Fort Pierce - Tuesday May 31, 2022: The Indian River State College Board of Trustees has honored A.J. Cajuste for his outstanding contributions to the Pioneer men's basketball team.
The 6'1" sophomore point guard from Boca Raton led the IRSC Men's Basketball Team to one of their finest seasons in school history. The team compiled a 28-5 overall record, a third straight Southern Conference Title, and back-to-back trips to the NJCAA National Tournament.
During his three years as a Pioneer, A.J. scored 1,039 points and handed out 455 assists while helping his team to an overall 70-17 record. A.J. returned to IRSC for his Covid sophomore season and quickly showed off his hard work during the off-season with a 19.5-point average per game, which ranked him second in Florida. He dished out 7.1 assists per game which led the state.
Among his many achievements, A.J. was chosen for the NJCAA Division I All-American First Team, and the NJCAA Region 8 All-State team, as well as being tapped for the Southern Conference 1 Team. He was also named NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Year, and the Southern Conference Player of the Year.
Topping the list of his honors, A.J. was one of only 24 junior college sophomores chosen by the NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) to participate in its All-Star Game held in Las Vegas on May 14.
"I'm so proud of A.J. for his selection to play on the Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team. It is quite an honor and an excellent way to close out an illustrious career at Indian River," said IRSC Head Basketball Coach Charlie Wilson. "For three years A.J. Cajuste has been a dedicated student-athlete on and off the court. His success is a result of that dedication and hard work. He will go down as one of the most accomplished to ever put on our uniform.”
Cajuste has signed to play NCAA Division I basketball for Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas, led by Head Coach Kyle Keller.
A.J. was recognized by the Board at the May District Board meeting held last week, Tuesday May 24, at the IRSC Chastain Campus in Stuart.