Laput Repeats as D2CCCA East Region Player of the Year
WALTHAM, Mass. – For the second consecutive year, Bentley University senior guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) has been selected as the 2023-24 NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner's Association East Region Player of the Year by the region's sports information directors.
Laput, who was previously a repeat honoree as the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, headed the five-player All-East first team, which also included Matt Becht (Southern New Hampshire), Justice Ellison (American International), James Patterson (Saint Thomas Aquinas) and Erik Timko (Jefferson).
Laput finished with exactly 600 points while averaging 20 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He was the first Bentley player to ever post a 20-7-4 season and was the only player in the East Region to achieve all of those marks this season. He established career bests for three-pointers, free throw percentage, rebounds, assists and steals.
The number two scorer in the conference, Laput had 18 20-point games this season with a career-best 35 points Jan. 13 against Franklin Pierce. He also provided the Falcons with six double-doubles.
A starter in 84 consecutive games, Laput climbed to tenth on Bentley's all-time scoring list while finishing the season with 1,655 points. He's one of only two players in program history with at least 1600 points, 600 rebounds and 250 assists, an elite group with the only other member being 2010 NABC Division II Player of the Year Jason Westrol.
Laput, who was named to the Bevo Francis Top 50 and the Trevor Hudgins Top 15 watch lists, helped Bentley earn the number two seed in the Northeast-10 Championships and post a 19-11 record.