Emerson Basketball Players, Coaches Take NEWMAC Honors

Zach Waterhouse ’22 was named NEWMAC Rookie of the Year.

Bill Curley, coach of Emerson College’s NCAA Division III Tournament-bound men’s basketball team, and women’s basketball head coach Bill Gould, were named New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Coaches of the Year, and guard Zach Waterhouse ’22 was named NEWMAC Rookie of the Year.

Curley led Emerson to the No. 2 seed in the NEWMAC Tournament, and eventually to the program’s first NEWMAC championship title. Curley and the Lions produced a NEWMAC record of 9-5 before capping off the effort with a 93-75 win over WPI in the title game on Saturday, February 23.

The Lions leave for New Jersey Wednesday, February 27, to face host Rowan University on Friday, March 1, 7:30 pm.

Gould led the Lions to an 11-5 record in conference contests and a 17-9 record overall.  Emerson earned the fifth seed in the NEWMAC tournament, falling to fourth seed and eventual champion MIT in the first round. Gould and the Lions held a six game winning streak in the season.

Waterhouse was number eight overall in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game. He was number six for scoring in conference matchups, starting 13 of 14 games, and averaging 17.8 points per game. He averaged 1.9 steals per game and .3 blocks. Overall, Waterhouse connected on 53.1 percent of his shots on the year, with 42.1 percent of his three-pointers falling. At home, he averaged 18.9 points per game.

In addition to Curley and Waterhouse’s honors, teammates Geoffrey Gray ’19 (point guard) and Jack O’Connor ’20 (guard) were named to the NEWMAC First and Second All-Conference teams for men’s basketball, respectively. Point guard Trevor McLean ’22 earned a spot on the All-Sportsmanship team. Gray and forward Ben Holding ’19 were also named to NEWMAC’s Academic All-Conference teams; Academic All-Conference selections needed a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2018 fall semester.

Gray and O’Connor finished tied for second in the conference in scoring, with 20.3 points per game. Gray was also number two in rebounds per game with 9.2. He assisted on 4.3 Lions baskets per game, and his presence was felt on the court at all times, averting 35.4 minutes per game.

O’Connor was named the NEWMAC Tournament most outstanding player for his performance in the tourney. He totaled 56 points in two games, with a career-high 33 points in the championship game against WPI. He ranked number nine in three point percentage in the conference, connecting on 41.3 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. He was number two in free throw percentage hitting 89.2 percent of his shots from the charity stripe, and averaging 4.6 makes per game.

McLean started all 27 games for the Lions, averaging 21.1 minutes per game. He scored 4.1 points per game and converted all six of his free throw attempts. In the NEWMAC Championship, McLean went 4-5 from the field and converted all three of his three point attempts. He totaled 11 points for the Lions.

Women’s Basketball

Forward/center Charlie Boyle ’19 has been named to the NEWMAC First Team All-Conference, and guard Kate Foultz ’20 has been named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Boyle was number five in the conference, scoring 13.5 points per game. The California native led the conference in field goal percentage, connecting on 58.1 percent of her shots from the floor during the season. Boyle averaged 4.7 rebounds while connecting on 71.3 percent of her free throw attempts. She started in 25 games for the Lions, averaging 26 minutes per game.

Foultz averaged 6.1 points per game, connecting on 36.4 percent of shots and 37 percent of shots from beyond the arc. She also averaged 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and one steal per game.