NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Tyler Kohl, Central Connecticut
6’5”, 220 lbs.
Jr., G/F, Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College
Kohl nearly averaged a triple-double en-route to his second NEC Player of the Week award of the season. He piled up 25.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game in a CCSU split. Kohl narrowly missed a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Saturday’s 94-89 overtime setback at LIU Brooklyn. He scored 18 of his team-high 23 points after halftime against the Blackbirds to help CCSU erase an 18-point deficit, and then netted all seven of his team’s points in OT. The Allentown, PA native also tallied 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in an 80-74 win at Bryant on Thursday. Kohl is the lone NEC player who ranks in the conference top-10 in scoring (15.5, ninth), rebounding (7.8, third) and assists (4.2, fifth).
Junior Robinson, Mount St. Mary’s
5’5”, 150 lbs.
Sr., G, Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance
Robinson took home his league-leading fourth NEC Player of the Week accolade following a pair of stellar performances in the Mount’s wins over visiting LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn. He averaged 25.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals, while hitting at a 50.0 percent clip from the field, including a red-hot 63.6 percent from long range. Robinson racked up 24 points and four assists as the Mount held off LIU Brooklyn for an 86-80 win in a nationally televised affair on CBSSN. The 5’5” guard made 3-6 from beyond the arc, and showed off his hops with a breakaway dunk in the first half. Robinson came back on Saturday with a game-high 27 points and added six assists in the Mount’s 86-72 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn. He drilled 4-of-5 from distance. Robinson, who hails from Mebane, NC, leads the NEC with 22.0 ppg and ranks 12th nationally. He is one of three players nationally averaging at least 22.0 ppg and 5.0 apg.
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL CO-ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Jonah Antonio, Mount St. Mary’s
6’5”, 190 lbs.
R-Fr., G, Perth, Australia/Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)
Antonio claimed his second NEC Rookie of the Week honor on the strength of his 18.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game on 59.1 percent shooting from the floor and 46.7 percent from three-point land in a Mount St. Mary’s home sweep. Antonio opened with 21 points and four boards in the Mount’s 86-80 win over LIU Brooklyn on CBSSN. He hit 4-8 from distance. He followed with 15 points on 6-10 shooting, eight rebounds, two steals and a block in an 86-72 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday. Antonio has hit a league-high 73 three-pointers and ranks third with 3.17 triples per game. He ranks second among NEC freshman with 12.4 ppg, and has put up 15.3 ppg over his last eight contests.
Chauncey Hawkins, St. Francis Brooklyn
5’8”, 155 lbs.
Fr., G, Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional
Hawkins joined teammate Jalen Jordan as NEC Rookie of the Week winners after coming off the bench to average 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game in a Terrier split. He shot a scorching 66.7 percent from the field overall, and matched that figure from downtown, hitting 6-9 outside the arc. Hawkins scored 16 points on just six shot attempts in 19 minutes of play in Thursday’s 76-70 win at FDU. The Spring Valley, NY product went on to score a career-high 19 points at Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday, hitting 4-6 from three-point range. Hawkins added four assists, a personal-best three steals and a blocked shot. The big week lifted his season scoring average to 6.5 ppg.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Ikenna Ndugba (BRY, So, G)
Ndugba put up 16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 6.5 apg in another strong all-around week for the sophomore guard. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists against CCSU on Thursday.
Darnell Edge (FDU, Jr, G)
Edge averaged 19.5 ppg on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent from long distance. He tied for game-high scoring honors with 18 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday, then hit 5-10 from three-point territory in a team-best 21-point effort in Saturday’s 89-78 win over Bryant.
Joel Hernandez (LIU, Sr, G)
Hernandez scored a game and career-high 29 points at Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday, and recorded his third double-double of the year with 18 points and 12 rebounds in LIU’s 94-89 win over CCSU on Saturday. In that victory, he hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 44 seconds to play. Hernandez averaged 23.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg on the week.
Raiquan Clark (LIU, Jr, G/F)
Clark contributed 22.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.5 spg in LIU Brooklyn’s split last week. He posted his fourth double-double with 15 points and 12 boards at the Mount, then came back to score a game-high 30 points on 10-15 shooting to go along with nine boards in an OT win over CCSU.
Jamaal King (SFU, Jr, G)
King averaged 19.0 ppg and 3.5 apg in a 1-1 week for SFU. He poured in a game-high 17 points against Wagner, then followed it up with a game-high 21 points and six assists in Sunday’s win over Sacred Heart. King scored four points in the last three minutes then found Scott Meredith for the game-winning three in the final moments. He has scored at least 20 points in seven-of-10 conference games.
Blake Francis (WC, So, G)
Francis came off the bench to average 21.0 ppg in Wagner’s road sweep of Saint Francis U and Robert Morris. He shot 62.5 percent on the week, including a blistering 68.8 percent from three-point territory, making 11-of-16 shots from downtown. Francis made 6-8 from distance in a 22-point effort at SFU, then hit five triples and scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half of Wagner’s win over Robert Morris to take over sole possession of first place.
PERFORMANCES OF NOTE
Tanner Johnson (BRY, So, G)
Johnson hit six three-pointers in eight attempts in the first half of Saturday’s game against FDU. He finished with a career-high 19 points and six rebounds.
Jahlil Jenkins (FDU, Fr, G)
Jenkins has been a stalwart in the backcourt for the Knights this season. On Saturday, he finished with a career-high 20 points, five rebounds and six assists in a win at Bryant.
Leondre Washington (RMU, Fr, G)
Washington paced RMU against Wagner with a career-high 20 points, hitting 5-7 from beyond the arc. He has now reached double figures in six of his last seven games, averaging 11.4 ppg during that span.
Glenn Sanabria (SFBK, Jr, G)
Sanabria has been red-hot from long range in recent weeks. He hit 5-9 from three-point territory in a 23-point outing at Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday and is now 16-31 (.516) from downtown over his last four games.
Romone Saunders (WC, R-Jr, G)
Saunders erupted for a career-high 30 points on 12-18 shooting in Wagner’s big win over Saint Francis U on Friday. He also hit 5-8 from three-point range, pulled down seven boards and added a pair of blocks.
TOP STORYLINES FROM WEEK 12 OF #NECMBB
Here’s all you need to know from the 12th week of the 2017-18 hoops season...
(MORE THAN) HALFWAY HOME, WAGNER SITS ATOP NEC PERCH
We’ve crossed the halfway point of the NEC regular season and the race for the regular season championship, a top-four spot and one of the eight NEC Tournament berths is starting to heat up.
So where do we stand now versus where the teams were predicted by the head coaches back in October?
Preseason Predictions Current Standings
1. Saint Francis U (9) 1. Wagner (8-2)
2. Fairleigh Dickinson (1) 2. Robert Morris (7-3)
3. Wagner 3. Mount St. Mary’s (6-4)
4. Mount St. Mary’s St. Francis Brooklyn (6-4)
5. Sacred Heart Saint Francis U (6-4)
6. LIU Brooklyn 6. Central Connecticut (5-5)
7. Robert Morris LIU Brooklyn (5-5)
8. Bryant 8. Fairleigh Dickinson (4-6)
9. Central Connecticut 9. Sacred Heart (2-8)
10. St. Francis Brooklyn 10. Bryant (1-9)
NEC coaches have proven to be unreliable prognosticators in year’s past, and this season is no different.
Wagner, picked third in the poll, is now in the driver’s seat at 8-2 following a Western PA sweep over the weekend that extended its win streak to four games. The Seahawks impressively knocked off Saint Francis U, 91-61, and Robert Morris, 77-64, the latter a game between the top two teams in the conference standings.
The Seahawks have a favorable schedule over the next four weeks, playing just two teams with winning NEC records. The combined won-loss percentage of Wagner’s upcoming opponents is .425. The Seahawks begin a three-game homestand taking on CCSU and St. Francis Brooklyn this week.
The Colonials are one of a number of surprise teams after having been picked seventh in the preseason. Despite just two returnees, RMU has received 52.8 percent of its point production from its freshman class and sits just one game out of the top spot.
The biggest misfire from the coaches was their placement of St. Francis Brooklyn. Picked to finish last, the Terriers are sitting pretty in a third place tie with Mount St. Mary’s and Saint Francis U. As a reminder, Fairleigh Dickinson won it all in 2016 and Saint Francis U reached the 2017 title game after both were tabbed ninth in the preseason.
Likewise, CCSU was chosen ninth in the poll, but has outperformed expectations. The Blue Devils have won four of their last five to move to 5-5 in NEC play, good for a sixth place tie with LIU Brooklyn.
SPIRO CENTER MAGIC
The Spiro Center has turned into a house of horrors for opponents this season, and Wagner head coach Bashir Mason and his players want to keep it that way.
With a perfect 10-0 home record this season, Wagner is one of 33 teams nationwide yet to lose in their own gym.
How rare would it be for the Seahawks to go undefeated at home for the entire season?
In the history of the NEC, only five teams have posted unblemished home records with LIU Brooklyn being the most recent. The Blackbirds went 15-0 at the Steinberg Wellness Center en-route to winning the second of three straight NEC championships.
In fact, the five teams that went unbeaten at home all won the NEC regular season championship and four of the five captured NEC Tournament titles.
NEC Teams With Perfect Home Records
LIU Brooklyn 15-0 2011-12 NEC Champion
Monmouth 13-0 2003-04 NEC Champion
LIU Brooklyn 12-0 1996-97 NEC Champion
Fairleigh Dickinson 15-0 1990-91 NEC Runner-Up
Robert Morris 12-0 1982-83 NEC Champion
NEC-TV RETURNS TO CBSSN/ESPNU AIRWAVES
The NEC’s 27-game TV package continues this week with a pair of national matchups on Thursday evening.
The day’s first game on CBS Sports Network pits Fairleigh Dickinson at Saint Francis U for a 6:00 pm tipoff. Dave Popkin (PxP), Tim Capstraw (color) and Paul Dottino (sideline) will bring you the action.
Sacred Heart will host the ESPNU nightcap at 9:00 pm, taking on LIU Brooklyn. Mike Crispino and Julianne Viani are in the booth.
COOPER KEEPING GOOD COMPANY
JoJo Cooper’s (Wilmington, DE/Concord) terrific all-around numbers for first place Wagner this season have elevated him to quite the lofty perch.
Cooper is currently one of only two players in the nation this season averaging at least 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game on the year. Jon Elmore of Marshall has also reached these minimums.
If the senior guard maintains those statistical plateaus for the remainder of the season, he would be just the 10th player in the last 25 years to end the year as a 14p/5.5r/6a/1.5s man.
How exclusive is that list?
Of the nine players who have achieved the statistical feat, seven have played in the NBA, including current ballers Kyle Anderson (Spurs), Lonzo Ball (Lakers) and Kyle Collinsworth (Mavericks). The list also includes former NBA All-Stars Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway, and former NBA players Luke Walton and Eddie Gill.
Player Class Season Pos School PPG RPG APG SPG
Anfernee Hardaway JR 1992-93 G Memphis 22.8 8.5 6.4 2.4
Jason Kidd SO 1993-94 G California 16.7 6.9 9.1 3.1
Eddie Gill SR 1999-00 G Weber State 16.3 6.4 6.9 3.2
Sean Kennedy SR 2001-02 G Marist 14.7 5.5 7.9 1.9
Luke Walton JR 2001-02 F Arizona 15.7 7.3 6.3 1.6
Kyle Anderson SO 2013-14 G UCLA 14.6 8.8 6.5 1.8
Alex Hamilton SR 2015-16 G Louisiana Tech 19.8 5.7 6.2 2.0
Kyle Collinsworth SR 2015-16 G Brigham Young 15.3 8.2 7.4 2.0
Lonzo Ball FR 2016-17 G UCLA 14.6 6.0 7.6 1.8
JoJo Cooper SR 2017-18 G Wagner 14.1 5.7 6.2 1.9
KOHL DOES IT ALL FOR CCSU
When talking about versatility, there are few NEC players in recent years who fit the bill better than CCSU junior swingman Tyler Kohl (Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College).
Kohl, the NEC Co-Player of the Week, once again flirted with a triple-double on Saturday, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in an OT loss to LIU Brooklyn. He also added four steals.
Kohl became the only player in the country this season and just the seventh in the least eight years to end a game with a 23/10/9/4 line. Others on this list include Draymond Green (Michigan State, Warriors), Elfrid Payton (Louisiana Lafayette, Magic) and Dennis Smith Jr. (Louisville, Mavericks).
And that wasn’t all the multi-faceted Kohl did last week.
Two days earlier, he dropped 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in an 80-74 win over Bryant.
For the week, Kohl averaged 25.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 8.0 apg.
Kohl ranks ninth in the NEC in scoring (15.5), third in rebounding (7.8) and fifth in assists (4.2). He is the lone conference player to rank in the top-10 in all three categories.
BREAKTHROUGH GAME FOR FDU’S WILLIAMS
With a bevy of young talent, the future certainly looks bright for Greg Herenda and Fairleigh Dickinson.
Along with Jahlil Jenkins (Ranson, WV/Virginia Academy) and Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon), a pair of NEC Rookie of the Week award winners this season, another first-year player had a breakout game last week that turned heads around the league.
Elyjah Williams (Evanston, IL/Evanston), a 6’7”, 220 lb. forward, established new career-highs in points (16), rebounds (14), blocks (three) and steals (three), and added four assists in FDU’s 89-78 win over Bryant on Saturday. The Evanston, IL product hit all seven of his shots from the field in his first career double-double effort.
How rare was his stat line?
Williams is one of just two players nationally this season and only the tenth since 2010 to post at least 16/14/3/3/3 in a game. Other players on the list include Ben Simmons (LSU, 76ers), Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga, Pacers) and LIU Brooklyn’s Jerome Frink, the 2016-17 NEC Player of the Year.
Williams has now converted 14 of his last 16 shots (.875) from the floor and is shooting 71.9 percent for the season.
MOUNT’S ANTONIO TO CHALLENGE 3-POINT MARK
Mount St. Mary’s freshman guard Jonah Antonio (Perth, Australia/Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)), the NEC Co-Rookie of the Week, has already established himself as one of the most feared shooters from long range in the league.
In fact, the Australia native with the quick release is well on his way to shattering the NEC record for three-pointers by a freshman.
The freshman mark is 87, set by St. Francis Brooklyn’s Stefan Perunicic in 2008-09.
Antonio leads the NEC with 73 triples on the year and ranks second on the circuit with 3.17 per game.
MILESTONES
LIU Brooklyn senior guard Joel Hernandez (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) pulled down his 500th career rebound in Saturday’s OT win over CCSU. He enters play this week with 507 boards, second among active NEC players.
Mount St. Mary’s senior guard Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance) now has 17 games with 20 or more points this season, and 29 in his career. He is now third all-time at the Mount in career 20-point games behind Chris McGuthrie (50) and Kevin Booth (33) since the school moved to NCAA Division I in 1988-89.
Robinson has also moved into 11th place on the Mount’s all-time scoring list with 1,676 points and eighth all-time in assists with 424.
DID YOU KNOW?
Mount St. Mary's freshman guard Donald Carey (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) and LIU Brooklyn graduate student guard Jamall Robinson (Cheltenham, MD/Paul VI (VA) (Hofstra)) are stepbrothers. The two squared off again on Friday with Carey tallying 13 points and five assists, while Robinson came off the bench to hit 3-5 from long range in a nine-point effort.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Saint Francis U head coach Rob Krimmel after junior guard Scott Meredith’s (Pilot Mountain, NC/Hargrave Military Academy (VA)) game-winning three-pointer with 1.3 seconds to play in the Red Flash’s win over Sacred Heart on Sunday.
“I am so proud of this team,” said Krimmel. “To play arguably our worst game of the year on Friday and come back and gut out a win says so much about this group. Jamaal (King) made a great read on the final play, which shows how much he is maturing as a player, and Scotty knocked it down. It couldn’t happen to a better person or harder worker on this team.”
#NECMBB ALUMNI UPDATE: RMU’S KARVEL ANDERSON
There are no shortage of former NEC ballers currently playing professionally, but one particular alum stood out last week with a memorable performance.
RMU’s Karvel Anderson was the 2013-14 NEC Player of the Year and one of the most prolific shooters to ever lace it up in the conference.
And what a shooting exhibition he put on last Wednesday for Boulazac Basket Dordogne in a French Cup game against Poitiers Basket 86.
Trailing by 11 points with under three minutes to go, Anderson scored 18 straight points, including four straight three-pointers to lead Boulazac to an 87-84 win. Anderson hit eight triples in the game and finished with 32 points.
Anderson is currently in his fourth professional season, having spent two years with Andrea Costa Imola in Italy from 2014-16 and Eisbären Bremerhaven in Germany last season. He is averaging a team-high 15.4 ppg for Boulazac and hitting at a 42.6 percent clip from three-point territory.
In his NEC Player of the Year campaign, Anderson averaged 19.7 ppg and hit 119 three-pointers, shooting 46.3 percent from distance. He was tabbed an AP Honorable Mention All-American and was selected to play in the Reese’s College All-Star Game at the 2014 Final Four.
Anderson scored 1,123 points in two seasons at RMU with his most memorable outing coming in an 89-78 win over top-seeded St. John’s in the first round of the 2014 Postseason NIT. He torched the Red Storm to the tune of 38 points on 9-15 shooting from outside the arc.
QUICK HITTERS
Bryant freshman forward Monty Urmilevicius (Kaunas, Lithuania/John Carroll School (MD)) posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds vs. CCSU on Thursday.
CCSU had six players score in double-figures in its OT game at LIU Brooklyn for the first time since November 30, 2016 at Maine.
CCSU senior forward Mustafa Jones (Harlem, NY/Cardinal Hayes) has made 28 of his last 41 shots from the field over the last five games, a 68.3 percent conversion rate.
The Mount St. Mary’s offense has been in high gear at home this season, averaging 83.3 ppg at Knott Arena. The Mountaineers are shooting 49.5 percent at home on the year, including 45.3 percent from three-point range. The Mount is also making 12.3 three-point field goals per game at home this season. In posting a 5-0 NEC record at Knott Arena, the Mount is averaging 85.4 ppg while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 49.8 percent from three-point range.
Mount St. Mary’s has not been swept in an NEC season series since 2014-15 when Robert Morris earned the two-game sweep.
Sacred Heart senior forward De’Von Barnett (Waldorf, MD/Riverdale Baptist) is now 25 points away from 1,000 for his career and nine rebounds away from 500 career boards. He tallied 18 points and nine rebounds at Saint Francis U on Sunday.
Saint Francis U junior guard Andre Wolford (Willowick, OH/Saint Ignatius) has now hit 12 of his last 19 three-point shots and ranks second nationally in accuracy at 51.5 percent on the year.
NEC in NCAA STATS (Top-25)
Name School Category Rank Value
Junior Robinson MSM PPG 12th 22.0/gm
JoJo Cooper WC APG 15th 6.24/gm
Blake Francis WC 3PFG 21st 3.19/gm
Andre Wolford SFU 3PFG 20th 3.21/gm
Jonah Antonio MSM 3PFG 24th 3.17/g,
Andre Wolford SFU 3PFG% 2nd .515
Junior Robinson MSM FT% 21st .898
Joseph Lopez SHU Off. Reb. 14th 3.55/gm
Keith Braxton SFU Def. Reb. 9th 7.71/gm
Keith Braxton SHU Doub-Doub 17th 10
Team Category Rank Value
Mount St. Mary’s 3PFG 18th 10.39/gm
Wagner FG% Defense 14th .393
Saint Francis U FT% 12th .776
Sacred Heart Rebounds 10th 40.52/gm
Sacred Heart Def. Reb. 21st 28.43/gm
Sacred Heart Reb. Margin 19th +7.1
Wagner Off. Reb. 20th 13.14/gm
Wagner Rebounds 22nd 39.90/gm
Robert Morris TOs Forced 10th 17.35/gm