Click HERE For PDF Release

NEC Player of the Week: Jamal Fuller, LIU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Aidan Losiewicz, New Haven

Previous NEC Releases: December 30 | 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
Jamal Fuller, LIU
Guard/Forward, Graduate Student, 6-5, 215 lbs., Toronto, Ontario/Central Technical School (Academy of Art University)
Last Week’s Stats: 20.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.0 apg, 2.0 bpg, 1.5 spg, 57.7 FG%, 54.5 3-FG%
Fuller began NEC play on an absolute tear, and as a result, he helped LIU jump out to a 2-0 start to the new slate. The combo guard/forward led all scorers during opening weekend after he averaged 20.5 points per game in efficient fashion. Turning in a 57.5 percent clip from the field (15-of-26), the Canadian-born grad student shot north of 50.0 percent from long range after he combined to go 6-of-11. In addition, Fuller, who was fourth among NEC rebounders this past weekend with 8.0 per game, stuffed the stat sheet with 10 assists, four blocks and three steals. He opened conference play Friday with an elite performance against Central Connecticut, the preseason No. 2 team in the league. Knocking down 4-of-6 triples, he dropped 20 points on the Blue Devils and came one rebound shy of a double-double while adding five assists and a pair of blocks in the 84-78 victory. Two days later, Fuller helped LIU become the lone remaining undefeated squad with his second-straight 20-point outing in a 74-55 triumph. Tying his season high with 21 points, it marked the second time this season that he strung together consecutive 20-point games. Fuller currently ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring with 16.2 points per game, while his 5.8 boards per contest are good for 10th. With Fuller’s first weekly award this season, the Sharks have tallied five NEC Player of the Week honors with Malachi Davis twice earning the distinction (Nov. 17, Dec. 8) and Greg Gordon also taking home the award on two occasions (Nov. 11, Dec. 15).

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Aidan Losiewicz, New Haven
Guard, Freshman, 6-3, Douglas, MA/Newman School
Last Week’s Stats: 15.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 apg, 64.7 FG%, 61.5 3FG%
Losiewicz’s hot hand from the field and three-point land yielded a pair of double-figure scoring games for the first-year guard in his first-ever NEC games. Coming off the bench to log 41 minutes in the two-game road stretch, the Douglas, MA native combined to shoot 64.7 percent (11-of-17) and 61.5 percent from distance (8-13) for the second- and third-best clips among all NEC players this past weekend. Losiewicz made a statement in New Haven’s NEC debut. Turning in a sizzling 71.4 percent effort from the field (5-of-7), including 3-of-4 makes from three, he racked up 13 points to help the Chargers take down Stonehill in Easton by way of a 70-55 final. Two days later, he knocked down five three-pointers and shot 60.0 percent overall (6-of-10) to finish with 17 points at Central Connecticut. His 30 combined points were 14 more than he had netted in his first eight games as a collegian. With this week’s award, Losiewicz joins teammate Tristan Burth as NEC Rookie of the Week honorees.


NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
 
Max Frazier, CCSU (F, Jr)
Frazier combined to shoot 61.9 percent from the field and averaged 15.5 points during the opening weekend of NEC play, a stretch that saw Central Connecticut come away with a 1-1 record. The junior forward got the conference slate going with a bang at LIU on Friday, dropping 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting while adding eight boards and two blocks.
 
Jay Rodgers, CCSU (G, Sr)
Rodgers became the first NEC player in more than six years to record at least 14 points and 14 assists in a game — and just the sixth to do so since 1997-98 — on Friday when he hit those numbers at LIU, the preseason favorite to win the NEC title. Following that effort with a 17-point, 14-assist outing in Sunday’s 72-61 win over New Haven, the senior guard averaged a double-double on 15.5 points and 10.5 dimes during the opening weekend of NEC play.
 
Darin Smith, Jr., CCSU (F, R-So)
Smith, the league’s top scorer, added his league-best eighth 20-point outing to his résumé on Friday when he netted 23 points in the Blue Devils’ 84-78 defeat at preseason No. 1 LIU. The redshirt sophomore added 15 points on Sunday to pilot his team to its first NEC win of the year, a 72-61 home victory over New Haven.
 
Taeshaud Jackson, FDU (F, Sr)
Jackson was one of two NEC ballers to average a double-double (16.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg) during the first two games of the conference slate, a stretch that saw the Knights go 1-1 with a win at Mercyhurst and a hard-fought defeat at Saint Francis. Shooting 50.0 percent while racking up 16 points in each of those games, the senior forward turned the double-double trick for the second time this season after he pulled down 12 boards in Friday’s victory over the Lakers. 
 
Joey Niesman, FDU (G, Gr)
Niesman was a steady force for FDU during the opening weekend of NEC action, averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists to lead the Knights to a split record. The graduate guard turned in a 5-of-7 effort from the field for 16 points in Friday’s 74-67 win at Mercyhurst before he dropped a team-high 23 points and eight boards in Sunday’s last-second defeat at Saint Francis.
 
Shilo Jackson, LEM (F, Gr)
Jackson’s consistent play continued into the start of NEC play this past weekend. Stuffing the stat sheet with 12 points, eight boards, four dimes and a block in Friday’s conference-opening 84-58 win at Saint Francis, the senior forward contributed a team-high 17 points, six rebounds and a rejection on Sunday at Mercyhurst.
 
Malachi Davis, LIU (G, R-Sr)
Davis was a key contributor in LIU’s two NEC-opening victories, averaging 15.0 points, 6.0 assists and 2.5 boards against Central Connecticut and Chicago State. The redshirt senior guard was sensational in Friday’s league debut against the preseason No. 2 Blue Devils, delivering a game-high 23 points behind a season-best four made three-pointers while adding a season-high eight assists.
 
Jamal Fuller, LIU (G/F, Gr)
Going 57.7 percent from the field (15-of-26), including a sizzling 54.5 percent from three-point territory (6-of-11), Fuller led all scorers during the opening weekend of NEC play and was fourth among all rebounders with 20.5 points and 8.0 boards per contest. The combo guard/forward and three-point sniper netted back-to-back 20-point outings for the undefeated Sharks after scoring 20 points against Central Connecticut on Friday and a season-high 21 points at Chicago State on Sunday. Fuller was also pegged the NEC Player of the Week.
 
Bernie Blunt III, MU (G, Gr)
Blunt paced Mercyhurst in scoring in each of its first two NEC contests this past weekend after dropping 21 points in a defeat to FDU on Friday and 18 in Sunday’s double-digit win over Le Moyne. Combining for five makes from long range while going 48.0 percent from the field (12-of-25) in that stretch, the graduate guard was perfect from the line (10-of-10).


#NECMBB BY THE NUMBERS

2 - Knocking off preseason No. 2 Central Connecticut and Chicago State, LIU is the only remaining unbeaten squad in NEC play with a 2-0 mark.

14 - Central Connecticut’s Jay Rodgers became the first NEC player in more than six years to record at least 14 points & 14 assists in a game on Friday at LIU.

5 - New Haven’s win at Stonehill on Friday marked the fifth-straight time an NEC newcomer came out on top in its conference debut.


#NECMBB FAST BREAK

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: CCSU recorded 13 triples in Sunday’s win vs. New Haven, the most by the Blue Devils vs. a DI team since hitting 13 vs. FDU on Jan. 14, 2023.

CHICAGO STATE: Senior forward CJ Ray has paced the Cougars in scoring in each of their first two NEC games vs. Wagner (13 pts.) and LIU (10).

FDU: Making six-or-more three-pointers in each of its 15 games FDU has drained 10-or-more on six occasions this season.

LE MOYNE: Le Moyne eclipsed the 80-point mark for a league-leading seventh on Friday with its NEC-opening 84-58 win vs. Saint Francis.

LIU: Malachi Davis and Jamal Fuller have teamed up to net 20 points in the same game a league-leading three times this season. 

MERCYHURST: The Lakers improved to 11-3 at home vs. DI opponents — and 8-2 vs. NEC foes ­­— since elevating to the NCAA’s highest ranking in 2024-25.

NEW HAVEN: New Haven rejected nine shots in Friday’s win at Stonehill to tie a conference-best single-game mark this season.

SAINT FRANCIS: Saint Francis put up 85 points against FDU in Sunday’s win, marking a season-high offensive output for the Red Flash against a DI squad.

STONEHILL: Stonehill came away with its first NEC road win since defeating Chicago State on Jan. 12, 2024 on Sunday at Wagner.

WAGNER: Wagner came away with a win on the opening day of NEC play for the first time since 2023 with Friday’s triumph at Chicago State.


#NECMBB NEWS & NOTES

WHAT’S ON TAP?
The second week of NEC play resumes on Thursday with a full five-game slate. Two days later, all 10 squads will return to the hardwood for a complete Saturday of NEC hoops.

Opening the slate at home, LIU remains in Brooklyn hoping to maintain its status as the lone remaining undefeated squad. The Sharks begin the week on Thursday by hosting Mercyhurst before they welcome Saint Francis to the Big Apple on Saturday.

A NIGHT FOR THE NEWBIE
Shiny new addition New Haven made a great first impression in its NEC debut on Friday. 

After facing a nine-point deficit at Stonehill, the Chargers dug themselves out of the hole and secured the lead for good on an old-fashioned three-point play by junior guard Jabri Fitzpatrick (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick (Felician)) with 40 seconds left in the half.

A triple by sophomore guard George Najimi (Bridgeport, CT/Kolbe Cathedral) — his third of the game — put New Haven ahead by double digits with 16:17 remaining in the second, and that twin-figure lead would hold for the remainder of the game as the Chargers returned to the Elm City with a 70-55 triumph. 

NEWBIE NUMBERS
With New Haven’s 70-55 win at Stonehill on Friday, five-straight NEC newcomers have come away with victories in their inaugural games as conference members. Four of those victories have come on the road. 

2025-26: New Haven 70 at Stonehill 55 (1/2/26)
2024-25: Mercyhurst 76 vs. Stonehill 69 (1/3/25)
2023-24: Le Moyne 74 at FDU 63 (1/6/24)
2022-23: Stonehill 74 at Sacred Heart 67 (12/29/22)
2019-20: Merrimack 65 at Sacred Heart 57 (1/2/20) 

ROAD WARRIORS
NEC road teams went 4-1 on the opening night of conference play on Friday. LIU — the preseason number one squad — was the lone team to buck the trend with its triumph over visiting Central Connecticut in Brooklyn.

BOARDING SCHOOL
LIU was dominant on the offensive glass in its NEC-opening 84-78 win over Central Connecticut, which was picked to finish second in the league’s annual preseason poll. The 19 o-boards are the most in an NEC game since FDU grabbed 20 at Sacred Heart on Feb. 22, 2024.

The Sharks also became one of 23 squads to record at least 19 offensive rebounds in a league game over the past decade.

RODGER THAT
The season of giving has extended through the holidays and into the NEC slate for Central Connecticut senior Jay Rodgers (Pickerington, OH/Cochise College (University of New Orleans)).

Less than one month after he compiled his first double-double in a Blue Devil uniform with 14 points and 10 assists — and became the first NEC baller to notch a double-doulbe on points-assists against a Division I opponent — in a win at Binghamton (Dec. 13), the dangerous dime dropper turned the trick in Friday’s conference-opening battle at preseason favorite LIU.

Against the Sharks, Rodgers stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points and 14 assists. With that effort, he became the first NEC player in more than six years to record at least 14 points and 14 assists in a game, and just the sixth to do so since the 1997-98 season.

14 Point/14 Assist Games by NEC Players (since 1997-98): 
Jay Rodgers (CCSU): 14p/14a at LIU (1/2/26)
Cameron Parker (Sacred Heart): 16p/6a at Quinnipiac (11/24/19)
Antawn Dobie (LIU): 55p/15a at St. Francis Brooklyn (2/22/03)
Antawn Dobie (LIU): 20p/17a vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (12/15/02)
Antawn Dobie (LIU): 30p/14a vs. UMBC (2/15/02)
Nate Pondexter (Quinnipiac): 16p/15a vs. Brown (1/11/00)

In addition, Rodgers became one of just four players nationally to with at least 14 points and 14 assists in a game (against Division I opponents) this season. 

14 Point/14 Assist Games by NCAA Division I Players in 2025-26: 
Jay Rodgers (CCSU): 14p/14a at LIU (1/2/26)
Joel Foxwell (Portland): 20p/15a vs. Santa Clara (12/30/25)
Money Williams (Montana): 15p/15a vs. Oakland (11/25/25)
Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt): 19p/14a at South Carolina (1/3/25)

HOW CAN RODGERS ASSIST?
Senior Jay Rodgers (Pickerington, OH/Cochise College (University of New Orleans)) has been dropping dimes all year like they are going out of style.

The 6-foot-6 guard and Buckeye State product is handing out assists at a 7.6-per-game clip, an average that leads all NEC players and is currently the third-best among all NCAA Division I players.

Rodgers’ assist average is one that has not been seen in the league in quite some time. The last player to dish out five-or-more helpers per contest was Mount St. Mary’s’ Damian Chong Qui, who dished for 5.4 assists per contest in 2020-21. In addition, the Blue Devils’ guard is handing out the most dimes per game in more than a decade, when LIU’s Jason Brickman turned in a nation-leading 10.0 assist-per-game average in 2013-14.

THREE HONOREES
LIU graduate guard/forward Jamal Fuller (Toronto, Ontario/Central Technical School (Academy of Art University)) became the third Shark to take home NEC Player of the Week distinction on Tuesday. The graduate guard/forward joined senior guard Greg Gordon (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park (UAB)) and redshirt senior guard Malachi Davis (Scarborough, Ontario/Central Tech (Arizona State)), who have each earned the distinction two times.

The Sharks’ three different award winners are the most for LIU since the 2019-20 season when Raiquan Clark, Jermaine Jackson Jr. and Ty Flowers were honored.

DOUBLE-DIGIT DIMES
As previously mentioned, Central Connecticut senior guard Jay Rodgers (Pickerington, OH/Cochise College (University of New Orleans)) has had a knack for assisting on buckets this season.

He recently posted a 14-assist game this past Friday at LIU, marking the most by an NEC playmaker since Wagner’s Alex Morales dished for 14 against the Sharks on Jan. 15, 2021. In addition, Rodgers’ 14-dime performance is currently tied for seventh nationally on the single-game chart this season.

Previously recording twin figures in assists against Sacred Heart (10 on Nov. 25) and Binghamton (10 on Dec. 13), Rodgers is 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. 

HEAT CHECK
The NEC has had a lot of hot hands this season.

Central Connecticut senior Melo Sanchez (San Diego, CA/Veritas Prep (Arkansas)) is shooting the three-ball at 45.6 percent this season, a mark that is second in the conference. He torched the nets in Sunday’s win over New Haven to the tune of an 85.7 percent clip after going 6-of-7 from deep.

In league play, Central Connecticut has combined to shoot a remarkable 51.2 percent from behind the arc after draining 21-of-41 attempts collectively. The Blue Devils drained a season-best 13 triples against New Haven on Sunday on 52.0 percent shooting, a season-best mark that ranks fifth on the NEC charts (vs. Division I competitors) this year.

In addition to Le Moyne graduate forward Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, IN/North Central/Vincennes (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)), who leads the NEC and is 19th nationally in field goal percentage (62.7), LIU graduate guard/forward Jamal Fuller (Toronto, Ontario/Central Technical/Academy of Art) has been efficient from behind the arc. Knocking down 28-of-57 triples, his near 50.0 percent clip (49.1) is the best the NEC has seen since Sacred Heart’s Mike Sixsmith converted at a 54.2 rate (32-of-59) in 2020-21.

STREAKING SHARKS
LIU owns the NEC’s longest regular season win streak against league foes, having won eight-straight games. 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 overtime with a 73-67 decision.

STREAK-ENDING SHARKS
In addition to boosting its own win regular-season win streak vs. NEC opponents, LIU was responsible for ending the league’s longest rally on Friday.

Downing preseason No. 2 Central Connecticut by an 84-78 final, the Sharks handed the Blue Devils their first regular season NEC loss in 354 days. It ended a 12-game win streak in the regular season against conference teams for Central Connecticut. Prior to last Friday, the Blue Devils’ last regular season NEC defeat came to LIU by way of a 54-52 final in New Britain on Jan. 12, 2024. 

In addition, the Sharks halted another Blue Devils’ rally that featured 11-straight road wins against NEC opponents during the regular season. That streak — which was the longest active rally in the conference — dated back to a 73-72 win at Wagner on Feb. 22, 2024.  

BIG-PLAY PARIS
With Sunday’s game in Loretto just seconds away from going into overtime, Saint Francis freshman Paris Papadatos (Alimos, Greece/St. Thomas Aquinas (NJ)) called game for the Red Flash against FDU when he hit a three-pointer as time expired.

After a timeout, senior guard Ahmad Harrison (Baltimore, MD/National Christian Academy), who inbounded the ball 92-feet away under Saint Francis’ basket, took a handoff from former FDU forward Cam Tweedy (Waldorf, MD/Westlake (FDU)) in the backcourt. As the clock ticked down, Harrison raced down the court and found Papadatos, who released the shot in front of the Red Flash bench and hit nothing but nylon.

The 85-82 triumph was Saint Francis’ first dramatic win in the waning seconds of a game since Feb. 6, 2020, when Red Flash great Keith Braxton knocked down the game-deciding shot with 1.6 seconds left to play.

Braxton was also responsible for one of the biggest “buzzer-beaters” in Saint Francis lore in a semifinal thriller against Wagner on March 4, 2017. His triple from the wing as the final horn blew propelled the Red Flash to the title game of the NEC Championship for the first time since 1991 with the thrilling 71-70 triumph. Braxton was pegged the NEC Rookie of the Year that season.

DID YOU KNOW? 
With Sunday’s thrilling, buzzer-beating win over FDU, Saint Francis has knocked off FDU in three-straight games. The Red Flash were victorious in each of the teams’ two meetings in 2024-25 with a 75-70 triumph in Hackensack (Jan. 12, 2025) and an 85-80 overtime victory in Loretto (Feb. 22, 2025). 

NEC DUNK METER
LIU has dazzled fans this season by slamming home dunks on the regular.

In fact, the Sharks are tied for 12th in the nation for most dunks, delivering 70, which are 17 more than their next closest competitor in the conference (Le Moyne). In fact, nearly one-fifth of LIU’s field goals have come via the dunk.

Nine different Sharks have gone above the rim for buckets this season, led by senior guard Greg Gordon (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park (UAB)). With 31 slams, he is tied for 11th in the nation.

Gordon is followed in the NEC dunk rankings by Central Connecticut junior forward Max Frazier (Pittsboro, NC/Northwood (Siena)), who checks in at 25th nationally with 27 flushes.

SCORING STREAKS
Two NEC ballers enter the second week of league play looking to keep double-digit scoring streaks intact.

Central Connecticut redshirt sophomore Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) is the lone player to have netted twin figures in every game he has played in this season. Opening NEC play with respective 23 and 15 point games against LIU and New Haven, the former NEC All-Rookie team member has turned the trick in each of the Blue Devils’ 13 games this year. 

Smith’s current 11-game double-figure scoring streak is second behind Mercyhurst grad student Bernie Blunt III (Morgantown, PA/Peddie School (Quinnipiac)), who has gone off for 14-straight double-digit scoring games since beginning the year with eight points at Northwestern. 

SOPHOMORE 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 19.8 ppg, he leads all NEC players. In addition, Smith, who is 34th in the nation in scoring, is ranked eighth among all Division I underclassmen in scoring.

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.

The combo 6-foot-6 guard/forward is averaging 18.7 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 on an island when it comes to the NEC statistics this season. Adding 2.5 dimes and 7.2 boards per contest, he is the lone player in the league to rank in the top-10 in scoring, assists and rebounding. His assist average is the 10th-best in the conference while his rebounding clip is fourth-best.

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 ties him for 13th 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 684 points, the threesome accounts for 59.3 percent of the Sharks’ scoring this season. All three players are ranked inside the league’s top-eight in scoring, led by Fuller, who is fourth with 16.2 ppg.  Davis (15.9 ppg) checks in at fifth and Gordon is eighth with 14.5 ppg.

LIU is the lone squad to have three scorers ranked inside the NEC’s top-8, and the Sharks are the first since 2011-12 to do so. Central Connecticut was the last squad to have three top-8 scorers in Ken Horton (2nd), Kyle Vinales (3rd) and Robby Ptacek (5th).

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 all but one of his 15 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 62.7 percent clip. That percentage ranks him first in the conference and 19th nationally in field goal accuracy.


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. 6: Jamal Fuller (LIU)
Jan. 12: 

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. 6: Aidan Losiewicz (New Haven)
Jan. 12: