Hobart sophomore forward
Matt Pebole earned a spot on the
D3hoops.com All-East Region first team, while first-year guard
Stefan Thompson was named the D3hoops.com East Region Rookie of the Year.
Pebole is just the second Statesman to earn a spot on the D3hoops.com All-Region teams, joining two-time first team pick Joe Corbett ’03 and 2008 second team selection John Grazioli ’08. Thompson is the first Hobart basketball player to be named the region’s rookie of the year.
A unanimous first team All-Liberty League selection, Pebole was the conference’s scoring champion, averaging 18.9 ppg. He also ranked among the League leaders in field goal percentage (3rd, .537), free throw percentage (6th, .805), and rebounding (7th, 6.5 rpg).
Pebole scored a career-high 36 points in a double overtime win against Buffalo State and produced 35 points and 11 rebounds in a win at the East Region’s No. 1 ranked team, St. John Fisher. He registered another double double four days later in a win at Cazenovia, burning the Wildcats for 19 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Pebole was named the Liberty League Forward of the Week nine times this season.
Thompson scored 18 points in his Hobart debut and never looked back, breaking the school record for points in a season by a first-year (420). The unanimous pick for the Liberty League Rookie of the Year award averaged 15.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, and 1.4 spg. Also a second team all-conference pick, Thompson ranked fourth in the League in scoring, field goal percentage (.532), and free throw shooting (.842), and was fifth in assists and ninth in steals.
Thompson netted a season-high 29 points against the Bengals. He scored 10 points, dished out a season-high 12 assists, and made a season-high five steals in a home win over Hamilton. Thompson was named the League’s Rookie of the Week 10 times.
Hobart posted a 17-11 record this season, the third highest win total in the 100-season history of the program. The Statesmen finished second in the conference with a 9-5 mark. Hobart advanced to the Liberty League Tournament championship game for the first time since 2000-01 and earned the program’s first ECAC Upstate Tournament bid since 2004-05.
D3hoops.com is the premier Web site for all things related to Division III basketball. This is the ninth edition of the Web site’s all-region teams, while this is the third season D3hoops.com has selected a rookie of the year.