Espinosa Nabs D3hoops.com All-Region Honors – Connecticut College

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Connecticut College junior guard Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) was one of 15 men’s basketball players to earn D3hoops.com All-Region 1 honors, as announced by the popular website on Tuesday morning.

Espinosa, who landed a spot on the third team, was one of eight NESCAC players recognized from the region. It marked the third straight year that a Camel has been selected to the all-region squad.

“What a tremendous honor for Elias to be recognized by D3hoops.com, which does a great job covering our sport,” said head coach Tim Sweeney. “We can’t wait to see him build off of this year’s improvement.”

Players were nominated for these awards by the sports information directors at the various schools, and a total of 789 players were nominated nationwide. The ballot was then made available to selected SIDs, who voted for a predetermined number of players in their region. 

It’s the 24th season D3hoops.com has named All-Region teams. Players who are selected to All-Region teams are eligible for the D3hoops.com All-America teams, which will be released March 22 at the national championship game.

One of the top shooters in the NESCAC, Espinosa led the Camels and ranked ninth in the conference in scoring with a career-best 14.8 points per game. His team-high 71 three-point field goals ranked third all-time in the school’s single season record book, and he led the NESCAC in threes per game (3.0).

An All-NESCAC First Team selection this season, Espinosa scored 20 or more points in six games this season. His highest point total of the year came in a win over TCNJ in which he knocked down six threes and netted a career-high 32 points. He landed on the all-tournament team at the Greg Grant Tip-Off Tournament in November, and a month later he earned MVP honors while leading the Camels to the team title at the USJ Holiday Tournament.

Conn, which made its fourth-straight NESCAC Championship appearance, finished the season with an overall record of 13-12 (5-5 NESCAC). It marked the third straight winning season for the Camels, the longest streak for the program since 2002.

D3hoops.com Region 1 Awards

Player of the Year: Hank Morgan, G, Hamilton

Coach of the Year: Joe Reilly, Wesleyan

Rookie of the Year: Kenneth Rogers, F, Westfield State

All-Region First Team

G, Shane Regan, Wesleyan, Sr., Larchmont, N.Y.

G, Hank Morgan, Hamilton, Sr., Caldwell, N.J.

F, Henry Vetter, Trinity (Conn.), Jr., Kenilworth, Ill.

F, Remijo Wani, St. Joseph’s (Maine), So., Portland, Maine

F, Jarrel Okorougo, Trinity (Conn.), Jr., Stoneham, Mass.

All-Region Second Team

G, Nicky Johnson, Wesleyan, Sr., Lexington, Mass.

G, Riles Neff, Husson, Sr., Camarillo, Calif.

G, Brandon Goris, Worcester State, Sr., Bronx, N.Y.

F, Scott Gyimesi, Tufts, Jr., Fair Haven, N.J.

C, Curt Heinz, Maine Maritime, Sr., Stuttgart, Germany

All-Region Third Team

G, Gregory Gonyea Jr., Vermont State Lyndon, Sr., Dolgeville, N.Y.

G, James Morakis, Tufts, Jr., Dallas, Texas

G, Elias Espinosa, Connecticut College, Jr., Leonia, N.Y.

F, Kenneth Rogers Jr., Westfield State, Fr., Springfield, Mass.

F, Owen Liss, Norwich, Sr., West Suffield, Conn.