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NEC Player of the Week: Shilo Jackson, Le Moyne
NEC Rookie of the Week: David Jevtic, FDU

Previous NEC Releases: December 23 | December 15 | December 8 | December 1 | November 24 | November 17 | November 10 | Preseason Poll Release
 
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shilo Jackson, Le Moyne
Forward, Graduate Student, 6-9, 225 lbs., Indianapolis, IN/North Central (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)
Last Week’s Stats: 19.0 ppg, 15.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 52.9 FG%
One of the nation’s top double-double producers added another one to his count, and he did so in impressive fashion this past week. At ACC member Boston College on Sunday, Jackson dropped a team-high 19 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field while tacking on a game- and season-high 15 boards. In addition, Jackson enjoyed a solid all-around outing after contributing three assists, one steal and a block to the hard-fought, eight-point defeat inside Conte Forum. The Hoosier State’s performance was one of the NEC’s most impressive against a team from a Power 4 conference, as he is the first player since at least 1997-98 to finish with at least 19 points and 15 rebounds. Turning the double-double trick seven times this season — including a stretch of four-straight games that he turned the trick in — Jackson ranks 10th in the nation in the category. The league’s leading rebounder (8.9 rpg) concludes non-conference play as the only player in the circuit to rank inside the top-10 in boards, points (14.9 ppg – t-6th ) and blocks (2.2 – t-1st). This is Jackson’s first NEC Player of the Week award this season and the first for a Le Moyne baller in 2025-26.

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
David Jevtic, FDU
Guard, Freshman, 6-8, 197 lbs., Belgrade, Serbia/KK Kolubara Lazarevac 2003
Last Week’s Stats: 9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 42.9 FG%, 33.3 3FG%, 18.0 mpg
Jevtic, who was previously named the NEC Rookie of the Week following an opening-week effort that saw him average 14.0 points and 4.5 rebounds for FDU, doubled his season weekly award count to two on Tuesday. The first-year guard from Serbia knocked down 3-of-7 shots from the field — including his 10th triple of the season — in 18 minutes off the bench to finish one point shy of his fourth double-figure scoring game of his career in the Knights’ final non-conference game at Big 10 member Minnesota. Jevtic is averaging 7.0 points per game in his FDU debut, a mark that seventh among fellow Knights.


NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
 
Eric Parnell, FDU (G, Sr)
In FDU’s final non-conference game of the 2025-26 slate, Parnell netted a team-high 17 points at Big 10 opponent Minnesota after he turned in a 5-of-10 effort from long range on Monday. The senior guard added a pair of steals and three boards in 33 minutes of action.
 
Shilo Jackson, LEM (F, Gr)
Jackson notched his NEC-leading seventh double-double of the season at ACC foe Boston College on Sunday. Pouring in 19 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field while snagging a season-high 15 boards, the graduate forward added three dimes, one steal and a block in the eight-point defeat to the Eagles. Jackson was also pegged the NEC Player of the Week.
 
Jamal Fuller, LIU (G/F, Gr)
Fuller put up 18 points for the third-straight outing on Monday in LIU’s hard-fought battle at No. 23 Georgia. Going 6-of-8 from the field for an efficient 75.0 percent clip, the graduate guard/forward stuffed the stat sheet with five rebounds, four assists, one block and a steal in the Sharks’ non-conference finale.
 
Greg Gordon, LIU (G, Sr)
Gordon dropped 20 points on the 23rd-ranked team in the nation on Monday evening after he went 10-of-16 from the field at SEC member Georgia. Playing 37 minutes of flawless ball without committing a turnover, the senior guard added six boards, three assists and two steals for the Sharks, who held a lead for the first 23 minutes of the game.


#NECMBB BY THE NUMBERS

12 - CCSU enters the start of NEC play riding a 12-game winning streak against conference opponents during the regular season.

2 - LIU and CCSU — the top-two teams in the NEC preseason poll — are set to tangle on Friday in both teams’ conference debut.

1 - Le Moyne grad student Shilo Jackson became the first NEC player to notch 20+ points and 15+ boards vs. a Power 4 team since at least 1997-98.


#NECMBB FAST BREAK

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Sophomore Darin Smith, Jr. is one of eight underclassmen in the nation to average at least 20.0 points per game (20.0 ppg).

CHICAGO STATE: Chicago State concluded its out-of-league slate with the league’s top free throw percentage at 75.4 percent.

FDU: Making six-or-more three-pointers in each of its 13 games FDU has drained 10-or-more on six occasions this season.

LE MOYNE: Shilo Jackson is the lone NEC player to rank in the league’s top-10 in scoring, rebounding and blocks.

LIU: LIU led for the first 23 minutes of action in Monday’s non-conference finale at #23 Georgia. 

MERCYHURST: Guard Bernie Blunt III extended his double-digit scoring streak to 12 games, an NEC-best rally, after scoring 10 vs. Binghamton.

NEW HAVEN: New Haven concluded its first-ever DI non-conference slate at Vanderbilt, marking the program’s first game vs. an NEC opponent.

SAINT FRANCIS: Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks, who is second in the NEC in scoring, is one of two players to net double figures in every game (11 games).

STONEHILL: Hermann Koffi is the lone player in the league knocking averaging more than three makes (3.1) from long range a game.

WAGNER: Wagner closed out its non-conference slate with back-to-back wins over UMES and Manor.


#NECMBB NEWS & NOTES

WHAT’S ON TAP?
The highly-anticipated 45th season of NEC hoops launches on Friday evening with a full five-game slate. Right off the bat, the schedule is highlighted by a marquee matchup in Brooklyn between LIU, the preseason number one team, and Central Connecticut, which took runner-up honors in the annual preseason projected order-of-finish. The two squads will tip off from Steinberg Wellness Center at 7:00 p.m.

NEC teams return to the hardwood on Sunday afternoon for another five-game lineup. The second game day of the 2025-26 conference slate features an in-state battle between Central Connecticut and NEC newcomer in New Britain.

THIS YEAR’S FORMAT
Each NEC squad will play an 18-game double round-robin schedule under the NEC’s 10-team alignment in 2025-26. The slate, whcih runs nine weeks, does not have any bye dates. This year’s men’s slate will vary the first four weeks of the season before settling into the familiar Thursday/Saturday format for the final five weeks of the campaign.

WE’RE TALKIN’ POSTSEASON
The NEC Basketball Championship will remain an eight-team playoff format in 2025-26 with all games played at the home of the higher seed. After the quarterfinals, advancing teams will be reseeded so the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals.

The 2026 NEC Men’s Basketball Championship will take place at March 4, 7 and 10 at campus sites.

WHO’S IN THE MIX?
With Mercyhurst now postseason eligible, nine of the 10 eligible teams will participate in this year’s NEC Tournament. NEC newcomer New Haven is not yet eligible for conference postseason play.

Stonehill has completed its Division I reclassification and is now eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season. Le Moyne and Mercyhurst are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to their current statuses as Division I reclassifying institutions. 

If a reclassifying institution wins the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC’s automatic qualifier as per current policy. If two reclassifying members reach the conference final, the NEC will stage an “AQ Qualifier” game between the two non-advancing semifinal teams. This will serve as a decisive game to determine the team that will secure the NEC’s spot in the NCAA Tournament. The “AQ Qualifer” game will occur this season if Le Moyne and Mercyhurst reach the final game of the NEC Tournament.

DID YOU KNOW?
Central Connecticut rides a 12-game win streak against NEC opponents during the regular season into Friday night’s opener at LIU.

The Blue Devils’ last loss against a conference foe outside of postseason play came nearly one full calendar year ago — 352 days to be exact — on January 12, 2024. That defeat came at the hands of the Sharks by way of a 54-52 final in New Britain.

The Blue Devils look to keep another streak intact in Brooklyn on Friday. Central Connecticut has knocked off 11-straight NEC opponents on the road during the regular season in a rally that dates back to a 73-72 win at Wagner on Feb. 22, 2024. The New Britain team’s last road conference defeat came on Feb. 15, 2024 in a 69-64 overtime loss at Le Moyne.

STREAKING SHARKS
LIU also rides a rally into Friday’s NEC opener, having defeated six-straight league opponents in the regular season. The Sharks’ last regular season conference loss came in the Windy City to Chicago State on Feb. 1, 2025, when the Cougars came out on top in a 73-67 decision in overtime.

A POWER 4 (AND POWERFUL) DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Le Moyne graduate student Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, IN/North Central/Vincennes (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)), who took home the final NEC Player of the Week award of the 2025 calendar year, closed out the non-conference slate on a high note. 

Leading all Dolphins with 19 points in a hard-fought battle at Boston College on Sunday, the forward hauled in 15 rebounds to tie a season-high effort in the category. With that double-double — his league-leading seventh of the year — Jackson became the first NEC player since at least 1997-98 to tally at least 19 points and 15 rebounds against a team from a Power 4 conference.

MUST SEE TV
The NEC is back on ESPN this season. A total of 16 regular-season league games ­— eight men’s contests and nine on the women’s side — as well as all four semifinal contests and both championship games, are set to air on ESPN+. Included in that stretch are four exclusive matchups. The men’s ESPN+ slate begins on Jan. 19 with a 2 p.m. tilt between Wagner and FDU in the Garden State.

In addition, ESPNU will air a pair of marquee matchups, one men’s and one women’s game. Unanimous regular season favorite LIU visits defending NEC regular season champion Central Connecticut on Jan. 31 in New Britain in front of a national audience on the "U.”

The NEC will supplement national coverage on ESPN with extensive regional programming across the conference footprint as well. NEC hoops will continue to have a strong presence in the New York metro area with YES Network returning as a regional partner, while NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) are also back this season, adding to the NEC’s regional coverage.

SCORING STREAKS
Several NEC ballers enter the start of league play looking to keep double-digit scoring streaks intact.

Two players — Central Connecticut sophomore Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) and Saint Francis redshirt senior Skylar Wicks (Jersey City, NJ/Surge Christian Academy (Missouri State)) ­— have scored in twin figures in every game they have played in this season. Smith has turned the trick in each of Central Connecticut’s 11 games this year, while Wicks has netted double figures in each of his 11 games in his Red Flash debut.

Smith’s current 11-game double-figure scoring streak is second behind Mercyhurst grad student Bernie Blunt III (Morgantown, PA/Peddie School (Quinnipiac)), and LIU redshirt senior Malachi Davis (Scarborough, Ontario/Central Tech (Arizona State)), who each own the longest active rally in the NEC at 12 games. 
8SOPHOMORE SENSATION
Central Connecticut sophomore Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) has burst onto the scene in a big way for the Blue Devils in 2025-26.

The Springfield, MA native averaged 6.9 ppg in his Central Connecticut debut a year ago to earn NEC All-Rookie Team distinction at season’s end. This year, he has more than doubled his scoring average and at 20.0 ppg, he leads all NEC players heading into the league slate. In addition, Smith, who is 32nd in the nation in scoring, is one of eight underclassmen in all of Division I to average at least 20.0 points.

SKYLAR’S SCORING
Landing in Loretto following stints at UTSA, Incarnate Word, State College of Florida and Missouri State, redshirt senior Skylar Wicks (Jersey City, NJ/Surge Christian Academy (Missouri State)) has provided a major boost to the Red Flash offense this season.

One of two NEC players to score in double figures in every game he has appeared in this season, the combo 6-foot-6 guard/forward is averaging 19.1 points per game to rank second in the league. That scoring average is the highest by a Red Flash player since Josh Cohen put up 21.8 per night in 2022-23.

Wicks is in elite company in the NEC statistics this season. Adding 2.6 dimes and 7.4 boards per contest, he is the lone player in the league to rank in the top-105 in scoring, assists and rebounding. His assist average is the 12th-best in the conference while his rebounding clip is fourth-best.

RODGERS CAN ASSIST
Central Connecticut senior Jay Rodgers (Pickerington, OH/Cochise College (University of New Orleans)) has been dropping dimes like they are going out of style this season.

The 6-foot-6 guard is handing out assists at a 7.1-per-game clip, an average that leads all NEC players and is the fifth-best among all NCAA Division I players.

Earlier this month, Rodgers compiled his first double-double in a Blue Devil uniform when he scored 14 points and recorded 10 assists in a 84-67 road win at Binghamton. 

In addition to turning the double-double trick for the first time, the Buckeye State native also became the first NEC player to notch a double-double on points and assists against a Division I squad this year. Furthermore, Rodgers, who also dropped 10 assists in his team’s overtime win over Sacred Heart last month, became the first league player since 2019-20 to have multiple double-digit assist performances (against DI opponents) in the same season. 

That year, Merrimack’s Juvaris Hayes turned the trick three times, while Sacred Heart’s Cameron Parker had 10-or-more dimes in four games. 

SEEING DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Le Moyne graduate forward Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, IN/North Central/Vincennes (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)) enters the week with seven double-doubles, a league-leading mark that ranks him 10th in the nation.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS
LIU’s offense packs a potent punch with the trio of redshirt senior Malachi Davis (Scarborough, Ontario/Central Tech (Arizona State)), graduate guard/forward Jamal Fuller (Toronto, Ontario/Central Technical/Academy of Art) and senior guard Greg Gordon (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park (UAB)).

Combining for 587 points, the threesome accounts for 58.9 percent of the Sharks’ scoring this season. All three players are ranked inside the league’s top-10 in scoring, led by Davis, who is third with 16.1 ppg. 

LIU is the lone squad to have three scorers ranked inside the NEC’s top 10 this year.

SHARP-SHOOTING SHILO
Le Moyne graduate forward Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, IN/North Central/Vincennes (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)) has torched the nets this season. 

Hitting at least 50.0 percent of his shots from the field in each of his 11 games in a Dolphins’ uniform — including a 90.0 percent clip (9-of-10) in last month’s overtime win vs. Monmouth — the Hoosier State product is converting at a 62.6 percent clip. That percentage ranks him first in the conference and 24th nationally in field goal accuracy.

Jackson also leads the NEC and is 39th in the nation in rebounds per game (8.9), while his 2.15 blocks per game are tied for the league-lead and 29th in NCAA Division I.


2025-26 NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nov. 10: Greg Gordon (LIU)
Nov. 17: Darin Smith, Jr. (Central Connecticut) & Malachi Davis (LIU) 
Nov. 24: Jay Rodgers (Central Connecticut)
Dec. 1: Darin Smith, Jr. (Central Connecticut) & Nick Jones (Wagner)
Dec. 8: Malachi Davis (LIU)
Dec. 15: Greg Gordon (LIU)
Dec. 23: Qadir Martin (Mercyhurst)
Dec. 30: Shilo Jackson (Le Moyne)
Jan. 5: 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Nov. 10: David Jevtic (FDU)
Nov. 17: Elijah Parker (Central Connecticut)
Nov. 24: Tristan Burth (New Haven)
Dec. 1: Ashton Reynolds (Central Connecticut)
Dec. 8: Paris Papadatos (Saint Francis)
Dec. 15: Roddy Jones (Central Connecticut)
Dec. 23: Ashton Reynolds (Central Connecticut)
Dec. 30: David Jevtic (FDU)
Jan. 5: