Rutty was born in Newburgh , New York and starred as a high school player at Newburgh Free Academy . He then moved to Quinnipiac where he became one of the top players in the Northeast Conference ( NEC ) . After leading the conference in field goal percentage as a freshman , Rutty had a breakout year in 2008 – 09 , averaging 14.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and earning first team All-NEC honors . In his junior campaign , Rutty improved his output to 15.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game . He led the Bobcats to the final of the 2010 NEC Tournament and was individually recognized as the NEC Player of the Year and as an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press . In his senior season , Rutty enjoyed another strong year statistically ( 14.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game ) , but suffered an elbow injury midseason which caused him to miss several games . He was still named to first team All-NEC , though he failed in his bid to win back to back NEC Player or the Year honors ( Central Connecticut 's Ken Horton was the winner )
2010 NEC Tournament
2010 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Justin Rutty