FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Fairfield University Men's Basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley and sophomore Derek Needham (Dolton, Ill) earned recognition from the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). Cooley was named the District I Coach of the Year, while Needham was selected to the District I team. The USBWA District I includes schools from Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

Cooley led the Stags to a 24-7 overall record and a 15-3 mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The 24 wins ties the school record for most wins in a season, which equals the 1985-86 team's total. The Stags won 23 games in the regular season which is the most in schooll history. Under his guidance, the Stags have won 47 games over the last two seasons.

The USBWA award represents the second Coach of the Year accolade for Cooley, as the fifth-year coach also collected the MAAC Coach of the Year last week. He is currently ranked fourth among Fairfield's head coaches for career wins with 91 and his .571 winning percentage is second only to George Bisacca's mark. 

Needham, a first-team All-MAAC performer in 2010-11, makes his debut on the USBWA District 1 team. The guard has been the team's leading scorer in each of his first two years with the Stags, and needs just eight more points to reach 1,000 career points. This year, Needham averages 14 points per game which also places sixth in the MAAC. The guard also leads the team with 140 assists, averaging 4.5 per game (thirdi n the MAAC).

The Fairfield University men's basketball team continues its season next week when it plays in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Stags earned a berth to the NIT after winning the MAAC regular-season title, the team's first outright title since the 1985-86 team captured the title. The team will find out its first-round opponent and site of the game on Sunday night.