Andrew Fleming won’t be in uniform when the University of Maine opens the America East men’s basketball tournament at Vermont on Saturday night.
A concussion and broken left wrist that resulting from a flagrant foul committed against him during a Feb. 23 loss at Stony Brook ended his junior season prematurely.
But conference coaches acknowledged the leadership role — both statistical and otherwise — Fleming has played for the rebuilding Black Bears this winter by naming the Norway, Maine, native to the All-America East second team.
The conference awards were announced Friday morning.
Fleming was one of two UMaine players recognized as senior forward Ilija Stojiljkovic was named to the All-Academic Team.
Fleming, an All-Rookie pick as a freshman in 2017, is the first UMaine player to earn second-team all-conference honors since Justin Edwards and Alasdair Fraser in 2013 season.
The 6-foot-7 forward led UMaine in scoring (13.8 points per game), rebounds (7.0 rpg) and assists (3.1 apg) while playing in 28 games. He also ranked among the top 10 in America East in rebounds (sixth), assists (seventh), minutes played (second, 36.5 per game), field-goal percentage (.478), blocked shots (0.8), steals (1.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1).
“It’s very deserving,” UMaine coach Richard Barron said. “He certainly established himself as one of the better players in the league.
“He obviously led our team in many statistical categories, and that shows how engaged he was in our offense, how coachable he was in terms of learning what it was we were trying to teach.”
Fleming was named America East Player of the Week on Feb. 4 after erupting for 38 points on 18-of-20 shooting from the field to go with eight rebounds and four steals during a 78-59 victory at UMass Lowell.
In that game the former Oxford Hills of South Paris standout became the first NCAA Division I men’s basketball player in at least 20 seasons to shoot 90 percent from the field in a game with at least 20 field-goal attempts. He also tied an America East record with 18 field goals in a game and his 38 points were the most by a Black Bear since Errick Greene scored 45 during an overtime loss to Norfolk State on Dec. 11, 2001.
Fleming will begin his senior season next fall with 988 career points. He already has exceeded 500 career rebounds.
Stojiljkovic helped the UMaine men’s basketball team to its best academic semester since at least 1988 with a team-best 3.75 grade point average as a management major with a concentration in information systems.
The 6-foot-7-inch senior forward from Serbia is an athletic academic tutor and a member of the student-athlete advisory committee along with being a member of Male Athletes against Violence. Stojiljkovic recently was named the 2019 Outstanding International Undergraduate Student for the UMaine Business School.
Vermont junior forward Anthony Lamb was the unanimous choice as AE Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring (20.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg). Catamounts eighth-year head coach John Becker was named the Coach of the Year for the third straight season.
Sophomore center Jeff Otchere of Stony Brook was named Defensive Player of the Year, while freshman guard Sam Sessoms of Binghamton is the Rookie of the Year and sophomore guard-forward Andrew Garcia of Stony Brook was selected as the Sixth Man.
