BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott men's basketball freshman forward Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) has been named the 2023-24 D3hoops.com All-Region 2 Rookie of the Year.
Kinney is the first regional Rookie of the Year recipient in Endicott men's basketball program history and the second selection from the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) since the award was established in 2006-07 (based upon available data).
Region 2 consists of teams from the CCC, Little East Conference (LEC), New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), and the University Athletic Association (UAA). This is the 23rd year D3hoops.com has named an All-Region team. The regional Rookie of the Year award honors the top freshman in each region, 10 in total.
Kinney concluded his first season of collegiate play with averages of 14.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 24.1 minutes per game.
The freshman forward proved himself to be a scoring threat from anywhere on the court, as Kinney shot an efficient 55.0% (121-220 FG) from the field and 33.3% (20-60 3PT) from three-point territory. His 14.5 points placed him second in team scoring and 13th in the CCC, while his field goal percentage ranked third in the league.
Over the course of the season, Kinney notched nine double-doubles, with the first occurring in the Gulls' first victory of the season against MIT on 11/15/23 (85-63 | 13 points, 11 rebounds, 19 minutes played).
Kinney is just one of two freshmen in Division III to average a double-double this season.
His 10.0 rebounds per game are tied for the Division III lead among all freshmen and No. 33 overall nationally.
That mark paced the CCC and is the highest single-season rebounding average by a freshman in program history. His 10.0 rebounds per game this year also rank third overall among all qualified student-athletes in program history (Chris Rigothi '97, 11.1 | Erik Callo '12, 11.0).
Some of his game/season highlights include:
- At No. 24 nationally ranked Middlebury on 11/26/23, Kinney notched a career-high 25 points (9-17 FG, 1-3 3PT, 6-7 FT) and 15 rebounds in a nailbiting 90-86 loss.
- In a 107-91 victory over UNE on 11/29/23, he hauled down a career-high 18 rebounds (12 defensive, six offensive), which ranks fourth all-time in single-game program history.
- On 1/4/24, he guided the Gulls to victory with his 24-point (8-15 FG, 3-8 3PT, 5-7 FT), 12 rebound performance, which included the game-winning layup over a Curry defender with just two seconds remaining.
- On February 28, Kinney was announced as the CCC Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-Conference Second Team.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Endicott posted a 17-9 overall record with an 11-5 record in league play this season.
The Gulls earned the No. 3 seed in the CCC Tournament, but ultimately fell in overtime to No. 6 Suffolk, 80-79.
The Blue and Green were 9-5 at The Nest this fall and rattled off an eight-game win streak between November 29, 2023, and January 6, 2024 — the longest win streak since the 2014-15 season.
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Photo Credit - (David Le '10)
