NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Luke Sutherland, Le Moyne
6’7”, 220 lbs.
Gr., F, Syracuse, NY/West Genesee (Siena/Bryant)
After setting a new career-high with 35 points on December 9, Sutherland came back one week later with another explosive offensive performance, racking up a game-high 24 points in Le Moyne’s 80-54 home win over Dartmouth. The Dolphins’ first-ever NEC Player of the Week sank 4-8 shots from three-point territory and was 10-15 overall. Sutherland added four rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals and a block in the Dolphins’ 26-point win. His 59 points over the last two games and 76 points over the last three contests are the most by a Dolphin since Nate Gause compiled 62 in the first two and 82 over the first three games of the 2014-15 season. The Syracuse, NY product leads the conference in free throw accuracy (.912), and ranks third in scoring (16.6), second in 3P made (2.6), fourth in 3P percentage (.452), and ninth in field goal percentage (.504) and blocks (0.9).
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Aaron “Ace” Talbert, Saint Francis U
6’0”, 185 lbs.
Fr., G, Wyandanch, NY/Scotland Campus (PA) (Combine Academy (NC)
The third Saint Francis U player to claim NEC Rookie of the Week honors this season, Talbert registered a career-high 16 points in the Red Flash’s 72-65 setback to Mount St. Mary’s on Friday. He scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to lead a furious comeback after the Red Flash trailed by 25 at intermission. His three-pointer with 1:27 to play cut the Mount lead to seven as SFU put up 50 points after the break. Talbert made 3-7 from long range and did not commit a turnover in 31 minutes. The Wyandanch, NY native has averaged 12.7 points over the last six games to raise his season average to 8.8 ppg, which ranks second on the Red Flash and third among conference freshmen. Talbert is second in the NEC in three-point percentage and tenth in field goal accuracy, boasting a 50.0 percent mark in each category. He joined the ranks of SFU players honored as Rookie of the Week winners this season, alongside Eli Wilborn, a two-time winner, and Bobby Rosenberger.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Jordan Jones (CCSU, Sr, G)
Last week: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 7-14 FG vs. UMass Lowell
- Drained game-winning 3P with 4.3 seconds to play to beat UMass Lowell and snap the River Hawks’ 20-game home win streak.
- Scored a game-high 15 points in Saturday’s win.
- Averaging 15.8 ppg on 50.0 percent shooting over last five games.
- Contributing 10.6 ppg and 2.5 apg on the season.
Ansley Almonor (FDU, Jr, F)
Last week: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 10-17 FG, 5-10 3PFG vs. Columbia
- Set a career-high in points and recorded his fifth 20+ point game of the season vs. Columbia, which is tied for first in the conference.
- Marked his seventh game of 3+ three-pointers on the year.
- Leads conference with 35 3P and 2.9 triples per game.
- Ranks second in NEC in scoring (16.8) and eighth in rebounding (5.6).
Kaiyem Cleary (LEM, Gr, G)
Last week: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 7-12 FG, 4-7 3P vs. Dartmouth
- Sank a season-high four triples in Saturday’s 80-54 home victory over Dartmouth.
- Ranks second on Dolphins in scoring and ninth in NEC at 12.4 ppg.
- Shooting 37.1 percent from outside the arc, good for eighth in the NEC.
Luke Sutherland (LEM, Gr, F)
Last week: 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 10-15 FG, 4-8 3P vs. Dartmouth
- Led all scorers with 24 points on 10-15 shooting in 26-point win over Dartmouth on Saturday. He hit 4-8 from deep.
- Averaging 29.5 points over his last two games.
- Leads the conference in free throw accuracy at 91.2 percent (31-of-34).
- Ranks third in NEC in scoring (16.6), second in 3P made (2.6), fourth in 3P percentage (.452), and ninth in field goal percentage (.504) and eighth blocks (0.9).
Tana Kopa (LIU, Jr, G/F)
Last week: 18.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 50.0 FG%, 41.2 3PFG%
- Posted game and LIU career-high 19 points, and hit 4-8 from three-point range at Rutgers on Saturday. He added six rebounds and three steals.
- Tied for game scoring honors at UMass Lowell last Tuesday, dropping 17 points.
- Pushed season average to 10.1 ppg and ranks fourth in the league with 2.2 3P/game.
Nico Galette (SHU, Sr, F)
Last week: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 8-17 FG vs. Providence
- Secured fifth 20+ point game of the game to tie for first in the NEC.
- Matched season-high with four steals.
- Preseason All-NEC pick ranks in NEC top-five in scoring (15.1, fourth), rebounding (7.0, third) and steals (2.4, second).
Alex Sobel (SHU, Gr, F)
Last week: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 5-6 FG vs. Providence
- Registered SHU career-high 16 points on just six shots at Providence.
- Leads NEC and is 15th nationally with 2.4 bpg.
- Contributing 10.5 ppg, while ranking second in the NEC in rebounding (7.2) and sixth in field goal percentage (.528).
Cam Gregory (SFU, So, G)
Last week: 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 7-15 FG, 4-7 3P vs. Mount St. Mary’s
- Came within two points of career-high and tied for game-scoring honors against the Mount on Friday. Scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half to lead a furious comeback bid.
- Set new career-best with four trifectas.
- Ranks sixth in the league in scoring (12.6) and third in free throw accuracy (.800).
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK SIX
Here’s all you need to know from the sixth week of the 2023-24 season...
>> NEC BIG SHOT: JORDAN JONES DELIVERS AS CCSU TAKES DOWN UML
Facing a UMass Lowell team that had been literally unbeatable home, it all came down to one possession on Saturday for a CCSU team intent on picking up a signature win.
Inbounding the ball in front of their own bench following a timeout with 6.2 seconds left to play, senior guard Jordan Jones (Florence, SC/Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate School (Coker University)) rubbed off a Tre Breland (Hamden, CT/James Hillhouse (Missouri State West Plains)) screen and Joe Ostrowsky (Mt. Pleasant, MI/Cheshire Academy (CT)) hit him in the corner for a catch-and-shoot three. Jones calmly buried the shot and the Blue Devils withstood a final River Hawk three-point attempt at the buzzer to earn the 57-54 win.
The win was notable for a pair of reasons.
- The win snapped the nation’s second-longest home unbeaten streak. UMass Lowell had won 20 straight at the Tsongas Center dating back to the first game of the 2022-23 season.
- With UML ranked 89 in the NCAA NET rankings, it marked a Quad 2 win for the Blue Devils. A Quad 2 win is one that either comes at home against a team ranked 31-75 in the NET, on a neutral floor against teams slotted 51-100 or on the road vs. a team ranked between 76-135. By virtue of the victory, CCSU moved up 37 spots in the NET rankings to 244.
Jones, who had given the Blue Devils a 54-52 lead on a layup with 33 seconds to play, scored a game-high 15 points on 7-14 shooting.
Breland added 11 points off the bench, including a 3-4 mark from outside the arc. He drilled three straight triples during a 16-0 first half run that game the Blue Devils an eight-point lead.
CCSU limited UMass Lowell to 34.5 percent shooting from the field, the best mark for the Blue Devils against a DI opponent since holding LIU to 28.6 percent shooting in a 58-42 win on January 22, 2023. CCSU also held the River Hawks to a 4-19 mark from downtown. The 21.1 percent success rate also marked a season-low vs. a DI rival.
>> SUTHERLAND’S SCORCHING STRETCH
Le Moyne graduate student forward Luke Sutherland (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee (Siena/Bryant)) is the current NEC Player of the Week, but his current shooting spree dates back to late November.
Over the last four games, Sutherland has made 34-52 shots from the field, a scintillating 65.4 percent success rate. During that same span, he’s converted 15-26 (.577) from three-point land and 12-12 (1.000) from the line. Along with his 65/58/100 slash line, Sutherland has compiled a .798 eFG percentage and .823 true shooting percentage.
His per game averages over this stretch include 23.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.5 bpg.
On December 9 at Binghamton, the Syracuse native rang up a career-high 35 points on 12-17 shooting from the field that included a 5-7 performance from distance. He also hit 6-6 from the line. The five trifectas and 12 field goals were also personal-bests.
The 35 points marked an NEC single-game season-high and were the most points by a conference competitor since LIU’s Andre Washington scored 37 vs. Saint Francis U on February 18, 2023.
Sutherland’s 35-point explosion was also the highest output by a Le Moyne player since his head coach Nate Champion scored 35 against Saint Rose on November 23, 2013.
Sutherland has now reached double digits in seven straight games.
Sutherland leads the NEC in free throw percentage (.912), and ranks third in scoring (16.6), second in 3P made (2.6), fourth in 3P percentage (.452), and ninth in field goal percentage (.504) and blocks (0.9). His three-point accuracy places him 25th nationally.
>> ACKER, CLARK & A FRESHMEN FLASHBACK
Though they are only freshmen, Merrimack’s Adam “Budd” Clark (Philadelphia, PA/West Catholic) and LIU’s Eric Acker (East New York, NY/Eagle Academy for Young Men II) have generated scoring figures that put them on par with the top NEC rookies
over the last decade.
Clark currently ranks tenth in the NEC scoring, averaging 12.4 ppg with Acker right behind in 11th at 12.3 ppg.
Over the past decade, 23 NEC freshmen have compiled double-digit scoring averages, led by RMU’s Marcquise Reed, who recorded 15.1 ppg in the 2014-15 season on his way to winning NEC Rookie of the Year honors.
At this time, both Clark and Acker rank within the top-10 on the list of top freshmen point producers since the 2013-14 season.
NEC Freshmen Scorers with 10.0 ppg (2013-14 to present)
Marcquise Reed* RMU 15.1 2014-15
Vado Morse* MSM 14.7 2018-19
Cane Broome SHU 14.5 2014-15
Adam Grant BRY 13.4 2016-17
Rasheem Dunn SFBK 13.1 2016-17
Keith Braxton* SFU 13.1 2016-17
Nisre Zouzoua BRY 12.8 2015-16
Adam Clark MC 12.4 2023-24
Eric Acker LIU 12.3 2023-24
Jahlil Jenkins FDU 12.0 2017-18
Ian Krishnan CCSU 12.0 2018-19
Koby Thomas* RMU 12.0 2017-18
Miles Wilson MSM 11.8 2016-17
Austin Nehls CCSU 11.7 2015-16
Quincy McKnight SHU 11.4 2015-16
Marcel Pettway* BRY 11.4 2015-16
Jonah Antonio MSM 11.3 2017-18
Jashaun Agosto LIU 11.2 2016-17
Rob Higgins SFBK 11.1 2019-20
Jalen Jordan SFBK 11.1 2017-18
Noah Morgan FDU 11.0 2017-18
Zion Bethea SFBK 10.7 2022-23
Joe Kasperzyk BRY 10.7 2018-19
Delonnie Hunt* WC 10.6 2020-21
Martin Hermannsson LIU 10.1 2014-15
* NEC Rookie of the Year winners
>> MORE ON ACKER & CLARK
In piling up points this season, both LIU’s Eric Acker (East New York, NY/Eagle Academy for Young Men II) and Merrimack’s Adam “Budd” Clark (Philadelphia, PA/West Catholic) have excelled in the mid-range game.
Acker leads the NEC with 15 shots made inside of 17 feet, and he’s done it efficiently, shooting 62.5 percent in those situations.
Clark’s 14 mid-range shots rank second, and he’s converting at a 48.3 percent rate.
>> RED FLASH ROOKIE OF THE WEEK TRIVIA
Saint Francis U has now had three different players capture NEC Rookie of the Week honors over the first six weeks of the 2023-24 campaign.
Mount St. Mary’ set the NEC record when five different players were tabbed NEC ROW back in 2018-19.
Here’s a compilation of teams boasting three or more NEC Rookie of the Week honorees over the past decade.
Number of NEC Rookie of Week Award Winners (2013-14 to present)
Mount St. Mary’s 5 2018-19
Saint Francis U 3 2023-24
CCSU 3 2021-22
FDU 3 2021-22
Sacred Heart 3 2020-21
Bryant 3 2019-20
Bryant 3 2016-17
LIU 3 2014-15
>> DID YOU KNOW?
Le Moyne, Merrimack and Sacred Heart all rank in the top-20 nationally in steals per game and steal percentage.
Steals Per Game/Rank Steal Percentage
Le Moyne 9.91 (14th) 13.4 (13th)
Merrimack 10.18 (12th) 13.3 (14th)
Sacred Heart. 10.17 (13th) 13.2 (17th)
>> CHICAGO STATE’S EPIC WEEK
Future NEC member Chicago State is coming off a memorable week.
The Cougars made Windy City headlines last Wednesday, knocking off #25 Northwestern, 75-73, behind a 30-point effort from junior guard Wesley Cardet, Jr. It marked the first-ever win for the program against a ranked team and came over a Wildcat team that had recently knocked off then No. 1 Purdue.
Three days later, the Gerald Gillion-led squad added another memorable road win, scoring the last ten points of the game to knock off Valparaiso, 63-62. Cardet converted the game-winning layup with 2.8 seconds on the clock to cap a 28-point outing.
>> #NECINTHEPROS UPDATE: LIU ALUM JASON BRICKMAN
The NEC’s all-time assist leader is still thriving in the professional ranks.
Jason Brickman starred for LIU at point guard from 2010-14 and played a pivotal role in the program’s landmark three-peat from 2011 to 2013. LIU remains the lone school to win three straight NEC Tournament titles.
During his star-studded career, Brickman dished for 1,009 assists, which ranks fourth on the NCAA all-time list behind Duke’s Bobby Hurley (1,076), NC State’s Chris Corchiani (1,038) and UNC’s Ed Cota (1,030). He led the nation in assists as a junior (8.5/game) and senior (10.0/game). Brickman’s 289 dimes in 2012-13 and 2013-14 stand as NEC single-season records and rank 32nd on the all-time NCAA chart.
Brickman ended his LIU career as a three-time All-NEC honoree and was named to the NEC All-Tournament team on three occasions.
After graduation, the San Antonio native has gone on to enjoy a successful professional career, beginning with stops in Russia and Germany, before moving on to play in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), Thailand Super Basketball League (TSBL) and the T1 League in Taiwan. Over the course of his ten-year career, he has won seven league or Cup championships.
Over the past three seasons, Brickman has been a standout player for Kaohsiung Aquas. He was named Most Valuable Import of the T1 League in 2021-22 and was selected to the T1 first team in each of the last two seasons.
At 32 years old, Brickman has taken his game to a new level this fall for Kaohsiung Aquas.
On December 9, the 6-footer rang up 25 points, 20 assists and three steals in a 122-104 win over Taiwan Beer, then followed up with 17 points, 17 assists and eight boards to lead Kaohsiung Aquas to a 110-82 victory against Tainan TSG. The 25/20 game was the first “double 20” of his pro or college career, highlighted by 10 assists in a single quarter.
On the season, he’s averaging 14.9 ppg, 13.1 apg, 6.1 rpg and 2.4 spg.
>> IN TRANSITION
CCSU and Merrimack have been the most effective and efficient NEC teams in transition this season by a wide margin.
Merrimack leads the conference with 1.188 PPP, 58.1 percent shooting and 63.7 effective field goal percentage in transition.
CCSU is just a shade behind at 1.158 PPP, 57.9 percent from the field and a 63.2 percent eFG percentage.
>> KRIMMEL QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Saint Francis U head coach Rob Krimmel, the NEC’s Quotemaster General, offered his thoughts following the Red Flash’s setback to Mount St. Mary’s that saw his team’s furious comeback attempt fall just short.
“You find out a lot about a lot about a group when their backs are against the wall. And I’ve coached teams where that 15 could have gone to 30 really easily. But this group continues to battle. They continue to do the things that we asked them in that whole process driven approach and doing it the right way. That that toughness and consistency. Now these guys have to understand the urgency that they need to play with from the very jump and to be a little bit tougher the next time and we’re getting we’ve shown signs it’s now that consistency that we’re searching for.”
>> NEC ANALYTICS ZONE
Longtime 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 throughout the 2023-24 season.
CCSU registered the program’s first Quad 2 or better victory in a decade when they upset UMass Lowell on the road last Saturday. The Quad 2 triumph over KenPom’s then-140th ranked team was decided in transition - the Blue Devils registered 0.93 points per possession in 16 transition opportunities whereas the River Hawks mustered just 0.36 PPP in 11 fast break chances. For the season according to Synergy, the Blue Devils have been efficient when running as evident from their 63.2 percent eFG mark this season, placing them in the top 78 percentile in all of college basketball. Pat Sellers’ group is now averaging more than 69 possessions per game, which is considerably higher than their pace last season at 64.2 possessions per contest.
CCSU’s Tre Breland (Hamden, CT/James Hillhouse (Missouri State West Plains)) was critical in the aforementioned win, scoring 11 points and sinking a team-high three triples in the road win decided by one possession. All of his long distance makes in fact were part of a 19-3 first half run that pushed the Blue Devils ahead. This season, Breland is posting a splendid KenPom offensive rating of 132.5, the 63rd best rating among all DI players. His 57.7 percent success rate on three-point attempts is fifth in all of college basketball.
Merrimack has been the biggest KenPom climber of the NEC schools through seven weeks of the season. Joe Gallo’s group started as the 331st best school according to KenPom, yet two wins over Maine (#211) and UMass Lowell (#159) as well as tight road losses at Samford (#118) and Georgetown (#169) have helped catapult the Warriors to the 263rd spot currently. For perspective, Merrimack didn’t crack the KenPom top 290 at all last season, and that was despite forging an 11-game winning streak to close out the season.
Stonehill fifth year forward Pano Pavlidis (Queens, NY/Cardozo (Hartford)) had an exceptional game against his former team after efficiently dropping 15 points in a decisive 27-point win over Hartford on Saturday. Pavlidis scored six buckets at the rim while also draining a catch-and-shoot three from the corner as well. For the season, Pavlidis has cleaned up nicely near the rim, converting two thirds of his shot attempts according to Synergy. That is in line with his exceptional at-the-rim numbers last season - he made 75.3 percent of his takes as a Hartford Hawk.
>> STOCKING STUFFERS
CCSU senior guard Tre Breland (Hamden, CT/James Hillhouse (Missouri State West Plains)) has made 11 of his last 16 shots from downtown (.688). He leads the NEC in three-point accuracy, making 53.6 percent of his opportunities.
FDU has scored 80 or more points seven times this season and is the NEC scoring leader at 82.6 ppg, a figure that ranks 43rd nationally.
FDU nearly overcame a seven-point deficit in the final 2:30 against Columbia last Monday. The Knights rank off eight straight points on back-to-back three-pointers by Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, NY/Monsignor Scanlan), followed by an Ansley Almonor (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional (Montvale)) layup with 54 seconds to play that gave FDU a short-lived 83-82 lead before Columbia ended the game on a 5-0 run.
Le Moyne shot 15-33 from beyond the arc in its 80-54 win over Dartmouth on Saturday. The 15 trifectas marked the most by an NEC team vs. a DI opponent this season. Le Moyne leads the NEC and ranks 16th nationally with 10.3 three-pointers per game.
Le Moyne’s commanding 26-point victory over Dartmouth on Saturday ranks as the second-largest margin of victory in the NEC this season against a DI team. Only CCSU’s 28-point triumph at Army on November 29 surpassed Le Moyne’s impressive margin.
Le Moyne’s +5.73 turnover margin leads the NEC and ranks eightn in the country.
LIU freshman guard Eric Acker (East New York, NY/Eagle Academy for Young Men II) approached a triple-double in Saturday’s game at Rutgers. He finished with eight points, and his ten rebounds and nine assists were both career-highs.
LIU sophomore forward C.J. Delancy (Jonesboro, AR/Valley View) made 8-of-9 shots from the field last week. He scored a season-high 12 points on 6-7 shooting at Rutgers on Saturday. Delancy has converted at an 80 percent rate (12-of-15) in six games this season.
Merrimack, which was idle last week, has moved up to 197 in the NET rankings, tops in the NEC. The Warriors are back in action at Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Sacred Heart senior forward Nico Galette (Rahway, NJ/Rutgers Prep) has upped his career scoring total to 1,112 points, which slots him 168th on the NEC all-time scoring list.
Saint Francis U freshman guard Carlos Lopez, Jr. (Egg Harbor, NJ/Egg Harbor Township) scored 12 points against the Mount on Friday to match his career-high set at American on December 2. It was the first time he reached double figures at home in his career. Lopez is averaging 10.0 points over his last three games.
Saint Francis U freshman forward Eli Wilborn (Middletown, CT/Middletown (South Kent)) has posted three rejections in each of his last three games, a feat that only Josh Nebo has accomplished in head coach Rob Krimmel’s tenure as a head coach. His 18 blocks are the third-most as a freshman under Krimmel and he currently ranks third in the NEC with 1.6 bpg.
Saint Francis U wore gold shoelaces to raise awareness for the Go4TheGoal’s Lace Up For Pediatric Cancer initiative during its game against Mount St. Mary’s on Friday.
Stonehill graduate forward Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, MA/The Tilton School (NH) (Lynn/Franklin Pierce)) hit three triples in a team-high 18-point performance at New Hampshire last Monday. It marked his fifth game this season with a trio of triples. Zegarowski ranks eighth in the NEC in scoring (12.5), fourth in free throw percentage (.794), sixth in made three-pointers (1.85) and 11th in three-point percentage (.348).
Wagner junior guard Melvin Council Jr. (Rochester, NY/University Prep (Monroe College)) has reached double digits in six of his last seven games. Council Jr., who leads the Seahawks with 12.7 ppg, scored a team-high 13 points at Fairfield on Sunday.
Wagner had turned the ball over a league-low 9.7 times per game this season, which places the Seahawks 20th in DI.