By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State University men’s basketball forward Dimitri St. Louis of Brockton is doing a little bit of everything in his final season.
The former Enterprise All-Scholastic while at Cardinal Spellman High is averaging 17.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals while starting all 18 games for the Bears.
He was selected the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference player of the week for the second time this season after helping BSU win a pair of games last week.
St. Louis had a career-high 28 points to go with 14 rebounds and three steals in a victory over Fitchburg State, then had 17 points, 14 rebounds and four steals against Framingham State.
St. Louis is tied for fifth nationally in Division 3 with 12 double-doubles and is 10th in the country with 4.2 offensive rebounds.
“He’s had a very solid year for us,” said coach Joe Farroba, whose team is 6-12 and 3-3 in the MASCAC. “He’s been outstanding. He’s really improved from a year ago. I think he’s much more focused. He’s been playing very well.”
St. Louis began his collegiate career at Johnson & Wales where he appeared in just eight games, scoring five points in 20 minutes.
He transferred to BSU and started 20 games for a team that won the MASCAC tournament and reached the NCAA Division 3 tourney, averaging 9 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Last season, St. Louis scored 9.4 points with three rebounds as the Bears struggled, but he is finishing his career in style.
“We talked at the end of the season. We talked about what he needs to do in order to get better,” said Farroba. “The focus more than anything has been the biggest thing. Last year, he would lose focus. That really hurt him.
“The expectations were high. He became the third wheel with (Ryan) Carney (of Easton) and (Rayshon) Ward. He really infused himself into that. As they go, so goes us.”
In addition to his increased scoring, St. Louis, a forward, is called on to defend top scorers. He has also gone from three rebounds per game to 10 this season.
“He’s become a key defender for us,” said Farroba. “That’s been a big thing for us. His consistency rebounding the basketball is also big. His rebounding has been outstanding.
“He’s a double-double guy and sometimes he draws the ot her team’s best offensive player. He’s got some extraordinary length. He’s just been outstanding and he’s playing a lot of minutes.”
The Bears begin the second half of the MASCAC season Saturday afternoon with a trip to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
Honor for Felder: Stonehill College running back Justin Felder, who had a sensational sophomore season, has earned another Division 2 All-America honor.
Felder was named this week to the Don Hansen All-America second team, named in honor of the man who published the Don Hansen National Weekly Football Gazette.
Felder also made the American Football Coaches Association All-America second team. He received honorable mention from D2football.com.
Felder, the New England Football Writers College Division Gold Helmet Award winner as the top Divisions 2-3 player in New England, was the Northeast-10 Conference’s most valuable player.
He set Stonehill records with 236 rushing attempts, 1,513 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 18 total TDs, 108 points and 1,611 all-purpose yards.
BSU Wrestlers First: At the recent Wildcat Open hosted by Johnson & Wales, two Bridgewater State wrestlers won their respective weight classes.
Henry Oberlander, a senior, and Edwin Morales, a sophomore, went 3-0 in the 197 and 184-pound classes.
Oberlander is 18-7 with four pins while Morales improved to 20-2 with six pins.
The Bears go against Williams College and Plymouth State University on Saturday at home.