Hofstra's Tyler Thomas named CAA Player of the Year
Hofstra's Tyler Thomas. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Tyler Thomas has kept Hofstra’s streak alive.
The 6-3 senior guard was announced as the Coastal Athletic Association’s 2024 Player of the Year on Thursday. He is the third Hofstra player in a row to receive the honor after Aaron Estrada won the past two. Pride players have been named the CAA Player of the Year – as voted by conference coaches – in six of the past nine seasons. Justin Wright-Foreman earned it in 2018 and 2019 and Juan’ya Green did it in 2016.
Thomas is averaging 22.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Pride (19-12), which next plays Sunday in a CAA quarterfinal as the No. 3 seed in Washington. Hofstra will face the winner of No. 6 Delaware vs. the winner of Friday's first-round game between No. 11 Elon and No. 14 Hampton.
Thomas is averaging a Division I-best 3.7 three-pointers per game and his scoring average puts him third in the nation.
Thomas has eclipsed the 20-point mark 21 times. His career scoring total of 2,269 points is fourth among active Division I players. He was a second-team all-conference selection a year ago.
Teammate Darlinstone Dubar, a 6-8 junior forward, was selected as an All-CAA second-teamer, as was Stony Brook guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore, a 2019 Newsday All-Long Island selection from Long Island Lutheran.
Dubar has had a breakthrough season and is averaging 18.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and five assists.
Pride junior point guard Jaquan Carlos, a Brooklyn product, was named to the CAA’s All-Defensive team. Carlos has been strong on both ends of the floor. On defense, he is third in the CAA in steals with 1.6 per game. He is also averaging 10.1 points, a conference-best 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
Other Hofstra players who have been the CAA Player of the Year are Loren Stokes in 2007 and Charles Jenkins in 2010 and 2011.
Stony Brook's Stephenson-Moore is averaging 16.0 points and is shooting 42.8% on three-pointers. The Seawolves (17-14) are seeded seventh for the CAA tournament and face No. 10 Northeastern in a second-round game on Saturday in Washington at 6 p.m.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
