Head Coach Mike Ruane And Senior Willie Williams III Earn ECAC Men's Hoops Honors

Danbury, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced its 2014-15 Division II Men's Basketball All-Star teams on Thursday. Saint Anselm College senior Chris Santo (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and Dominican College senior Nick Smith (Middletown, N.Y.) were tabbed as Co-Players of the Year, while freshman Kevin Larkin (Lincoln, Del.) of Cheyney University was selected as the Rookie of the Year. University of Bridgeport Head Coach Mike Ruane was named ECAC Coach of the Year. The voting was completed by coaches within the ECAC Division II Men's Basketball membership.

Santo adds ECAC honors to a long list of postseason accolades after a spectacular final season at Saint Anselm. The Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-American led the Hawks to an appearance in the Northeast-10 Championship Game and a berth into the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament. Santo ranked second in the Northeast-10 in scoring this season, averaging 21.4 points per game while shooting a conference-best 62.2 percent (252-405) from the field. Starting all 29 games for the Hawks, Santo also averaged 7.9 rebounds per game and piled up 16, 20-plus-point performances. Nationally, he racked up the fourth most field goals, finished 12th in shooting percentage and ranked 17th in points per game. Santo was named ECAC Player of the Week three times this season.

Smith was equally impressive in his senior season in a Chargers' uniform. The All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) First Teamer was nearly unstoppable in the paint in 26 games this season, ranking fifth in the country in scoring (24.5 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage (65.9%). Smith was named ECAC Player of the Week four times, including after scoring a career-high 41 points against Georgian Court University on January 25. Smith also scored 40 points in an 81-80 win over Goldey-Beacom College on February 21. In addition to ECAC recognition, Smith was named to both the NABC All-East Region and Daktronics All-East Region teams. Smith leaves Dominican as one of just 30 players in program history to record 1,000 career points.

Larkin, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Rookie of the Year, averaged a team-best 17.8 points per game in his debut season at Cheyney. In addition to the points, which ranked first amongst all freshmen in the country, Larkin also pulled down 5.1 rebounds and dished out 1.2 assists per game. The All-PSAC Second Teamer registered nine 20-point performances this season, including three career-best 25-point efforts. Larkin was named ECAC Rookie of the Week after pouring in 23 points to lead the Wolves to an 86-77 victory over Mansfield University on January 31.

Ruane led the Purple Knights to their third-straight East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship and berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament this past season. En route to the conference title, Bridgeport notched a 22-6 regular season record and finished the year on a seven-game winning streak. Ruane guided his squad to a 17-3 conference mark and ECC tournament wins over Dowling College and St. Thomas Aquinas College. Currently in his 15th season at the helm of Bridgeport Men's Basketball, Ruane has led the Purple Knights to nine 20-win seasons in the last 13 years and nine NCAA bids during that same span.

2014-15 ECAC Division II Men 's Basketball All-Star Team

ECAC Co-Players of the Year

Chris Santo, Sr., Saint Anselm College

Nick Smith, Sr., Dominican College

ECAC Rookie of the Year

Kevin Larkin, Fr., Cheyney University

ECAC Coach of the Year

Mike Ruane, University of Bridgeport

 *First Team

Nick Smith, Sr., Dominican College

Chris Santo, Sr., Saint Anselm College

Ryen Vilmont, Sr., Franklin Pierce University

Gelvis Solano, Jr., Merrimack College

Tylon Smith, Sr., Southern Connecticut State University

Jake Thelen, Sr., Bellarmine University

*Second Team

Luke Houston, Sr., Southern Connecticut State University

Mark Durgan, Jr., Bluefield State College

Michael Balkovic, Sr., Caldwell University

Roy Mabrey, Sr., Saint Anselm College

Joe Lawson, Sr., University of Indianapolis

Adam Blazek, Sr., Gannon University

Willie Williams III, Jr., University of Bridgeport

*Additional players added due to ties

About the ECAC

In the 76 years since its inception, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has emerged as the nation's largest Conference. The ECAC has grown considerably from its charter membership of 58, currently boasting over 300 member schools in Divisions I, II and III, ranging in location from Maine to South Carolina, and westerly to Missouri.  In the 2014-15 academic year, the ECAC will hosnearly100 championships in 32 men's and women's sports as the sponsors of over 5,800 varsity teams and 111,000 male and female athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.