Phil Martelli Jr. Named NABC District Coach of the Year, Bryant Begins Preparing for NCAA Tournament

Bryant men’s basketball head coach Phil Martelli Jr. was named the National Associate of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Mid-Atlantic District Coach of the Year on Tuesday.

In addition, fifth-year guard Earl Timberlake was named to the Mid-Atlantic All-District Second Team.

The honors for Martelli come in the midst of the second-year bench boss leading the Black and Gold to a Division I program record 23 wins, an America East Championship and a berth in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships. Bryant enters March Madness with a 23-11 overall record, has won each of its last six games and 17-of-19 since the start of the new year.

Martelli was named the America East Coach of the Year after leading the Bulldogs to their first America East Regular Season title. The Black and Gold feature the America East Player of the Year in Earl Timberlake, the America East Newcomer of the Year in Barry Evans and the league’s second leading scorer in Rafael Pinzon.

Timberlake, the Kevin Roberson America East Player of the Year and Reggie Lewis America Tournament Most Outstanding Player, enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.8 bpg and 1.0 spg. He is the only player in the NCAA to post these averages and is just 1-of-2 players in NCAA history to record these averages in a single season. Timberlake is a three-time All-America East selection and has now earned all-district honors in each of the last two seasons.

Bryant, seeded 15th in the South Region, will face second-seeded Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 21. Tip is set for 10:00 p.m.