ORANGE, Calif. – Chapman University men's basketball senior forward Justin Riley and head coach Mike Bokosky earned top honors this week as the 2011 Association of Division III Independents Player and Coach of the Year. Senior G Griffin Ramme, senior F Jon Consani and junior F Ben Ricard were also named to the All-Independent team.

This is the second-consecutive year Riley has earned Player of the Year honors and he was also named to the All-Independent first team. This season he averaged 15.9 points and seven rebounds per game and shot 58 percent from the floor. The San Dimas, Calif., native led the Panthers in scoring, blocks, and rebounds. Riley also earned Capital One Academic All-District Honors this season with a 3.57 grade-point average studying broadcast journalism.

Bokosky won Coach of the Year for the third year in a row after leading the Panthers to a 25-4 record and back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since 1983-84. The Panthers have had 18-consecutive winning seasons under Bokosky, who has won more games than any other Chapman men's basketball coach. With 25 wins this season, the Panthers matched the 1935-35 team for the most wins in school history. A few of the Panthers wins in 1935-36…the Beverly Hills All-Stars, Clifton Cafeteria, La Cerne Creamery and the Surveyor's Red Devils.

Joining Riley on the All-Independent first team is Ramme, who averaged 15.7 points with 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game, ranking No. 23 in Division III. Both Consani and Ricard were named honorable mention. Ricard was second on the team averaging 5.8 rebounds and third in scoring at 8.4 points while Consani averaged 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds.

The Panthers were undefeated at home this season, and beat Redlands 62-38 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships March 3. Chapman ranked No. 12 in Division III before falling to No. 1 Whitworth University 77-63 in the second round March 5.

The Association of Division III Independents consists of 13 Division III independent institutions that have joined together to recognize student-athletes at independent institutions, and to provide exempted postseason championship competition in 2010-11.  The Association recognizes outstanding athletic achievements of its student-athletes on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. 

by Stephanie Leavell 
Sports Information Intern