Bryant’s Martelli Jr. is Leading Candidate for VCU Job, According to Reports

First Team

Sebastian Thomas — University of Rhode Island

Providence native Sebastian Thomas had the bravado to return to URI after spending a year at the University at Albany. When on the court he played in a bold and swaggering manner. His last-minute heroics won multiple games for the Rams.

Thomas seldom came off the court, averaging 36.9 minutes a game. He led the team in scoring and ranked 6th in the A-10 at 14.4 PPG. Thomas was first in the A-10 in assists at 6 per game and 7th in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.2. He had 63 steals, which ranked him first in the A-10 at 2.2 PG.

We don’t see enough Rhode Island high school basketball players stay in the state for their college careers. Rhode fans are glad Thomas did.

First Team

Earl Timberlake — Bryant University

Timberlake is enjoying a historic season. The Washington, D.C., native was named America East Player of the Year after averaging 15.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.7 bpg and 0.9 spg during the regular season.

He is a three-time All-America East selection, twice named to the first team, and has recorded 31 career double-doubles.

First Team

Rafael Pinzon — Bryant University

Pinzon played two seasons at St. John’s before transferring to Bryant.

Now a Bulldog, he is one of the leaders who made the program a mid-major success.

He led Bryant in scoring this past year at 18.5 ppg.

First Team

Kino Lilly, Jr. — Brown University

Senior Kino Lilly Jr. of the Brown men's basketball team was named First Team All-Ivy for the third consecutive season.

He becomes the fourth player in Brown’s history to earn First Team All-Ivy in three consecutive seasons, joining the list of Mike Cingiser (1960-62), Earl Hunt (2001-03), and Jason Forte (2003-05).

He is the first player in program history and the third player in Ivy League history to make over 300 three-pointers.

Lilly's 16.6 career points per game average and 82.7 free throw percentage ranks fifth in program history.

First Team

Oswin Erhunmwunse — Providence College 

The freshman power forward from Nigeria was named to the All-Freshman Big East team.

He averaged 6.8 points a game and led the Friars with 5.6 rebounds a game.

Rookie of the Year

Ryan Mela — Providence College

Ryan Mela, as a freshman, was often the most steady Friar when on the court.

Like Erhunmwunse, he was selected for the Big East All-Freshman Team.

Mela averaged  6.4 ppg. and 5.2 rebounds for PC..

Sixth Man

David Fuchs - University of Rhode Island

David Fuchs left his home in Vienna, Austria, and a budding professional career in European basketball to come to URI. The sophomore is adapting and developing nicely as his play improved significantly this season.

Fuchs came off the bench and played in 29 games, averaging 20 minutes a game. He was a beast on the boards, ranking 4th in the A-10 in rebounds at 7.4 per game despite playing time only equaling half a game. He shot 59% from the field, averaging 7.4 PPG. Fuchs was 3rd on the team in blocks and steals.

Honorable Mention

Landon Lewis — Brown University

It was a breakout year for Landon Lewis. The junior forward was the Bear’s second-leading scorer at 13.7 ppg and was the leading rebounder at 6.8 per game.

Honorable Mention

David Green — University of Rhode Island

URI’s 6’7” senior forward David Green was the team captain and appeared in 28 games, all starts. His 43.1% three-point shooting percentage ranks 3rd in URI program history and 3rd in the A-10 for this season.

Green was second on the team in scoring and 16th in the A-10 at 14.2 PPG. In the A-10 Green ranked; 10th in field goal percentage at 48%, 16th in rebounding at 5.9 PG, 17th in blocks at .8 PG, and 20th in free throw percentage at 75.7%.

Honorable Mention

Bensley Joseph — Providence College

Joseph was the Friars leading scorer at 13.2 ppg. He tied for the team lead with 101 assists.

He came to Providence after three years at the University of Miami.

He had eight games with 20 or more points. He was a senior this season.

Coach of the Year

Phil Martelli, Jr. — Bryant University

Martelli joined the Bryant staff in April 2018 as an assistant coach and was promoted to Associate Head Coach in August 2020. He was named the ninth head coach in Bryant program history on November 15, 2023, after the demise of Jared Grasso.

Martelli's first season as head coach saw Bryant win 20 games for the second time in DI program history. Along the way, the Bulldogs picked up their first-ever victory over a top-10 team, defeating No. 10 FAU in Boca Raton. 

This year, he led Bryant to its first No. 1 seed and its first outright regular season championship since joining America East.