The East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year was an award given to the East Coast Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1974–75 season and was discontinued after the league folded following the 1993–94 season. In 1994 the East Coast Conference was absorbed into the Mid-Continent Conference, now known as the Summit League.
 | |
| Awarded for | the most outstanding basketball player in the East Coast Conference |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| History | |
| First award | 1975 |
| Final award | 1994 |
There were two ties in the award's history, 1982 and 1987. In its first year, the ECC named players of the year for each division — with Wilbur Thomas of American named the East Player of the Year and Henry Horne of Lafayette winning the West award.
One player, Michael Brooks of La Salle, won the award three times (1978–1980) and was also named the national player of the year in 1980. Two others, Michael Anderson of Drexel and Kurk Lee of Towson, won the award twice.
Key
| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national player of the year award: Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1904–05 to 1978–79) UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1954–55 to 1995–96) Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present) John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present) |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the ECC Player of the Year award at that point |
Winners
| Season | Player | School | Position | Class | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–75† | Henry Horne | Lafayette | PF / C | Senior | [1] |
| Wilbur Thomas | American | PF / SF | Senior | [1] | |
| 1975–76 | Todd Tripucka | Lafayette | SG | Senior | [2] |
| 1976–77 | Rich Laurel | Hofstra | SF | Senior | [3] |
| 1977–78 | Michael Brooks | La Salle | SF | Sophomore | [4] |
| 1978–79 | Michael Brooks (2) | La Salle | SF | Junior | [4] |
| 1979–80 | Michael Brooks* (3) | La Salle | SF | Senior | [4] |
| 1980–81 | Len Hatzenbeller | Drexel | C | Senior | [5] |
| 1981–82† | Granger Hall | Temple | C | Sophomore | [6] |
| Mark Nickens | American | SG | Junior | [6] | |
| 1982–83 | David Taylor | Hofstra | PF | Senior | [7] |
| 1983–84 | Richard Congo | Drexel | PF | Senior | [8] |
| 1984–85 | Jaye Andrews | Bucknell | SG / SF | Senior | [9] |
| 1985–86 | Michael Anderson | Drexel | PG | Sophomore | [10] |
| 1986–87† | Daren Queenan | Lehigh | SF | Junior | [11] |
| Ron Simpson | Rider | SF | Junior | [11] | |
| 1987–88 | Michael Anderson (2) | Drexel | PG | Senior | [12] |
| 1988–89 | Kurk Lee | Towson | SG | Junior | [13] |
| 1989–90 | Kurk Lee (2) | Towson | SG | Senior | [13] |
| 1990–91 | Devin Boyd | Towson | PG | Junior | [14] |
| 1991–92 | Terrance Jacobs | Towson | PG / SG | Senior | [15] |
| 1992–93 | East Coast Conference temporarily disbanded[16] | ||||
| 1993–94 | Reggie Smith | Northeastern Illinois | SG / SF | Senior | [17] |
Winners by school
| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Drexel (1958) | 4 | 1981, 1984, 1986, 1988 |
| Towson (1982) | 4 | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 |
| La Salle (1958) | 3 | 1978, 1979, 1980 |
| American (1965) | 2 | 1975†, 1982† |
| Hofstra (1965) | 2 | 1977, 1983 |
| Lafayette (1958) | 2 | 1975†, 1976 |
| Bucknell (1958) | 1 | 1985 |
| Lehigh (1958) | 1 | 1987† |
| Northeastern Illinois (1993) | 1 | 1994 |
| Rider (1966) | 1 | 1987† |
| Temple (1958) | 1 | 1982† |
| Brooklyn (1991)[a] | 0 | — |
| Buffalo (1991)[a] | 0 | — |
| Central Connecticut (1990)[a] | 0 | — |
| Chicago State (1993)[a] | 0 | — |
| Delaware (1958)[b] | 0 | — |
| Saint Joseph's (1958)[b] | 0 | — |
| Troy (1993)[a] | 0 | — |
| UMBC (1990)[a] | 0 | — |
| West Chester (1969)[b] | 0 | — |
- [a] These schools were not charter members of the ECC and instead joined later. Brooklyn and UMBC left in 1992,[18] while Buffalo, Central Connecticut, Chicago State, and Troy left in 1994 once the ECC permanently disbanded.[19]
- [b] Delaware, Saint Joseph's, and West Chester were original members of the newly chartered ECC in 1974, having split off with the rest of the schools from the Middle Atlantic Conferences. Saint Joseph's and West Chester left in 1982, while Delaware left in 1991.[20]