Laput Tabbed for Trevor Hudgins Award Top 15 List
WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University senior guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) is one of six Division II players nationally who has been named to the 2024 Trevor Hudgins Award Top 15 Watch List by Small College Basketball.
The award will be given for the first time following this season to the senior who had the finest overall career by Small College Basketball. Criteria for the Trevor Hudgins Award include overall career statistics and achievements, team achievements, awards and personal character. The honoree must have played his entire career at the Division II, Division III or NAIA levels.
In addition to the six from Division II, the Top 15 Watch List includes six from Division III institutions and three who play in the NAIA.
Laput, who has climbed to 11th on Bentley's all-time scoring list with 1,617 career points, is averaging 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals for the Falcons, who will take a 19-10 record and the number three seed into Sunday's Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinals. In the conference, he ranks second in scoring, third in free throw percentage, fifth in assists, seventh in total steals and eighth in rebounds.
Laput, who has 17 20-point games and six double-doubles this season, has the 11th best career scoring players among active Division II players (18.3) and is just the second player in Bentley history with at least 1600 points, 600 rebounds and 250 assists (2010 NABC Player of the Year Jason Westrol).
Laput was previously named to the Top 50 Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award, which is also presented by Small College Basketball. Last year, his accolades included NABC Division II All-America, D2CCA All-America, D2CCA East Region Player of the Year and Northeast-10 Player of the Year.
The other Division II players on the Watch List are Drew Blair (Minnesota-Duluth), Isaac Fink (Augustana, S.D.), Jake Hilmer (Upper Iowa), KJ Jones (Emmanuel, Ga.) and Ethan Porterfield (Indiana, Pa.).
On Sunday, Bentley will host the winner of tonight's Southern Connecticut-American International game at 3:30 pm.