AMHERST, Mass. – Adding to his growing list of postseason accolades, Aaron Toomey ’14 was recently named the D3hoops.com National Player of the Year.
Garnering first-team honors alongside Williams’ Michael Mayer ’14, Toomey was just one of 25 players nationwide to nab a spot on one the five D3hoops.com All-America squads. One of just three NESCAC representatives, the Ephs’ Duncan Robinson ’17 garnered fourth team recognition in addition to being tabbed the Rookie of the Year.
Putting forth a stellar senior season, Toomey ranked amongst the league’s leaders in several categories. Topping the conference charts in assists (6.4), free throws made per game (6.0) and free throw percentage (.912) he was second in the NESCAC in steals (2.0) and three-pointers made per game (3.0). Finishing third in the league in scoring (19.9 ppg), he was also fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4).
Posting three double-doubles on the year, he had a triple double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists against Williams in the NESCAC championship game. The senior point guard also had 15 points and 12 boards against York (N.Y.) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, before tallying 15 points and 12 assists against Plattsburgh in the Sweet 16. Netting 31 points in the Elite 8, he had eight rebounds and four assists, while shooting 7-of-15 from the floor, 6-of-9 from three and 11-of-11 from the charity stripe with zero turnovers in 40 minutes.
Scoring in double digits in all but three games this season, he had at least 20 points on 15 occasions. Pouring in a career-high 37 points on 9-of-12 shooting against Westfield St. on Dec. 3, he tallied 36 points with six rebounds and four assists against Trinity in the NESCAC semifinals. The league’s Player of the Week on Jan. 13 he averaged 20.0 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in wins against ECSU, Hamilton and Williams. Seven days later, he averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists against Wesleyan, Tufts and Bates to repeat as the conference’s Player of the Week.
Becoming the first 2,000-point scorer in program history after scoring 31 against Morrisville St. in the national quarterfinals, he wrapped up his illustrious career with 2,033 points, 582 assists, 493 rebounds and 195 steals. Also owning the Jeffs’ career benchmarks for free throws (606) and triples (291) made, he shot 44.2 percent (568-of-1285) from the floor over his four years, 39.4 percent (291-of-736) from long distance and 89.8 percent (606-of-675) from the charity stripe. His 187 free throws and .912 free throw percentage in 2013-14 are both single-season program records, while his 94 treys were just two shy of matching Amherst’s single-season mark of 96 held by Jamal Wilson ’97.
No stranger to postseason honors, Toomey has already collected his second-consecutive NESCAC Player of the Year award, becoming just the second student-athlete in league history to accomplish the feat. A three-time first-team all-conference honoree, he is also a three-time NABC and D3hoops.com first-team all-region selection. Voted the NABC National Player of the Year in 2012-13, he picked up Northeast Player of the Year honors from the D3hoops.com and the NABC in each of the last two seasons.