AMHERST JUNIOR AARON TOOMEY EARNS 2013 NABC DIVISION III PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS

ATLANTA, Ga. (April 1, 2013) – Amherst College junior Aaron Toomey,, who will lead the Lord Jeffs in the 2013 NCAA® Division III Men’s Basketball Championship game on Sunday, has been selected as the 2013 NABC Division III Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

Toomey, one of only two juniors on the NABC Coaches’ Division III All-America first team this season, will receive his award at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show on Sunday, April 7, at 6 p.m. (EDT) in the Sydney Marcus Auditorium at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga.

Earlier that day, Toomey and Amherst meet Mary Hardin-Baylor University for the NCAA Division III championship at 12:30 p.m. at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

A 6-1 guard from Greensboro, N.C., Toomey averaged 17.4 points and 4.7 rebounds with 153 assists, 43 steals and five blocks through 31 games this season. The junior has connected on 130-145 free throws for 90 percent while helping Amherst to a 29-2 won-lost record.

The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) player of the year, Toomey has been outstanding in the 2013 NCAA tournament, recording back-to-back 25-point games in second and third round victories.

He is already the ninth-leading scorer in program history with 1,400 points and last season set Amherst records for most free throws made with 182 and a 91 percent free throw shooting percentage. This season he twice tied his career high in scoring with 34 points against Colby and at Rhode island College.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, MO, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.org.