Somerset, NJ -- In what is quickly becoming an annual tradition, the Northeast Conference (NEC) is set to raise the curtain on the 2014-15 basketball season at Brooklyn's most dazzling sports venue.

On Tuesday, October 21, the NEC and its ten member institutions will descend on Barclays Center for the third edition of NEC Basketball "Social" Media Day.

The #NECinNYC event is designed to be an interactive experience for fans to join the conversation on social media while watching the proceedings live and in HD on both NEC Front Row and ESPN3 beginning at 11 a.m. NEC commentators Dave Popkin, Tim Capstraw and Brenda Milano will host the telecast.

"We are thrilled to bring #NECinNYC back to Barclays Center as we host the third annual NEC Basketball ‘Social’ Media Day," said Noreen Morris, NEC Commissioner. "This event serves as a tremendous vehicle to promote our men’s and women’s basketball programs, coaches, and student-athletes. It also allows us to interact with our fans via social media during the telecast of the event on NEC Front Row, and for the first time, on ESPN3. The NEC values its strong relationship with Barclays Center and we are looking forward to another exciting and entertaining day in Brooklyn."

Along with each NEC men's and women's basketball head coach, schools will also bring one player from each team to Barclays Center. Players and coaches will be interviewed during the telecast and made available to media attending the event. NEC preseason polls and all-conference teams will be announced, and a number of the league's top bloggers will engage in a hoops roundtable discussion on the coming season. 

The interactive nature of NEC “Social” Media Day will begin well in advance of the event. Fans can tweet questions for NEC coaches to @NECsports or by using the hashtag #NECinNYC. NEC Director of Social Media Ralph Ventre will engage fans during the telecast with the best tweets displayed on air. The most active and compelling tweeters will also have the opportunity to win NEC prize packs.

Barclays Center’s college basketball franchise BROOKLYN HOOPS™ is presented by Ticketmaster. For tickets to all of Barclays Center’s college basketball games, please visit barclayscenter.com.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 34th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states.  Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships.  NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner.  For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports.

About Barclays Center
Barclays Center opened on September 28, 2012, and is a major sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. One of the most intimate seating configurations ever designed into a modern multi-purpose arena, Barclays Center offers 17,732 seats for basketball, 15,795 for hockey, and up to 19,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant by American Express.

Barclays Center hosts an extensive variety of events, including premier concerts, major professional boxing cards, top college basketball, family shows, the Brooklyn Nets and soon the New York Islanders.

Barclays Center has redefined the arena customer service and culinary experience. Its more than 2,000 employees are trained by Disney Institute, the business advisory arm of The Walt Disney Company, and its BrooklynTaste™ food program features selections from 55 well-known restaurants and vendors in the borough. 

Barclays Center engages the customer with state-of-the-art technology to enhance the fan experience. As the first arena in the world to utilize Cisco StadiumVision mobile multicast streaming technology, Barclays Center allows fans to watch live video and instant replays from their mobile phones while connected to the arena’s free Wi-Fi.

Located atop one of the largest transportation hubs in New York City, Barclays Center is accessible by 11 subway lines, the Long Island Rail Road, and 11 bus lines.