 assists on the season. He tops the conference in three-point field goals made with 65, and holds second place in the conference for most field goals made with 157.
2015-16 MASCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Player/Institution Class Position Hometown
Jaleel Bell, Fitchburg State Junior Guard Dorchester, Mass.
Marcus Faison, Salem State Junior Forward Cambridge, Mass.
Bilal Shakir, Worcester State Junior Guard Worcester, Mass.
Paul Brooks, Worcester State Junior Center Arlington, Mass.
Fawaz Mass, Bridgewater State Junior Guard Taunton, Mass.
SECOND TEAM
Player/Institution Class Position Hometown
Shaquan Murray, Salem State Sophomore Guard Boston, Mass.
Kwame Lee, Fitchburg State Senior Forward Brockton, Mass.
Jesus Sanchez, Westfield State Junior Guard Springfield, Mass.
Givaughn Jones, Fitchburg State Senior Forward Dorchester, Mass.
Joseph Carty, Bridgewater State Sophomore Forward Natick, Mass.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jaleel Bell, Fitchburg State Junior Guard Dorchester, Mass.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Alex Santos, Worcester State Freshman Guard Lawrence, Mass.
CHAMPION'S CHOICE COACH OF THE YEAR
Titus Manderson, Fitchburg State
Portions of this Release Courtesy of Emily Diekelmann, MASCAC Director of Media Relations