After a successful career on the court and in the classroom, Bridgewater State men's basketball student-athlete Ryan "Rocky" DeAndrade has been named the 2018 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year which is determined by the eight Athletic Directors from around the league.

DeAndrade excelled on the court for the Bears, earning MASCAC All-Conference honors twice in his career. First on the second team in 2016-17 and most recently, a first team nod during the 2017-18 season. He helped lead the Bears to a MASCAC Tournament title this year, was named Tournament MVP for his efforts and secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

Earlier this year, he etched his name in the Bridgewater State record book as a member of the 1,000 point club which he achieved in a win over Fitchburg State in January. He currently ranks second all-time at Bridgewater State in free throw percentage (.823), third in three-point shooting percentage (.400), fifth in games played (105) and 20th in total points (1,150).

Graduating a few weeks ago with his bachelors degree in management, DeAndrade finished his academic career with a 3.75 GPA. He was a four-time MASCAC All-Academic honoree while also being named to the Bridgewater State Dean's List eight times. For his academic success, he was named the 2017-18 Bridgewater State Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

For community service, DeAndrade helped run the Bridgewater State Youth Basketball Clinics from 2014-2018 which hosted 2-3 clinics throughout the year. He also volunteered at the SAAC Bone Marrow Drive in 2015. On-campus, he was a student-worker during home athletic events, setting up and tearing down for games.

During his summer break in 2015 and 2017, he was a clinician with Mass Premier Courts, a facility in Foxboro, Mass. that houses six regulation basketball courts for camps, clinics and pick up basketball. He also works for his parents website, CapeVerdeOnline.com, which allows the buying and selling of all things Cape Verde, his parents native country. 

The MASCAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year has been awarded annually since 1980 to a student-athlete who has excelled in both the classroom and field of play while maintaining at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average through their last year of athletic eligibility.