It’s hard to know exactly how to handle coverage of this season’s CAA Basketball Awards.

Yes, the ceremony was more than a week ago, but we didn’t want these accomplishments to get lost in the tournament madness.

I guess we’ll start with the award winners, and offer a little commentary below.

2012-2013 CAA Men’s Basketball Award Winners

2013 CAA Player of the Year – Jerrelle Benimon, Towson
2013 CAA Coach of the Year – Pat Skerry, Towson
2013 CAA Rookie of the Year – RJ Hunter, Georgia State
2013 CAA Defensive Player of the Year – Jamelle Hagins, Delaware
2013 Dean Ehlers Leadership Award – Jonathan Lee, Northeastern

First Team All-CAA

Jerrelle Benimon, Towson
RJ Hunter, Georgia State
Keith Rendleman, UNCW
Devon Saddler, Delaware
Joel Smith, Northeastern

Second Team All-CAA

Jamelle Hagins, Delaware
Damion Lee, Drexel
Frantz Massenat, Drexel
Marcus Thornton, William & Mary
Sherrod Wright, George Mason

Third Team All-CAA

Quincy Ford, Northeastern
Rayshawn Goins, James Madison
Jonathan Lee, Northeastern
Devon Moore, James Madison
Tim Rusthoven, William & Mary
Jarvis Threatt, Delaware

All-Rookie Team

Jerome Hairston, Towson
RJ Hunter, Georgia State
Andre Nation, James Madison
Keenan Palmore, Old Dominion
David Walker, Northeastern

All-Defensive Team

Jerrelle Benimon, Towson
Jamelle Hagins, Delaware
Stevie Mejia, Hofstra
Keith Rendleman, UNCW
James Vincent, Georgia State

All-Tournament Team

Bryon Allen, George Mason
Rayshawn Goins, James Madison
Jamelle Hagins, Delaware
Jonathan Lee, Northeastern
Devon Moore, James Madison

Most Oustanding Player – AJ Davis, James Madison

Check out the CAA website for better analysis/statistical evidence than we could ever provide.

A few key hits:

- Benimon is Towson’s first CAA Player of the Year in school history. Benimon and Rendleman currently rank second in the country with 20 double-doubles, and the one guy above them (Bucknell’s Mika Muscala) has played more games than both of the CAA players.

Benimon shot 40.8% from three, but attempted just 49 treys. It’s wild to think how good he was, and how much better he can become.

- As mentioned, Rendleman is currently second in the country with 20 double-doubles. Rendleman reached double figures in the final 20 games of his collegiate career, and had a double-double in his final nine. He also made the All-Defensive team. He didn’t play on the best team, but Rendleman’s senior year was truly remarkable.

- It’s worth mentioning that RJ Hunter stepped it up in conference play. In the 18 conference games, Hunter averaged 18.1 points on 44.8% shooting, including 2.6 trifectas per game (37.4% from three).

Hunter also seemed to play his best games on the road in big situations. RJ obliterated any notion of a “freshman wall”.

Hunter was also the first Rookie of the Year to be a member of the First Team All-CAA team since Brett Blizzard in 1999-2000 – elite company.

Back in the day, UNCW fans used to throw tiny pieces of paper in the air when Blizzard drilled one of his many (many, many…many) 3-pointers. I wonder what new traditions Panther fans will establish for the Hunters?

Hunterville is a great start. Have people started wearing camouflage to the games in Atlanta? Hunterville, let us know what’s up!

It’s tough that Bill Coen and Northeastern’s phenomenal season had to coincide with Pat Skerry and Towson’s historically epic turnaround. When your team improves by 17 wins and finishes tied for second place after a 1-31 season, you’re a virtual lock for Coach of the Year.

- It’s just great to see Jon Lee pick up the Dean Ehlers Award. Lee would’ve been a candidate to receive more All-CAA votes if he hadn’t missed the first nine games of the season. I think Lee’s “put your head down and drive” quote might’ve been my favorite from tournament weekend.

- Last year, the CAA retained only five of the Top 16 players in the league (by virtue of the All-CAA teams).Next year, we should retain more than half of those guys (nine).

- For those players looking to earn all conference achievements, there will be plenty of openings of an All-Defensive Team that graduates four seniors. Jerrelle Benimon will be the only returning player from that fivesome.

I’ve always thought Sherrod Wright was a tough defender. Jarvis Threatt and Mike Burwell will draw some tough assignments on the wing next year, so they’re both likely candidates.

It’s interesting (and possibly short-sighted) but there are a couple of freshmen we think could make the jump  here. In their first years, Nation and Walker showed that they have what it takes to become great defenders, as did Hofstra’s Jordan Allen.

As far as newcomers go, we should keep an eye on College of Charleston’s Adjehi Baru.

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Selection Sunday – our chance to find out who gets to keep playing with James Madison and Northeastern. Check back Monday night/Tuesday morning for our thoughts on this.