America East Basketball: 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
![Vermont's Anthony Lamb (3) shoots a 3-pointer over UMBC's K.J. Jackson (3) during the men's basketball game between the UMBC Retrievers and the Vermont Catamounts at Patrick Gym on Saturday night February 22, 2020 in Burlington, Vermont.Umbc Vs Vermont Men S Basketball 2 22 20 Vermont's Anthony Lamb (3) shoots a 3-pointer over UMBC's K.J. Jackson (3) during the men's basketball game between the UMBC Retrievers and the Vermont Catamounts at Patrick Gym on Saturday night February 22, 2020 in Burlington, Vermont.Umbc Vs Vermont Men S Basketball 2 22 20](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/21c2d6f01393087b526ae05267c3be206b22f0e134af94bcbe5ea4293eaa0c43.jpg)
22. Brandon Horvath
Horvath is a 6’10 forward from West River, Maryland who developed into quite the weapon for Ryan Odom. He arrived on campus at UMBC in 2017 and was part of that historic upset of #1 Virginia during his freshman campaign. Horvath would later finish his collegiate career by spending his bonus year at Utah State, following his coach to the west coast, though we’re keeping the focus on his time as a Retriever.
Horvath was just a reserve and did not play in that upset against Virginia, but he became an important piece for the Retrievers later in his career. He played more significant minutes as a sophomore but wasn’t a starter until his junior season, a year where he’d average 11.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Before he left for Utah State, Horvath had quite the senior year, averaging 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds and leading the America East in rebounding.
A First Team All-America East honoree as a senior, Horvath really developed from a bench piece to a major weapon for the Retrievers and into a leadership role for the program before departing with his coach. Horvath had a few impressive performances in his career, including a 23-point, 19-rebound game against Binghamton as a junior and was certainly an essential piece for UMBC in the era following that historic upset.