MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team's Jalen Cooper was named Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned second-team all-conference honors from the league on Wednesday.

Cooper becomes the first PBA men's basketball player to earn SSC Defensive Player of the Year in program history. He earns the honor after a sensational sophomore season. He led PBA in scoring, rebounds, steals, and blocks. He averaged 17.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game. He ranked fourth in the conference in blocks and rebounding.

The Holiday, Fla. native tied a DII-era program record for blocks in a game against Tampa on Dec. 29, rejecting six shots from the Spartans while scoring 19 points. He broke a program record, winning three SSC weekly awards throughout the season. He earned SSC Defensive Player of the Week back-to-back weeks, winning on Dec. 20 and Jan. 2.

Cooper demolished the program's DII-era single-season rebounding record, snagging 237 boards, 49 more than previous record holder Malek Barber. His 37 blocked shots are the second-most in a season in PBA's DII era. He finished the season on a tear, averaging 27.2 points over his last five games.

Cooper's efforts led PBA to a 14-13 overall record with a 10-10 mark in the conference play. The Sailfish earned a five-seed in the SSC tournament. PBA's season ended with a first-round loss at Florida Tech on Tuesday.