EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University senior forward Rasheed Moore has been named the Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Organization's Pete Nevins Player of the Year for the second straight year, it was announced Tuesday at a media luncheon in Center Valley.

Moore (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Meyers) gives ESU the men's Player of the Year recipient for the fifth straight year, following Whis Grant (2013) and Matt Tobin (2014-15). They join Rich Baker (2004) as ESU players to be selected as Player of the Year.

Senior forward Allison Howard (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) was ESU's selection for the women's player of the year award. The women's Pete Nevins Player of the Year was Moravian senior forward Camille McPherson.

The Player of the Year award was renamed in 2007 in honor of Pete Nevins, ESU's sports information director from 1969-2002 and the founder of the small college basketball organization.

There were 11 players selected on the organization's "Team of the Year", which recognizes a men's and women's player from each of the five area schools, plus the Cedar Crest women's program.

Joining Moore on the men's team were Kutztown's Josh Johnson, Muhlenberg's Brandon Larose, Moravian's Brandon McGuire and DeSales' Kuity Slanger.

Howard and McPherson were joined on the women's team by last year's recipient, Muhlenberg's Brandi Vallely, along with Kutztown's Kelsey Watson, DeSales' Morgan McCollian and Cedar Crest's Geminii Cabrera.

Moore is averaging 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 49.0 percent from the three-point line and 78.5 percent at the foul line for ESU (16-7, 14-4 PSAC),which is guaranteed at least the No. 3 seed in the PSAC East.  He has seven 20-point games and three double-doubles this season while ranking seventh in the PSAC in scoring.

He is fifth at ESU in both career points (1,539) and rebounds (721), ninth in blocks (86) and second in both free throws made (419) and attempted (589) while shooting a career-best mark from the line this year.

Moore can become ESU's first-ever four-time All-PSAC East selection next month. He was a first team selection last year and was named to the second team as a freshman and sophomore, along with earning PSAC East Freshman of the Year recognition on the Warriors' PSAC championship and NCAA DII Atlantic Regional runner-up team which finished in 2013-14.

ESU has a record of 86-26 in Moore's four seasons, with Moore scoring 10+ points in 89 of his 110 career contests. He has 15 career 20-point games and 14 career double-doubles, both third-most by an ESU player in the last 15 years under head coach Jeff Wilson.

Howard, ESU's repeat selection for player of the year, is the top scorer (14.4 ppg) and rebounder (7.2 rpg) for a Warriors squad that has matched last year's win total with four games remaining in the regular season. ESU (15-7, 11-7 PSAC) is in the midst of a six-game winning streak, its longest since the 2006-07, entering Wednesday night's game at Kutztown. The Warriors are second in the PSAC East entering the final two weeks, two games clear of third-place West Chester following a 74-61 road win on Saturday.

Howard has scored 15+ points in nine of her 18 games this season, and is shooting 50.0 percent (16-for-32) from the field in the past four contests after missing the previous four games due to injury. She is currently 10th in the PSAC in scoring, 14th in rebounding and 13th in blocks per game (1.1).

Howard ranks ninth in ESU history in both points (1,208) and rebounds (644). She has 16 career double-doubles and 12 career 20-point games.

A first team All-PSAC East selection in 2015-16, Howard was also named to the preseason All-PSAC East team prior to this season. She has started 91 of the 96 games in which she has appeared for the Warriors.


Previous Lehigh Valley Player of the Year recipients

Men
1997-98 - Brett Eppehimer (Lehigh)
1998-99 - Brian Ehlers (Lafayette)
1999-00 - Mark Watermasysk (DeSales)
2000-01 - Mark Lesko (Muhlenberg)
2001-02 - Mark Lesko (Muhlenberg)
2002-03 - Brandon Zaleski (Moravian)
2003-04 - Rich Baker (East Stroudsburg)
2004-05 - Jeff Stewart (Muhlenberg)
2005-06 - Bruce Hall (Kutztown)
2006-07 - Dave Ben (Kutztown)
2007-08 - Dave Ben (Kutztown)
2008-09 - Dave Ben (Kutztown)
2009-10 - Stephen Dennis (Kutztown)
2010-11 - Brian Hunter (DeSales)
2011-12 - Spencer Liddic (Muhlenberg)
2012-13 - Whis Grant (East Stroudsburg)
2013-14 - Matt Tobin (East Stroudsburg)
2014-15 - Matt Tobin (East Stroudsburg)
2015-16 - Rasheed Moore (East Stroudsburg)
2016-17 - Rasheed Moore (East Stroudsburg)
 
Women
1997-98 - Amy Wahl (Kutztown)
1998-99 - Amy Wahl (Kutztown)
1999-00 - Kate Corcoran (DeSales)
2000-01 - Alisa DiBonaventura (Delaware Valley)
2001-02 - Susan Marchiano (Muhlenberg)
2002-03 - Teri Antolick (DeSales)
2003-04 - Alyssa Antolick (DeSales)
2004-05 - Alyssa Antolick (DeSales)
2005-06 - Kelly Applegate (Moravian)
2006-07 - Alyssa Antolick (East Stroudsburg)
2007-08 - LeighAnn Burke (DeSales)
2008-09 - LeighAnn Burke (DeSales)
2009-10 - Kelly McKeon (Muhlenberg) and Kate Harrison (Moravian)
2010-11 - Melissa McQuade (Kutztown)
2011-12 - Alexandra Chili (Muhlenberg)
2012-13 - Alexis Wright (Moravian)
2013-14 - Sondrine Glovas (DeSales)
2014-15 - Leanna Tallamy (Muhlenberg)
2015-16 - Brandi Vallely (Muhlenberg)
2016-17 - Camille McPherson (Moravian)