University of Massachusetts Boston men’s basketball players Alberto Paniagua (Dorchester, MA) and Tony Barros (Dorchester, MA) both received Little East Conference post-season honors. Paniagua was selected as the LEC’s Rookie of the Year, while Barros was named to the conference’s Second Team.
Paniagua was, week in and week out, one of the most consistent players in the Little East, posting double-digits in scoring in all but two of the Beacons’ 26 games this season, including the first 18 contests to begin his career. The forward averaged 15.1 points per game as UMass Boston’s second-leading scorer and ranked ninth in the LEC in that department, while leading the Beacons with 7.0 rebounds per outing, which was good enough to rank seventh in the conference.
Paniagua was one of UMB’s most well-rounded players, ranking among the league’s best in assists (15th), steals (fourth), field goal percentage (ninth) and blocked shots (11th). The freshman’s 2.35 assists was the third-highest mark on the squad, while his .481 (164-341) field goal rate, his 1.9 steals per effort and 20 blocks all ranked second for the Beacons. The Dorchester High School product was named the Little East Rookie of the Week a league-high four times throughout the season. He netted 20 or more points on five occasions and posted four double-doubles on the campaign and was the anchor of UMB’s undersized frontcourt, pulling down five or more rebounds 20 times.
The 6’2″ post-player had, perhaps, his best game of the season when he poured in 26 points and grabbed nine boards to go with three assists, three steals and a pair of blocks in just 24 minutes of action to lead UMass Boston in its 106-103 overtime victory at Plymouth State University on February 12.
Barros earns Second Team honors after leading the Beacons with 17.7 points per game, which also made him the fifth-leading scorer in the conference. The shooting guard was deadly from three-point range all season, averaging a torrid 3.54 trifectas per contest to lead the LEC and rank 17th in the nation. The sophomore shattered the UMass Boston single-season record with 92 treys, supplanting the former mark of 72 set by Stan Pittman during the 1987-88 season. His 40% (92-230) success rate was the seventh-best in the league and was good for second-best on the team.
Barros wasn’t just a weapon from three-point territory, but was also a force on the defensive end of the court, coming up with 2.2 steals per game to lead the conference and rejecting 0.81 shots per game to place 10th among LEC shot blockers. The graduate of Saint Sebastian’s High School knocked down at least one three-pointer in all but one of the 26 games that he played and drained two or more threes in all but two games on the season, including a career-high seven threes at University of Southern Maine on January 18. Barros showed the ability to score at will and quickly, no matter, who the opponent was, beginning the season by averaging 27.5 points vs. a pair of Division II teams, including a career-best 32 points vs. nationally ranked Saint Anselm College on November 20. The 6’4″ guard was named the Little East Conference Player of the Week for the week of February 7-13. He netted 20 or more points 11 times this year and also registered a pair of double-doubles, including a career-high 12 boards to go with 11 points vs. Rhode Island College on February 5.
For his career, Barros has already scored 711 points in just two seasons and is not only the school’s single-season record holder for three-pointers made, but also the career leader with 147 threes, surpassing Harry Wilson’s standard of 134 set from 1986-90. The sharpshooter has canned at least one three-pointer in all but two of his 45 career games and has made multiple treys in 41 contests, while shooting .389 (147-378) from international waters. He is averaging 15.8 points per outing for his career, to go with 4.5 rebounds, 63 assists, 77 steals and 37 blocks.The Beacons finished their season with an 8-18 overall mark, including a 5-9 record in the LEC to finish sixth in the standings. UMass Boston lost to the Plymouth State, 112-94, in the first round of the Little East post-season tournament.
