RICHMOND, Va. (March 4, 2010) – Hofstra junior guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) was selected as the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball Player of the Year in voting by the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and members of the media. The announcement was made Thursday night at the league’s pre-tournament awards banquet in Richmond, Va.

Also receiving top honors were William and Mary’s Tony Shaver as the CAA Coach of the Year, Drexel freshman guard Chris Fouch (New York, N.Y./Rice) as the CAA Rookie of the Year, VCU junior forward Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla./Port St. Lucie) as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and William and Mary senior David Schneider (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy Prep) as the recipient of the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award.

Jenkins is the second Hofstra player to earn the CAA’s top award, joining Loren Stokes in 2007. The junior guard tops the conference and ranks 21st in the nation in scoring with 20.4 ppg, and is one of only four players in Division I currently averaging at least 20 points, four rebounds (4.4 rpg) and three assists (3.8 apg) per game. Jenkins was especially impressive down the stretch, averaging 27.3 ppg as the Pride closed the regular season with six straight victories. He tallied 20 or more points 18 times, went over the 30-point plateau on four occasions and finished the regular season on a 22-game double-digit scoring streak. Jenkins has already climbed to eighth on Hofstra’s all-time scoring list with 1,698 points and is on pace to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. The CAA Player of the Year award is the latest in a long line of honors for Jenkins, who was the CAA Rookie of the Year in 2008 and received the Haggerty Award as the top player in Metropolitan New York in 2009.

Shaver guided William and Mary to a 20-9 overall record and a 12-6 third-place finish in the CAA after being picking 10th in the league’s pre-season polls. The Tribe reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 1997-98 and only the third time since 1951-52. Their 12 CAA victories were the second-most in school history and earned them a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament for the first time. W&M set a school record by winning 10 road games this season, including triumphs over ACC foes Wake Forest and Maryland. It’s the second CAA Coach of the Year award in the past three years for Shaver, who also received the honor in 2008.

Fouch is the first Drexel player to receive CAA Rookie of the Year honors. The freshman guard provided instant offense off the Dragons’ bench, ranking second on the team and 18th in the conference in scoring with 11.0 ppg. He tallied double figures 15 times, including in 10 of Drexel’s 18 conference games. Fouch was one of the CAA’s most dangerous outside shooters, ranking sixth in the conference with 62 treys and eighth in 3-point FG percentage (38.3%).

Sanders earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year accolades for the second year in a row. The 6-foot-11 junior forward ranks third in the conference and 24th in the nation with 67 blocked shots and is also second in the CAA in rebounding with 8.9 rpg. In less than three seasons, Sanders has moved up to fourth on the CAA’s all-time blocked shots list with 254. He grabbed double-digit rebounds 12 times this season and is four rebounds shy of 700 for his career.

Schneider is the first William and Mary player to receive the Ehlers Award, which is presented annually to the men’s basketball student-athlete who “embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with his academic athletic achievement.” The senior guard ranked among the top 15 in the CAA in scoring (15.8 ppg/4th), rebounding (6.0 rpg/13th) and steals (1.4 spg/11th) this season. Schneider is currently ninth on the Tribe’s all-time scoring list (1,438 pts) and ranks 10th on the CAA’s career 3-pointers chart (262).

Joining Jenkins on the All-CAA first team were Northeastern junior guard Chaisson Allen (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Oakland), Northeastern senior guard/forward Matt Janning (Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer), Old Dominion senior center Gerald Lee (Uusikaupunki, Finland/Korihait) and VCU’s Sanders.

Allen ranked 10th in the CAA in scoring (14.1 ppg), ninth in assists (3.7 apg) and fifth in steals (2.3 spg) while running the Huskies’ attack. The junior drained a team-high 69 three-pointers and shot 42.1% from the beyond the arc. Allen, who also made the CAA All-Defensive squad for the second year in a row, scored double figures in his final 13 games. Janning earned a spot on the All-CAA first team for the second year in a row after ranking fifth in the league in scoring with 15.1 ppg and tallying double figures in 26 of 30 contests. He was also 10th in the conference in steals (1.5 spg). Janning is one of only two players in Northeastern history to compile at least 1,500 points (1,781), 500 rebounds (519) and 300 assists (342) in a career.

Lee earned a spot on the All-CAA first team for the second straight season. The senior forward ranked ninth in the conference in scoring (14.3 ppg) and tallied double figures 25 times. He also contributed 5.1 rebounds per game and shot 53.1% from the floor. Lee ranks 14th on ODU’s all-time scoring list (1,548 pts) and has 655 career rebounds. Sanders ranked sixth in the conference in scoring with 14.8 ppg and shot 54.9% from the floor. He was the league’s second-leading rebounder with 8.9 rpg and tied for the CAA lead in double-doubles with 10.

– The information above was provided by Rob Washburn, Associate Commissioner of the CAA