NORFOLK, Virginia -- Bethune-Cookman senior Brandon Tabb was named the 2017-18 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, the conference announced today. Howard’s RJ Cole was selected as the Rookie of the Year, while Soufiyane Diakite, from Bethune-Cookman, earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. North Carolina A&T State head coach Jay Joyner was named the MEAC Coach of the Year.
All awards are voted on by the conference’s head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.
Tabb is one of the most prolific scorers and shooters in the MEAC as he averaged 19 points over the course of the regular season. The Hampton, Va. native ranks as one of the top free throw shooters in the nation with a 92.7 clip (114-of-123) from the line while also a major threat from beyond the arc as he ranks second in the MEAC with 94 three-pointers made. He has two 30-point performances with highs of 34 against Coppin State and Morgan State and 13 games with 20-plus point outings. Tabb also tied for the MEAC’s single-game high in three-pointers made with eight at Georgia Tech.
His 94 made three-pointers are second in Bethune-Cookman single-season history behind his 2016-17 totals of 106 makes. He is also on pace to become BCU’s career leader in free throw percentage.
Cole is on pace to set major records as he currently ranks sixth nationally and leads the MEAC with 23.7 points per game and 6.2 assists in his first season. The Union, N.J. native also leads the MEAC in three-pointers made with 105 and rarely takes a break as the league leader in minutes played. He has the second-highest single game scoring output this season with 42 versus UNC Wilmington and has scored 30-plus points on five occasions while scoring 20-plus points 24 times. Cole also has had one game with 10 assists this season and also rewrote the MEAC record books with 13 Rookie of the Week awards.
Diakite leads the MEAC with 9.6 rebounds per contest and also ranks on top with 17 contests of 10-plus rebounds along with a total of 28 blocked shots. A three-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, Diakite has highs of 17 rebounds versus Norfolk State with four blocks versus North Texas. He also leads the MEAC in offensive rebounds with 3.1 per game and is also first with 6.5 defensive rebounds per outing.
Joyner has orchestrated one of the greatest turnarounds in MEAC and North Carolina A&T State history as he led the Aggies to an 18-13 overall and 11-5 conference mark after a 4-28 campaign in 2016-17. Picked to finish last in this year’s MEAC Preseason Poll, Joyner led the Aggies to their most wins since 2012-13. His 11 conference wins only marks the third time the Aggies have surpassed 10-plus MEAC wins since 2000. The Aggies ended a 36-game losing streak on the road to non-conference opponents earlier this season when they defeated Jacksonville while also knocking off East Carolina of the American Athletic Conference. Joyner also had three players earn either All-MEAC second or third team honors with another on the All-Rookie Team.
Tabb and Cole are joined on the 2017-18 All-MEAC First Team by Hampton’s Jermaine Marrow, Morgan State’s Phillip Carr and Howard’s Charles Williams.
The 2017-18 regular-season champions, first team honorees and award winners including Player, Rookie, Defensive Player and Coach of the Year, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to the honorees’ first games in tournament play. Tournament play begins Monday, March 5 and runs through March 10 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. For more information, log on to www.MEACHOOPS.com.
2017-18 Men’s Basketball All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the conference’s head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.
Player of the Year: Brandon Tabb, Bethune-Cookman
Rookie of the Year: RJ Cole, Howard
Defensive Player of the Year: Soufiyane Diakite, Bethune-Cookman
Coach of the Year: Jay Joyner, North Carolina A&T State
| First Team | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| RJ Cole | G | 6-1 | Fr. | Howard | Union, N.J. |
| Brandon Tabb | G | 6-4 | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Hampton, Va. |
| Jermaine Marrow | G | 6-2 | So. | Hampton | Newport News, Va. |
| Phillip Carr | F | 6-9 | Sr. | Morgan State | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Charles Williams | G/F | 6-6 | So. | Howard | Richmond, Va. |
| Second Team | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Desmond Williams | F | 6-6 | Sr. | Florida A&M | Atmore, Ala. |
| Femi Olujobi | C | 6-8 | Jr. | North Carolina A&T | Long Island, NY |
| Dexter McClanahan | G | 6-5 | Jr. | Savannah State | Stockbridge, Ga. |
| Shawntrez Davis | F/C | 6-9 | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Raasean Davis | C | 6-9 | Jr. | North Carolina Central | Chicago, Ill. |
| Third Team | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Isaiah Bailey | G | 6-6 | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Compton, Calif. |
| Alante Fenner | G | 6-5 | Sr. | Savannah State | Lake Wales, Fla. |
| Devaris McGowens | F | 6-7 | Sr. | North Carolina A&T | Greenville, S.C. |
| Denzel Keyes | F | 6-4 | Sr. | North Carolina A&T | Kinston, N.C. |
| Lamar Morgan | G/F | 6-6 | Jr. | Coppin State | Willingboro, N.J. |
| All-Rookie Team | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| RJ Cole | G | 6-1 | Fr. | Howard | Union, N.J. |
| Miryne Thomas | F | 6-8 | Fr. | Maryland Eastern Shore | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Kameron Langley | G | 6-2 | Fr. | North Carolina A&T | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Jordan Perkins | G | 6-1 | Fr. | North Carolina Central | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Reggie Gardner, Jr. | G | 6-3 | Fr. | North Carolina Central | Bowie, Md. |
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