By Kevin Sweeney

This morning in downtown Albany, the MAAC announced its individual awards for the 2016-17 season. The event was held at the new Albany Capital Center, just a few blocks away from the Times Union Center, which is hosting the tournament.

Monmouth star senior Justin Robinson brought home his second consecutive MAAC Player of the Year Award to highlight the program. Robinson led the Hawks to an 18-2 conference record, and led the league in points per game with 19.7 per game. He was a unanimous selection for the honor.

Quinnipiac guard Mikey Dixon was named MAAC Rookie of the Year. The 6-2 Delaware native led Quinnipiac in scoring with over 16 points per game.

Saint Peter’s guard Chazz Patterson was a deserving selection for Defensive Player of the Year honors. While Patterson doesn’t always contribute in the stat sheet, he is a lockdown perimeter defender who played a big role in the Peacocks’ 2nd place finish this season.

Monmouth’s Austin Tilghman earned the 6th Man of the Year award. He played a big role off the bench for the Hawks, scoring 6.7 points per game while providing lots of energy in his reserve role.

Monmouth head coach King Rice garnered MAAC Coach of the Year recognition. His Monmouth team posted the best conference record for any MAAC team since the 2009-10 Siena team went 17-1.

“I don’t know if I should have got this award this year, because John Dunne probably did a better job than me.” a humble Rice said, per @DalyDoseofHoops on Twitter.

The tournament continues tonight with a pair of quarterfinal matchups. #1 Monmouth will take on #9 Niagara at 7pm, and #2 Saint Peter’s takes on #7 Canisius at 9:30pm.