EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., March 24 (UPI) -- Jameer Nelson, who led St. Joseph's University of Philadelphia to a perfect regular season, won the James Naismith award as the men's player of the year.
The Naismith men's player of the year award will be presented in Atlanta, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday. Nelson is the first player in St. Joe's history to win the Naismith.
Nelson, who is from Chester High School, recently became the Hawks' all-time leading scorer with 2,029 points. He is also the school's career leader in assists.
Nelson is averaging 20.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds a game.
The Player of the Year in the Atlantic Ten Conference, Nelson is a leading candidate for the prestigious John Wooden Award as the nation's top player.
St. Joe's (29-1) will face Wake Forest (21-9) in an NCAA East Rutherford Region semifinal Thursday night at Continental Airlines Arena.
