Grasso earns NEC Coach of the Year; Kiss, Pride All-NEC

SOMERSET, N.J.- Bryant University men's basketball senior Peter Kiss and junior Charles Pride have been named to the All-Northeast Conference First Team, while head coach Jared Grasso has been named the conference's Jim Phelan Coach of the Year. 

Kiss and Pride become the first Bulldogs to earn All-NEC First Team honors in the same season in DI program history. Kiss is a member of the first team for the second-straight year, while Pride earns his first All-NEC recognition. 

Grasso was named Bryant's second NEC Coach of the Year after Tim O'Shea in 2012-13. He has led the Bulldogs to a Division I program record-tying 19 wins and an 11-1 home record. Bryant went 16-2 in NEC play, good for their first-ever regular-season conference title at any level. 

Kiss ends the regular season as the nation's leading scorer at 25.1 points per game. He has scored at least 30 points in a game nine times, including a stretch of six straight from January 30 to February 24. He is also the NEC leader in free throws made and free throws attempted per game. His 79% clip from the line is fifth-best in the conference. Kiss has been named both NEC Player of the Week and Lou Henson National Player of the Week during the season. This is his second straight NEC First Team selection.

Pride is the NEC's leading rebounder at 8.3 rebounds per game, and has recorded eight double-doubles this season. He is fourth in the conference at 17.8 points per game, combining with Kiss as the highest-scoring duo in the country. Pride scored a Bryant DI record 44 at Saint Francis U on February 3, part of a three-game stretch that saw him average 36.6 points and earned NEC Player of the Week and Lou Henson National Player of the Week honors.