2010-2011 Men’s Basketball All Conference Awards Announced
NEWTON, MA- The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced the 2010-2011 men’s basketball All Conference awards on Wednesday afternoon. Two Lasell College athletes, junior forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) and sophomore guard Sean Bertanza (Seymour, CT), were honored by the league.
NEWTON, MA- The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced the 2010-2011 men's basketball All Conference awards on Wednesday afternoon. Two Lasell College athletes, junior forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) and sophomore guard Sean Bertanza (Seymour, CT), were honored by the league.
Williams and Bertanza were more than deserving of the conference recognition after an outstanding season for both players. Combined, the pair racked up 1066 of Lasell's 1808 total season points and without exception one of the two was the Lasers high-scorer in all 25 contests during the season.
This is Williams' second straight year being honored on the GNAC First Team All Conference. The junior finished the season with 596 points, 209 rebounds, 61 steals, 57 assists, and 34 blocks. He averaged 23.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest, while shooting 56.1% from the floor, 50% from the arc, and 73.5% from the line.
Williams was honored twice this season on the national D3Hoops.com Team of the week, twice as the regional ECAC DIII New England Player of the Week, and three times as the GNAC Player of the week. He scored his 1,000th career point on January 25th at Mount Ida College in a 17 point performance against the Mustangs. Williams also broke Lasell's all-time single game scoring record on February 8th with a season and career-high 45 points against Emerson College, however, that record was broken just four days later by Bertanza. Williams also set a new all-time record for steals in a season (61) and free throws made in a season (166).
Currently, Williams is ranked nationally and across the conference in five statistical categories: points per game (23.8 - 8th NCAA DIII, 2nd GNAC), steals per game (2.4 - 39th NCAA, 1st GNAC), field goal % (56.1% - 62nd NCAA, 3rd GNAC), rebounds per game (8.4 - 80th NCAA, 4th GNAC), and blocked shots per game (1.4 - 111th NCAA, 4th GNAC). He scored in double-figures in 22 contests this season, was the high-scorer of 12 total contests, was Lasell's high-scorer in 18 contests, recorded seven double-doubles, and topped the 20 point plateau 14 times this year.
Over his three year career with the Lasers, Williams has accrued 1,277 total points, 520 total rebounds, 138 steals, 118 assists, and 71 blocks. He holds two all-time career records at Lasell for total steals (138) and total free throws made (314) and currently stands in 5th place amongst Lasell's all-time scorers throughout the program's history.
Williams also received the GNAC Individual Sportsmanship award, presented to one player from each team in the conference each season.
After transferring into Lasell this Fall, Bertanza has already made an impact on the men's basketball program during his first season with the Blue & White earning Third Team All Conference honors. Bertanza scored 470 points this year, averaging 19.6 points per game, while shooting 43.8% from the floor, 30.4% from downtown, and 69.6% from the stripe over the course of the season. He added 91 rebounds, 54 steals, and 50 assists.
Bertanza scored in double-figures in all but one game this season, tallying more than 20 points in 10 contests, more than 30 points in two contests, and adding one double-double performance.
The highlight of Bertanza's season materialized in a 55-point performance at St. Joseph's College of Maine, on February 12th, which scored him a spot on the D3Hoops.com Team of the Week, and a coveted feature headline on the nationally renowned Division III basketball website. Bertanza's mind-boggling performance at St. Joseph's broke two Lasell all-time records for single-game scoring and field-goals made in a single contest (22) and also set a season best performance across the NCAA in Division I, II, and III for an individual game-high in points.
Bertanza is also ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA in two statistical categories. He is ranked 43rd in points per game (19.6) and 60th in steals per game (2.3). In the GNAC, the sophomore stands at 4th overall in both of the same categories.
The Lasers concluded the 2010-2011 season on Saturday, February 19th with a final overall record of 6-19 (5-13 GNAC).