March 1, 2011

Junior Ken Horton was named the 2011 Northeast Conference men's basketball player of the year on Tuesday. Horton, who leads the league in scoring and is second in rebounding, is the fifth Central player to earn the honor in the last 12 seasons. The junior from Ossining, NY, missed the entire 2009-10 season with a injury, before returning this season to lead the Blue Devils to a fourth place finish in the league regular season standings. Horton was also named to the league's First Team All-Conference squad.

OFFICIAL NEC RELEASE

Central has had more NEC Players of the Year since joining the NEC in 1997 than any other program in the league.

Horton joins former Blue Devils Rick Mickens (2000), Corsley Edwards (2002), Ron Robinson (2004) and Javier Mojica (2007) as Players of the Year from CCSU. He is the first junior in school history to be honored with the award by the league.

Horton leads the league in scoring and rebounding in conference play this season, averaging a double-double with 21.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. He has posted a league-high 12 double-doubles on the year, including nine in his last 12 games. For the season the junior is averaging 20.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg.

Horton was chosen a Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week a league-high five times this season.

Horton moved into the top-10 in career scoring for the Blue Devils last Saturday in a loss to Long Island. He enters the NEC Tournament with 1,410 career points, the 10th-best total in program history. Only one player in school history has scored more points in his first three seasons than Horton (Bill Reaves, 1,647, 1968-71).

Horton's numbers for the season are spectacular. He has scored double-figures in 24 straight games entering the tournament, and 69 times in 86 career games. He has scored 30 or more four times this year, including a career-high 35 on Feb. 19 vs. Quinnipiac. He has 14 games this season with 20 or more points, and he has reached 20 or more 32 times in his career, more than any other active player in the NEC.

This season Horton has scored 581 points, the sixth-highest single season total in school history. He has set career-highs for points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goals, three-point field goals, free-throws and minutes played. His 47 blocks give him 154 for his career, the third-highest total in school history.

Horton's selection to the First Team All-Conference squad marks the first first team pick for the Blue Devils since the 2007-08 season (Tristan Blackwood). Horton is being honored for the third time in his career, he was a Second Team selection in 2008-09 and an All-Rookie Team selection in 2007-08.

The Blue Devils are the fourth seed in the upcoming NEC Men's Basketball Tournament, and will host #5 St. Francis (NY) on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Detrick Gym. Central is 11-2 at home this season and is 5-1 at home in NEC Tournament games in their history.