Toliver, Pearce, and Jusianiec Earn ACAA Accolades
Alfred State junior guard Juwan Toliver (Buffalo/McKinley), senior guard Alexshay Pearce (Rochester/Charlotte), and head coach Jerry Jusianiec have been earned honors from the ACAA. Toliver was named the ACAA Player of the Year, Pearce was named 1st team All-ACAA, and Jusianiec was named the Coach of the Year.
Toliver earned 1st team All-ACAA and Player of Year honors after a well rounded season as the Pioneers point guard. He started in 25 games and averaged 33.6 minutes per game. He averaged 10.0 points (251 total), 5.8 rebounds (145 total), 6.3 assists (157 total), and 2.3 steals (57 total) per game. He scored in double-figures 16 times, had eight or more assists in 10 gams, and grabbed at least six boards in 15 games. On the year he recorded three double-doubles.
He scored a season high 19 points at Hilbert, had a season best 10 assists three times (at Penn College, at Keuka, and vs. Morrisville), and grabbed 10 boards at SUNY Poly. He shot 44.8% from the field, 40.9% from three, and 61.1% from the foul line.
Pearce led the Pioneers in scoring with 387 points (14.9 per game). He also grabbed 144 rebounds, passed out 48 assists, and was credited with 45 steals. He scored in double-figures 19 games and scored over 20 points in six games including a season high 33 points in a contest vs. D'Youville on opening weekend. He led the team 49 three-pointers and connected on 66% of his foul shots.
In his 19th season at the helm of the program, Jusianiec led the Pioneers to their best season since the 2008-09 season. The Pioneers finished the year 16-10 and were the #1 seed for the ACAA Tournament. The team had a stretch in which they won eight of nine contests. The team used a balanced attack and solid rebounding to garner success.
During the five year NCAA DIII era at Alfred State, Jusianiec and the blue & gold's win total from two in year one to 16 this season. The 16 wins was seven more than the 2016-17 season.
Name |
School |
Pos |
Yr |
Top Stats |
Hometown/High School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Chaco | UMaine-Presque Isle | G | Sr. | 9.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg | Watertown, CT |
| Kevin Collins | UMaine-Presque Isle | G | Sr. | 14.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg | Fort Washington, MD |
| Jordan Fragale | SUNY Delhi | G | So. | 11.2 ppg, 46.3% fg | Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker |
| Alexshay Pearce | Alfred St. | G | Sr. | 14.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg | Rochester, NY/Charlotte |
| Brandon Robinette | Finlandia | F | Jr. | 13.4 ppg, 37.4% fg | Escanaba, MI/Escanaba |
| Alex Sanchez | Valley Forge | G | Sr. | 24.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg | Orlando, FL/Faith Christian Academy |
| Juwan Toliver | Alfred St. | G | Jr. | 44.8% fg, 10.0 ppg | Buffalo, NY/McKinley |
| Adrian Williams | SUNY Canton | G | Jr. | 13.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg | Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn Collegiate |
Name |
School |
Pos |
Yr |
Top Stats |
Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Collins | Pine Manor | G | So. | 10.5 ppg, 36.8% fg | Lynn, MA/Lynn English |
| Andrew Fitch | SUNY Canton | F | Fr. | 7.8 rpg, 48.1% fg | Melbourne, Australia/Heatherton Christian |
| William Knight | SUNY Delhi | G | So. | 14.0 ppg, 50.2% fg | Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South |
| Danny Santana | SUNY Canton | F | Fr. | 10.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg | Clifton, NJ/Clifton |
Honorable Mention: Finlandia: Geoff Smart; Pine Manor: Ellis Reid; SUNY Delhi: Payton Dean; Valley Forge: Sean Word.
Player of the Year - Juwan Toliver, Alfred State
Defensive Player of the Year - Anthony Chaco, UMaine-Presque Isle
Rookie of the Year - DeAndre Duncombe, UMaine-Presque Isle
Coach of the Year - Jerry Jusianiec, Alfred State
