CAA Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

3. Aaron Estrada

The last two years were pretty great for new Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton and Estrada was certainly a major reason for that success. A 6’4 combo guard from Woodbury, New Jersey, Estrada began his career at Saint Peter’s before transferring to Oregon after the pandemic. Dissatisfied with the Ducks, he transferred again in 2021, this time landing with the Pride and becoming a major player in the CAA.

As a junior, Estrada averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists and was a major contributor right off the bat at Hofstra. He flirted with a triple-double in an impressive win against Arkansas and had multiple 30-point efforts in a 21-win season for the Pride. Senior year was even better, with Estrada now averaging 20.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game and leading Hofstra to the CAA regular season title. While Hofstra had to settle for the NIT, Estrada did have a 40-point game against Elon was a major reason for the program’s on-court success.

After leading the conference in points in both seasons, Estrada was named CAA Player of the Year for each of the last two seasons. He led the league in assists and field goal percentage as a junior and was the clear leader on the team as they won the CAA title during his senior season. Obviously, Estrada made a major impact in his two seasons in the CAA and his journey isn’t over yet; he’ll star at Alabama next season.