BOSTON – For the eighth time in the last 11 seasons, the Kevin Roberson America East men’s basketball Player of the Year hails from Vermont. TJ Hurley was selected as the league’s top player for the 2025-26 campaign while three other schools also earned major awards as the America East released its annual honors on Friday morning.
Joining Hurley among the major award winners were two honorees from UMBC, the league’s regular-season champion, as Jim Ferry was tabbed Coach of the Year and the Retrievers’ Caden Diggs earned Sixth Man of the Year honors. Rounding out the winners, UAlbany’s Okechukwu Okeke was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year, Vermont’s Gus Yalden took home Newcomer of the Year and NJIT’s David Bolden was the Rookie of the Year.
All of the major awards, All-Conference, All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams were determined in a vote by the league’s head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.
Player of the Year
TJ Hurley – Sr., Guard, Vermont
- Continues long line of Catamounts to earn the honor as it’s the 16th time a UVM player has earned the award and the 8th time in the last 11 seasons.
- Ranks fourth in the conference scoring 14.7 points per game and upped that average to 16.5 ppg in league play.
- Twice named America East Player of the Week this season (11/24, 1/26).
- Second-straight first-team All-Conference nod.
- Also an All-Defensive team and All-Academic selection.
Defensive Player of the Year
Okechukwu Okeke – Sr., Forward, UAlbany
- The league’s top rim protector, he’s just the third Great Dane to earn the honor (Jamel Horton, 2022; Brian Lillis, 2006).
- Leads the conference and ranks in the top 35 nationally averaging 1.9 blocks per game, including 2.0 per contest in conference action.
- His 131 defensive rebounds are third most in the league.
- Also named third-team All-Conference and All-Defensive.
Newcomer of the Year
Gus Yalden – R-So., Forward, Vermont
- Averaged 16.8 points on 52 percent shooting and added 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in his first season in Burlington.
- Ranks second in the league in scoring, fourth in field goal percentage and fifth in rebounding.
- Was a three-time America East Player of the Week this season.
- Also a first-team All-Conference selection.
Sixth Man of the Year
Caden Diggs – So., Guard, UMBC
- Averaged 9.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in just 22 minutes per game off the bench.
- Shot 48 percent from the floor.
- Scored a season-high 19 points vs. Buffalo on Dec. 9.
- Tallied double figures in 11 of 16 conference games.
Rookie of the Year
David Bolden – Fr., Guard, NJIT
- Second Highlander in the last three years to be named Rookie of the Year.
- Ranked 13th in the league overall averaging 11.9 points per game.
- Led the league with 1.9 steals per game.
- Named #AEHoops Rookie of the Week a league-high tying four times.
- Also earned All-Rookie Team honors.
Coach of the Year
Jim Ferry, UMBC
- Led UMBC to its first outright America East regular-season title since 2008.
- UMBC’s 14 America East wins are its most in program history.
- This is the first America East Coach of the Year honors for Jim Ferry and third for UMBC.
UMBC and UMass Lowell led the way with four All-Conference honorees, including a pair of first teamers. UAlbany, NJIT and Vermont each had two selections apiece while Binghamton, Maine and UNH each had one.
Okeke and Hurley headlined the five-player All-Defensive team.
Bolden led the five-player All-Rookie team.
Four the five All-Academic honorees were All-Conference honorees, headlined by Hurley. To qualify for All-Academic, student-athletes must be in sophomore All-Academic standing and carry at minimum a 3.30 cumulative GPA. Players are nominated by communications contacts and voted on by a committee of athletics administrators and FARs.
The majority of major award winners and All-Conference honorees will be in action on Saturday for 2026 Air Force Reserve #AEPlayoffs quarterfinals. Complete tournament information can be found at americaeast.com/mbbplayoffs.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
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