WINTHROP, Mass. - Junior Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) has capped off a record-setting season with his second straight selection by the men's basketball coaches of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) as Second Team All-GNAC, and senior Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) has been named to the GNAC Men's Basketball All-Sportsmanship Team, as the postseason awards were announced by the league office Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Rau became the seventh player in Regis men's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark, doing so in just 71 career games, the fewest in program history. He also set the Regis single-season scoring record with 470 points and single-season rebounding record with 283 rebounds, plus he moved to the top of the career rebounding list with 676 career boards.
Starting all 27 games for the Pride, Rau averaged 17.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. He reached double figures in scoring 25 times, including a season-high 28 points at Oglethorpe Dec. 30, 2023, as he was named MVP of the Jack Berkshire Classic in Atlanta, Ga. Rau notched 17 double-doubles in 2023-24, second in the GNAC and tied for eighth in all of Division III.
"Russ was a complete player this year, elevating his game and getting it done on both ends of the court. We know Russ can score in a multitude of ways, but his playmaking ability makes him special and hard to guard. I know this will fuel him for next year as he is one of the hardest workers I've ever seen," head coach Nate Hager said.
Perez appeared in all 27 games for the Pride this season, totaling 52 points, 49 rebounds, and 33 assists as he averaged 11.1 minutes per game. He scored a season-high nine points against Saint Joseph's College Dec. 9, 2023, plus he earned four rebounds and four assists at Framingham State Nov. 21, 2023.
During the Jack Berkshire Classic, he helped guide Regis to consecutive victories, averaging 19.5 minutes per game and grabbing five rebounds in each victory over Belhaven and Oglethorpe. Even when he was not in the game, Perez was continually providing his teammates quick tips coming out of timeouts and guiding them to success.
"Josh led by example both on and off the floor. He was a leader in the locker room, hardwood and in the huddle. His energy, enthusiasm, and toughness made practices competitive, and his genuine love and respect for the game and his teammates elevated our level of play," continued Hager.
The Regis College men's basketball team finished the 2023-24 season with a 14-13 overall record, including an 8-6 mark within the conference. It is the program's third straight competition season with a record at .500 or better both overall and in GNAC play.