Coppola joins elite company as just third four-year all-conference player

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Wheaton College men's basketball senior co-captain Anthony Coppola (Watertown, Mass./Watertown) joined elite company after becoming just the third four-year New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) all-league player, as he was selected to the second team during Tuesday's coaches meeting at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Coppola joined Clark University's Dave McNamara '04 and Mark Alexander '10 as the lone four-time all-conference picks in the NEWMAC's 13-year history.  His honor also marked the 13th straight year in which at least one Lyon was named to an all-league team.

Turning in one of the best all-around seasons in program history, Coppola's 113 free throws made ranked seventh in school annals while his 50 steals tied for seventh, his 58 threes made ranked eighth and his 483 points tied for 10th.

Coppola averaged career-bests 20.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 36.3 percent beyond the three-point stripe and 80.7 percent from the free throw line.  In league games, he averaged 21.5 markers, 3.4 boards and 2.3 steals.

Leading the NEWMAC in scoring by a 2.5 point-per-game average, Coppola ranks second in the conference in three-pointers made, third in steals per game, fourth in free throw percentage, sixth in three-point field goal percentage and 10th in field goal percentage. 

In NEWMAC games, Coppola held a 4.7 point-per-game edge on the second-leading scorer and ranked third in steals per game and threes made (30).  Pacing the team in scoring 18 times while sharing the lead in another game, Coppola hit doubles figures in all but two contests while scoring at least 20 points 15 times.

During his second-to-last game in a Wheaton uniform, Coppola broke an 18-year-old school record when he scored 41 points against eventual NEWMAC Tournament champion MIT.  He will leave Wheaton ranked second in program history in career scoring (1,863) and threes (233), third in field goals (632), three-point field goal percentage (.395), free throws (366) and free throw percentage (.779), sixth in steals (142) and eighth in field goal percentage (.471).

The Lyons finished the season with an 8-16 overall record and a 3-9 conference mark.