Green named NEC Rookie of the Year; Grant, Lin earn honors

SOMERSET, N.J. – Bryant University men's basketball freshman Michael Green III (Bronx, N.Y.) earned the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year award, highlighting a group of three Bulldogs to earn All-NEC honors for the 2019-20 season, as announced Tuesday by the conference office.

Green, the 5-11 point guard from the Bronx, erupted offensively in the month of February to help Bryant earn a spot in Wednesday's NEC quarterfinals. He is joined on the NEC All-Rookie Team by Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan). Senior Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) collected All-NEC honors for the third-straight year, collecting second-team honors for the first time in his career.

Green has averaged 9.2 points per game in 2019-20 but rose to the occasion in the final month of the regular season, scoring 11.7 points per game while adding 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while starting in nine of 10 games. The freshman's February effort included a 22-point performance in a nationally televised game at Sacred Heart before pouring in 23 eight days later to help Bryant to a comeback win at St. Francis Brooklyn. Green is the second NEC Rookie of the Year in program history, joining Marcel Pettway in 2016.

Lin has tallied 8.7 points per game so far on the year and scored in double figures 13 times, helping Bryant to a 10-3 record in those contests. The freshman guard has hit four threes in a game five times on the year, including wins over Cornell, Navy and St. Francis Brooklyn. Lin shot 80.4% from the free throw line on the year and 88.9% in NEC play.

Grant etched his name throughout the program record book in his senior campaign, setting Bryant's Division I single-season and career records for made three-pointers, the Bulldogs' all-time lead in minutes played, and rising to second on the program's D1 scoring list. Grant, who is averaging 16.4 points per game on the year, has made 99 three-pointers and scored in double figures in 23 of 31 games. He is the first three-time all-conference honoree in Division I program history.

Bryant returns to action Wednesday in Loretto, Pennsylvania, with an NEC Quarterfinal at Saint Francis U. The 7 p.m. game can be seen on NEC Front Row.

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