STANDISH, Maine – The 2014-15 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball postseason honors have been released and a pair of Saint Joseph's College players have earned recognition.
Senior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) has garnered First Team All-GNAC honors while senior forward Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) is listed on the Third Team.
Simonds completed his senior season averaging 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.6% (190-368) from the field, 45.8% (98-214) from three-point range, and 87.7% (107-122) from the free throw line. The three-time GNAC Player of the Week selection led the conference in scoring, points (585), three-pointers made, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage and was second in rebounding, defensive rebounds (170) and third in total rebounds (206).
Simonds, who became the 38th member of the Monks' 1,000-Point Club earlier this season, is one of just two players in program history to register at least 500 points, 200 rebounds and 70 assists in a single season. SJC Hall of Famer John Wassenbergh '96, who reached these lofty totals his senior year, is the only other to accomplish the feat.
Simonds closed out his career as the Monks' all-time leader in free-throw percentage (.871, 210-241) and is currently ranked third in three-pointers made (229) and three-point percentage (.416). He scored 1,243 points with 449 rebounds, 222 assists and 37 steals over four NCAA seasons.
Blodgett closed out his collegiate career with his finest season, averaging 11.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest while shooting 44.5% (116-255) from the field. A four-year contributor, the 6'4" forward was one of three players to start in all 27 of the Monks' contests this winter and scored 10 or more points in 15 different games during his senior campaign.
Blodgett, who netted a career-high 25 points in a loss to eventual GNAC Champion Albertus Magnus College on January 10th, established career-highs in scoring, points (297), field goals made (116) and free throws made (45) this season. He finished his NCAA career having scored 748 points with 293 rebounds and 102 assists while shooting 46.2% (283-612) from the field and 74.8% (110-147) from the FT line over 103 games.
Saint Joseph's College, led by 12th-year Head Coach Rob Sanicola '99, completed the 2014-15 season with a 13-14 overall record and a 10-8 mark in GNAC play. As the #4 seed in the conference tourney, the Monks defeated #5 Lasell College, 84-77 in overtime, in a GNAC Quarterfinal on February 24th to advance to the semifinal round for the seventh time in eight seasons as a member of the conference. The campaign came to a close with a semifinal loss at top-seeded Albertus Magnus, a team that proceeded to win its fourth-consecutive GNAC Championship, on February 26th.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
