WAYNE, N.J. – William Paterson's
Jose Rebimbas was selected as the Metropolitan Basketball Coaches Association's Division III Coach of the Year April 16, while senior forward
Abdoulaye Ouedraogo (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) was named to the All-Met First Team and senior guard
Joseph Ellis (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) was a second-team honoree.
The 2010 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, Rebimbas just finished his 15th season at William Paterson and his 16th season as a head coach, leading the Pioneers to a 25-3 overall record and a 12-1 mark in conference play this season. William Paterson won the NJAC's regular-season North Division title and the program's 10th NJAC Tournament championship this winter. Rebimbas earned his 300th career victory (300-133) and the Pioneers punched their ticket for the NJAC Tournament championship game with a 55-37 semifinal victory against North No. 3 Seed Ramapo (18-9) Feb. 24.
A second-team NABC all-American and the 2010 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Player and Defensive Player of the Year, as well as member of the NABC All-Atlantic Region First Team, All-NJAC First Team, the D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region Second Team and the ECAC All-Metro Region First Team, Ouedraogo led the Pioneers with a .527 field-goal percentage (seventh in NJAC), 7.4 rebounds (sixth in conference) and 2.1 blocked shots (second in league, 36th in Division III) per game, adding 10.0 points per contest to rank second for the Pioneers. Previously named the 2007-08 NJAC Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-NJAC First Team, the D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region Second Team, the NABC All-Atlantic Second Team, the ECAC Metro Region All-Second Team and the PrestoSports/Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Division III All-Third Team, he registered 13 double-digit scoring totals, four double-figure rebounding games and three double-doubles this season.
A member of the 2010 All-NJAC First Team, the D3hoops.com and NABC All-Atlantic Region Second Team and the ECAC All-Metro Region Second Team, Ellis paced the Pioneers with 14.3 points per game and a .378 three-point field-goal percentage, adding 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. In the NJAC statistics, he was seventh in three-pointers made (1.93 pg), eighth in scoring, and ninth in steals and three-point field-goal percentage, and he registered 21 double-digit scoring totals this winter (five 20+). Earlier this season, Ellis was named the NJHoops.com January Player of the Month, the NJAC Player of the Week (Dec. 21, Jan. 18), the ECAC Metro Region Player of the Week (Jan. 19), a member of the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week (Dec. 22) and the Scotty Wood All-Tournament Team (Nov. 20-21), and the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament MVP (Dec. 29-30).
