NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alex Morales, Wagner
6’6”, 195 lbs.
Gr., G, Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)
The first three-time NEC Player of the Week honoree this season, Morales competed at an elite level in Wagner’s thrilling 84-81 overtime victory over Bryant on Thursday in a much anticipated matchup of conference contenders. The Paterson, NJ native delivered an outstanding all-around performance with 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, a steal and did not commit a single turnover in a marathon 45-minute effort. Morales drained 7-14 from the field and was a perfect 8-8 from the line. He scored four points during a decisive 8-0 run in OT that gave the Seahawks a six-point lead with 1:19 remaining. For the season, the 2020-21 NEC Player of the Year incredibly ranks in the NEC top-5 in scoring (16.8, fourth), rebounding (7.0, fourth), assists, (3.9, third), steals (2.0, fourth), 3P percentage (.455, third), FG percentage (.573, fourth), FT percentage (.861, third) and A/TO ratio (1.4, fifth).
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Andre Snoddy, CCSU
6’6”, 210 lbs.
Fr., G/F, Melville, NY/St. Anthony’s (St. Thomas More (CT))
Snoddy picked up his second NEC Rookie of the Week honor and the fifth for the Blue Devils thus far in 2021-22. Making his 15th straight start, he finished with seven points and a game-high eight rebounds in Saturday’s setback to unbeaten Merrimack. The freshman from Melville, NY averages 7.0 ppg and leads all NEC freshmen in rebounding (6.6) and minutes played (28.2).
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Peter Kiss (BRY, R-Sr, F)
The NEC scoring leader posted his fifth 20+ point scoring effort of the season with 27 points in Bryant’s OT loss at Wagner on Thursday. He hit 13-14 from the stripe. Kiss averages 20.6 ppg, and also ranks in the NEC top-10 in assists (3.4, eighth) and steals (1.6, ninth).
Charles Pride (BRY, Jr, G)
Pride delivered his league-leading fifth double-double of the year on Thursday with 23 points and 13 caroms at Wagner. He hit 4-8 from long range. Pride is sixth in the league in scoring (15.0) and third in rebounding (7.9).
Ian Krishnan (CCSU, Jr, G)
Krishnan paced the Blue Devils with 18 points, including a 4-8 mark from long range, against Merrimack on Saturday. He was 7-12 shooting on the afternoon. Krishnan puts up 10.1 ppg and is hitting at a 35.3 percent clip from outside the arc.
Ty Flowers (LIU, Gr, F)
Flowers contributed in all phases to help trigger LIU’s sweep. He produced 22.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 bpg and 2.5 spg. Flowers ranks third in the NEC in scoring (18.1), eighth in rebounding (6.6), 11th in assists (2.7), eighth in steals (1.8), fourth in blocks (1.4), first in made three-pointers (3.0) and ninth in three-point accuracy (.372).
Jordan Minor (MC, Jr, F)
Minor only scored eight points, but was an intimidating presence on the defensive end with a career-high eight blocks as MC remained unbeaten in NEC play following a 66-57 triumph at CCSU. The eight rejections were the most in a league game in nearly three years. Minor also pulled down six boards and had two steals. Among NEC leaders, Minor stands eighth in scoring (14.2), ninth in rebounding (6.5), eighth in steals (1.7) and second in blocks (2.8).
Ziggy Reid (MC, Jr, F)
Reid matched his season-high with 20 points on 5-9 shooting in the Warriors’ nine-point win at CCSU on Saturday. He hit two from distance, 8-9 from the line and added five rebounds and three steals. Reid averages 9.5 ppg on the year.
Patrick Emilien (SFBK, Gr, F)
Emilien averaged a double-double with 11.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg in a split. He shot 50.0 percent from the field and blocked three shots. The grad student posted his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 boards vs. Mount on Saturday. Emilien averages 10.7 ppg and ranks 11th in the league with 6.4 rpg.
Ramiir Dixon-Conover (SFU, R-Sr, G)
Dixon-Conover contributed 17.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.0 rpg and 1.5 spg in a strong all-around week for the redshirt senior. He sank 8-9 shots from the stripe. RDC is up to ninth on the circuit in scoring, and also ranks second in assists (3.9) and steals (2.1).
Elijah Ford (WC, Gr, G)
Ford made a number of huge plays down the stretch in regulation and OT to help the Seahawks secure a three-point win over Bryant on Thursday. He finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, a career-high six assists, three steals and two blocks. Ford averages 12.1 ppg and is eighth in the NEC in field goal accuracy at 51.0 percent.
Alex Morales (WC, Gr, G)
Morales filled it up in Wagner’s big OT win over Bryant on Thursday with a season-high 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks, while going a perfect 8-8 from the line. The 2020-21 NEC Player of the Year sits in the NEC top-5 in scoring (16.8, fourth), rebounding (7.0, fourth), assists, (3.9, third), steals (2.0, fourth), 3P percentage (.455, third), FG percentage (.573, fourth), FT percentage (.861, third) and A/TO ratio (1.4, fifth).
Raekwon Rogers (WC, R-Sr, F)
Rogers recorded his first double-double as a Seahawk with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Bryant on Thursday. He converted 6-12 shots and also pitched in with three steals and a block. Rogers is the NEC’s second most accurate shooter (.620), and is averaging 10.8 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK NINE
WAGNER EDGES BRYANT IN #NECMBB THRILLER
It was early January, but they were playing March hoops in Staten Island last Thursday.
When Wagner took on Bryant in a battle of the top-two teams in the NEC preseason poll, expectations were high that we might see something special.
Talk about over-delivering,
In a game that was a late add to the SNY and ESPN3 schedule, the Seahawks and Bulldogs went toe-to-toe for 45 minutes in a contest that became an early frontrunner for NEC Game of the Year.
It was a game that saw the two teams going shot-for-shot down the stretch - there were seven straight makes at one point - as Bryant fought to maintain its slim lead.
But when the dust settled, Wagner ended a six-game losing skid against the Black & Gold, rallying to secure an 84-81 overtime win and the program’s fifth straight victory.
It did not come easy for the Seahawks.
After coughing up the lead with just over 13 minutes left in the first half, it would take Wagner 31 minutes and 13 seconds of game play to finally reclaim it with 1:55 left in the contest, after clawing its way back from a 13-point deficit.
Even then, it took some late game magic to send the game to OT.
After Bryant graduate student guard Adham Eleeda (Toronto, Ontario/Toronto Basketball Academy (Northern Kentucky)) beat the shot clock with an NBA range triple and got fouled in the process for a four-point play, the Seahawks trailed by four with 47 seconds to play.
Reigning NEC Player of the Year Alex Morales (Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)) cut the lead in half with a pair of free throws with 36 seconds on the clock.
Classmate Elijah Ford (Newark, NJ/Weequahic (Barton CC (KS)) followed with the game's key play, forcing a turnover and finding freshman guard Zaire Williams (Brooklyn, NY/Eagle Academy) for the layup that tied things up with 29 second to go.
Bryant’s final attempt was off the mark and it was time for free basketball.
With the Bulldogs clinging to a two-point edge in OT, Wagner picked up the pace and ran off eight straight points - four apiece for Ford and Morales - to take an 84-78 lead.
Following a conventional three-point play by Bryant guard Tyler Brelsford (Ellicott City, MD/Mount St. Joseph (GWU)) to make it 84-81, Ford once again came up huge with a chase down block at the 34 second mark to thwart a fast break and keep the lead at three.
Bryant had two chances to tie, but three-point attempts from Brelsford and Eleeda were off the mark and Wagner survived in Spiro.
The game featured a ton of star power, and the headliners did not disappoint.
Bryant junior guard Charles Pride (Syracuse, NY/Putnam Science (CT)) finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds for his league-leading fifth double-double of the season, while first team All-NEC performer Peter Kiss (New York, NY/Notre Dame Prep (Quinnipiac/Rutgers)) added 27 points.
For the Seahawks, Morales registered a season-high 24 points, to go along with 10 rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocks during a ironman 45-minute effort in which he didn’t commit a turnover. Fellow first teamer Ford rang up 16 points, eight boards, six assists, three steals and two blocks in an outstanding all-around performance, and redshirt senior forward Raekwon Rogers (Little Rock, AR/Little Rock Central (Henderson State)) delivered another strong effort with 15 points and a season-best 11 caroms.
The reaction to the game on Twitter was exactly what you would have expected after the instant classic.
Matt Mauro- The Mid-Range Jumper @TheMidRangeJump
What a great game. Wagner can just grind out a game, man.
Nelson Castillo @NelCastNY
Wagner survives the first heavyweight battle vs Bryant tonight in overtime. Playoff like game in just the third #NECMBB game of the season.
Rush the Other 26 @other26hoops
Bryant-Wagner OT is exactly what we needed tonight
Nick Lorensen @nlorensensports
Overtime on Staten Island. What a game.
Sean Paul @SeanPaulCBB
Wagner defends home court and beats Bryant. Super competitive game between the NEC’s two best teams.
Riley Davis @amhourhoops
Wagner Bryant game is NUTS shout out to NEC front row for making their games easy to stream lol
Daniel Harris @CoachHarris2317
HIGH level basketball by both teams Wagner vs Bryant ! #NECMBB
The two teams will meet again on the final day of the regular season in Smithfield with the potential for a third game down the line in the NEC playoffs.
SEAHAWKS SOARING IN POLLS
Checking back in with our weekly look at where 8-2 Wagner stands nationally.
- 63rd in NCAA NET rankings
- 120th in KenPom
- 132nd in BartTorvik
- 31st in CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll
Nationally speaking, the Seahawks, who are riding a five-game win streak, also rank among DI leaders in a host of categories.
- 23rd in steal rate (12.9)
- 24th in scoring defense (60.3 ppg)
- 24th in steals per game (+9.4)
- 25th in turnover rate (23.8)
- 26th in rebound margin (+7.7)
- 27th in scoring margin (+14.3)
- 32nd in turnovers forced (16.7/game)
- 38th in 3P percentage defense (.292)
- 43rd in field goal percentage (.475)
WELCOME BACK MOUNTIES
It was a long time coming - 19 days to be exact - for defending NEC champion Mount St. Mary’s to return to the hardwood following a COVID pause.
Competing in Brooklyn, the Mount fell at LIU, but then secured a split, rallying from 13 down to beat St. Francis Brooklyn, 69-61, on Saturday behind a game and season-high 19-point effort from sophomore guard Josh Reaves (Hamden, CT/South Kent).
Reaves scored 13 of his 19 in the second half, including eight straight during a 24-6 run that saw the Mount reverse a six-point deficit into a 54-42 lead with 9:14 to play. He hit 4-7 from deep and 7-10 overall, and added five rebounds and two dimes.
FLOWERS MILESTONE ALERT
LIU grad student
Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass)) added yet another bullet to his resume when he drained his 200th career three-pointer during his star-studded career as a Shark.
His 205 triples over four years in Brooklyn is the most among active NEC players and he is the 61st player in conference history to crack 200 shots from downtown.
Flowers is also the NEC’s active leader in points (1,466), rebounding (766) and assists (235).
ACROSS THE BOARD DOMINANCE & HISTORICAL OPPORTUNITY FOR MORALES
It’s not even a 50 percent sample, but what we’re seeing thus far from returning NEC Player of the Year
Alex Morales (Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)) is unprecedented in NEC ranks.
Let’s start with a game snapshot.
In last Thursday’s win over Bryant, Morales became the first player in the nation this season to finish with at least 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in a contest.
The graduate student’s ability to not just excel, but to dominate, in all facets of the game, has left him in a position to make NEC history.
The NEC Player of the Week currently ranks in the conference top-5 in the following traditional statistical categories:
Scoring: 4th/16.8
Rebounding: 4th/7.0
Assists: 3rd/3.9
Steals: 4th/2.0
FG%: 4th/.573
3P%: 3rd/.455
FT%: 3rd/.861
Going back through the recordbook, no NEC player has finished a season in the top-5 in each of these categories in the 41-year history of the conference.
Likewise, he is the only player in the nation this season averaging at least 16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.0 spg. In fact, there have been only three instances of players meeting these thresholds over the last decade and just 19 in the last 30 seasons.
There has not been a single DI player in the last three decades to finish with 16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 spg and also achieve 50/40/80 shooting splits.
MINOR’S BLOCK PARTY
This tweet said it all about Merrimack junior forward
Jordan Minor’s (Kingston, MA/Brimmer & May) defensive performance in Saturday’s 66-57 win over CCSU that kept the Warriors unbeaten in NEC play.
Matt Mauro- The Mid-Range Jumper @TheMidRangeJump
By my count, Jordan Minor has 127 blocks in this game. A dominant force in the middle.
Swatting and altering shots left and right, Minor finished with a career-high eight blocks in the contest.
The eight rejections not only represented an NEC single-game season-high, but also marked the most in an NEC game since Mount’s Nana Opoku (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac) blocked nine against SFU on February 2, 2019. The effort moved Minor into a tie for 17th on the NEC’s all-time single-game blocks list.
Nationally, Minor tied for fifth on the 2021-22 single game blocks chart.
The Kingston, MA product has now turned back 16 shots over his last three outings and has posted six games with at least four blocks on the year.
Minor ranks second in the league with 2.8 blocks per game, and is also eighth with 1.7 steals per content.
How rare is it for a player to have such impressive numbers in both blocks and steals?
Quite rare.
Minor is the lone player in the nation this season with at least 2.8 bpg and 1.7 spg this season. Only 20 players over the last 30 years have hit those averages in a season, one of whom was former Wagner start Frantz Pierre Louis, who recorded 3.1 bpg and 2.1 spg in 1998-99.
NEC ANALYTICS ZONE WITH RYAN PETERS
Each week throughout the 2021-22 season, NEC Overtime! blogger and NEC on the Run podcast collaborator Ryan Peters (@pioneer_pride) will contribute a series of analytically based tidbits covering NEC hoops.
LIU sophomore guard Kyndall Davis (Chicago, IL/Bogan) has emerged as one of the premier defensive stalwarts the conference has to offer. The sophomore had nine steals in LIU’s successful week and now has a steal rate of 3.6 percent, good for 120th among all Division I players. Davis’ ability to force turnovers and start transition opportunities is one reason why Shot Quality says the Sharks are in transition on 20 percent of their possessions, which is top-40 nationally.
Speaking of transition opportunities, Wagner has been opportunistic during their two league games in getting out on the fast break 26 percent of the time, per Shot Quality. Wagner’s shot quality points per possession metric leads the conference in league play at 1.11 SQ PPP, illustrating the team’s efficiency in the open floor. Most recently they outscored Bryant in its overtime victory by a 26-6 margin in fast break points.
Known for its fierce, stout 2-3 zone, Merrimack has recently added another dimension to their defensive attack: rim protection courtesy of junior Jordan Minor (Kingston, MA/Brimmer & May). The star power forward registered eight rejections in the team’s win at Central Connecticut; for the season Minor has impressively blocked a shot on 10.9 percent of the opponent’s shots. That’s the 27th best rate in all of college basketball.
When the Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn score the ball efficiently, they win games as evident from their 4-2 mark this season when scoring at least one point per possession. In the four victories - three of them against Division I competition - the Terriers posted an effective field goal percentage of 55.5 percent. Additionally, Glenn Braica’s group has done well to take care of the basketball with a 18.1 percent turnover rate in the four wins.
AIR KYNDALL
Even as LIU sophomore guard Kyndall Davis (Chicago, IL/Bogan) find more and more ways to impact a game, it’s his springs that still garner the most attention for Sharks fans.
On Saturday, Davis threw down a Dunk of the Year candidate, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
It all went down with less than 90 seconds remaining and LIU precariously holding on to one point lead in an OT slugfest with Saint Francis U at the Steinberg Wellness Center.
After a Red Flash bucket, the Sharks raced up court. As Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass)) launched a three-pointer, Davis alertly sprinted from about 10 feet inside the halfcourt line, and as the shot bounded high in the air after finding rim, Davis launched for a one-handed putback slam that had to be seen to be believed.
ESPN SportsCenter anchor Kevin Connors took notice.
Kevin Connors @kevconnorsespn
Whoa! My friends at the NEC aren’t kidding! Check out this Dunk of the Day from @LIUAthletics Kyndall Davis!
The swing in momentum was palpable, and LIU held SFU scoreless the remainder of the game to pick up the 75-70 win and even its NEC mark at 2-2.
Along with his high flying exploits, Davis has started to become a defensive menace.
With his unique ability to pickpocket guards on their way up the court and turn them into transition buckets, Davis finished with nine steals in LIU’s two wins last week and he ranks seventh in the league with 1.7 spg.
Davis also averaged 5.0 apg and supplied 7.5 ppg last week.
SEAHAWK STATS
Wagner leads the NEC in scoring offense (74.6), scoring defense (60.3), scoring margin (+14.3), field goal percentage (.475), free throw percentage (.741), field goal percentage defense (.390), three-point percentage defense (.292), rebounding margin (+7.7) and A/TO ratio (1.21).
SHARKS SWARM IN WIN
The numbers were impressive to say the least in LIU's 74-57 win over the Mount on Thursday.
The Sharks feasted with 17 steals in the game, including five by sophomore guard Kyndall Davis (Chicago, IL/Bogan). The 17 steals were the most in an NEC game this year and the highest total since LIU had 17 swipes against SFU on January 7, 2021.
The 17 steals led to 27 points off turnovers and 20 points in transition.
LIU allowed just 0.81 PPP in the win, the second lowest figure in a conference contest thus far in 2021-22.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Saint Francis U head coach Rob Krimmel following Saturday’s overtime loss at LIU that saw the Red Flash storm back from a 13-point second half deficit.
“The challenge is to keep putting your best foot forward with our group good things will happen. It’s a challenge for us to understand it and the next step is to embrace it. You have to have a short-term memory when you go from Thursday to Saturday, but this is one that you got to remember, got to bottle up because of that energy, that effort and togetherness. Today we played for one another and that challenge is to continue to build on that and continue to play for one another and put our best foot forward. That is the consistency that we are looking for going forward.”
COMING UP ON NEC-TV
Following last Thursday’s barn burner between Bryant and Wagner, NEC-TV returns to the airwaves on January 21 when CCSU heads out to Loretto to face Saint Francis U. The game will air live on ESPN+ at 7 pm.
Dave Popkin (PxP) and Joe DeSantis (analyst) are in the booth.
The 13-game men’s TV package includes a pair of linear telecasts on CBSSN and one on ESPNU. Seven regular season games will be broadcast on ESPN3/ESPN+ with two games also airing on SNY and one on MASN.
The NEC semifinals are set to be carried on SNY and ESPN3 on March 5, and the final on ESPN or ESPN2 on March 8.
STAT ATTACK
Bryant senior guard Peter Kiss (New York, NY/Notre Dame Prep (Quinnipiac, Rutgers)) has scored 60 points over his last two games.
Bryant graduate student forward Greg Calixte (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon (George Mason)) has shot at least 50 percent from the field in 12 of the 13 games he has put up a shot this season. He is hitting at a 72.3 percent clip on the year.
CCSU junior guard Ian Krishnan (Gaithersburg, MD/Proctor Academy (MD)) has scored in double digits in four of his last five games, averaging 14.6 ppg over that span.
Continuing in the recent tradition of FDU guards who are automatic from the line, juniors Brandon Rush (Warrensville, OH/Warrensville Heights) and Devon Dunn (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College) have combined to shoot 86.3 percent from the stripe this season, making 44-of-51 opportunities.
Merrimack is shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range in NEC play to lead the conference in both categories. The Warriors also lead the circuit in offensive efficiency (118.9) and effective FG percentage (.677).
Over his last two games, Merrimack senior guard Mikey Watkins (Roselle, NJ/Linden) is averaging 16.5 ppg, 4.0 apg and 2.0 spg, while shooting 55.0 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from outside the arc, where he has made 6-9 shots.
Mount St. Mary’s redshirt senior forward Nana Opoku (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac) has converted at a 71.4 percent clip from the floor over his last five games, averaging 13.8 ppg over the stretch.
Sacred Heart senior Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) is just four points shy of becoming the 240th player in NEC history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
St. Francis Brooklyn graduate student guard Michael Cubbage (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township (Marist)) finished one off his season-high with 19 points and added a season-best six dimes during Thursday’s 70-53 triumph over SFU.
BU transfer Jack Hemphill (Raleigh, NC/Ravenscroft (Boston U)) came on strong last week for St. Francis Brooklyn, producing a season-high 12 points in Thursday’s win over SFU. He made 5-8 shots against the Red Flash and averaged 9.5 ppg on the week.
SFBK limited SFU to 0.80 PPP last Thursday, the best mark in a conference game thus far.
When Saint Francis U’s Ramiir Dixon-Conover (Newark, NJ/South Kent (CT)) and Maxwell Land (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller) went for 21 and 20 at LIU on Saturday, it marked the first time two Red Flash players posted 20 points in the same games since Dixon-Conover and Ronell Giles, Jr. (Brandywine, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers) both turned the trick against St. Francis Brooklyn on Feb. 12, 2021 at DeGol Arena. The 20 points were a career-high for Land and he pulled down a season-best eight boards.
SFU redshirt senior forward Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennsbury) secured 14 boards against LIU on Saturday. It was the third time in his career he pulled down at least 14 rebounds and the first time since posting 17 points and 17 rebounds in the 2021-22 season opener against George Washington on November 9. Flagg needs 14 caroms to join the program’s career top-20 list.