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NEC Player of the Week: Darin Smith, Jr., Central Connecticut
NEC Rookie of the Week: David Jevtic, FDU

Previous NEC Releases: January 6 | 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
Darin Smith, Jr., Central Connecticut
Sophomore, Forward, 6-7, 210 lbs., Springfield, MA/Vermont Academy/Springfield Central
Last Week’s Stats: 23.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 40.0 FG%, 89.5 FT%
Smith’s elite scoring led second-place Central Connecticut to two more victories this past week. The league’s top point-getter strung together consecutive 20-point outings — including the 10th of the season — for the sixth time this season in a 76-69 win over visiting Stonehill on Thursday and a 69-59 triumph at Le Moyne on Saturday. On the week, Smith averaged 23.0 points while adding 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block per contest. Powered by a 15-point second half, the Springfield, MA product put up 22 points and grabbed four boards against the Skyhawks. Three days later in Syracuse, Smith, who netted 14 points in the second half alone, finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double effort of the season. During that two-game stretch, he turned in a 17-of-19 effort from the free-throw line to improve his league-leading percentage to .884 (61-of-69). Smith is the lone player in the circuit averaging more than 20.0 points per game, while his 20.3-point-per-game clip is the 31st-best average in the nation. Against NEC competitors, he is performing at an even higher level at 21.0 points per contest. With this week’s NEC Player of the Week honor, Smith leads all players with three so far this year.

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
David Jevtic, FDU
Guard, Freshman, 6-8, 195 lbs., Belgrade, Serbia/KK Kolubara Lazarevac 2003
Last Week’s Stats: 9.0 ppg, 18.5 mpg, 42.9 FG%
Jevtic pushed his NEC Rookie of the Week award count to a league-leading three on Monday after he helped lead FDU to a split record against NEC competitors last week. The rookie guard, who arrived in Hackensack by way of Belgrade, Serbia, averaged 9.0 points in 18.5 minutes per game for the Knights. FDU received five points from Jevtic on Thursday in a 70-63 wire-to-wire home win over Chicago State. Three days later, the freshman came off the bench to contribute 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and a 3-of-6 clip from long range at New Haven. It marked Jevtic’s fourth double-figure scoring game of the season, and his first against an NEC competitor. On the season, he is averaging 6.9 points per game on 40.6 percent shooting from the field.


NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
 
Jay Rodgers, CCSU (G, Sr)
Turning in a 93.3 percent effort from the free throw line (14-of-15), Rodgers averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds in Central Connecticut’s wins over Stonehill on Thursday and Le Moyne on Saturday. The senior guard balled out against the Skyhawks with six assists and a season-best 21 points.
 
Darin Smith, Jr., CCSU (F, So)
Leading all scorers by averaging 23.0 points, Smith added 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block per game in Central Connecticut’s 2-0 week. The sophomore forward, who put up 20 points in both games, netted 14 points in the second half in Saturday’s win at Le Moyne en route to scoring with his second double-double (24 points, 12 rebounds) of the year. Smith also came away with NEC Player of the Week distinction.
 
Taeshaud Jackson, FDU (F, Sr)
Jackson led all NEC players on the boards with 25 total after he pulled down double digits in the category in each of FDU’s games against Chicago State (14) and New Haven (11). The senior forward made it a double-double to lead the Knights to a win against the Cougars Thursday after he added 17 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. 
 
Shilo Jackson, LEM (F, Gr)
Combining for an efficient 80.0 percent effort from the floor (8-of-10), Jackson did a little bit of everything for Le Moyne to lead the Dolphins to a split record against NEC competitors last week. Stuffing the stat sheet with 11 points, seven boards and four dimes in Thursday’s 73-47 win against New Haven, the graduate forward boosted his NEC-leading double-double total to eight on Saturday after he recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds against Central Connecticut. 
 
Jamal Fuller, LIU (G/F, Gr)
Fuller, who averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in LIU’s 2-0 week, pushed his double-digit scoring streak to seven games after he netted 11 points against Mercyhurst on Thursday and 23 points against Saint Francis on Saturday. Going 6-of-8 from the field and 10-of-11 from the line against the Red Flash, the graduate guard/forward netted 16 of his points during a second half that saw the Sharks erase a 10-point deficit and come away with the 67-63 victory. 
 
Greg Gordon, LIU (G, Sr)
Gordon stuffed the stat sheet in LIU’s 2-0 week by averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. The senior guard recorded 12 points and eight boards — including the game-clinching defensive rebound — against Mercyhurst on Thursday before he registered his first double-double of the year on 22 points and a season-best 12 boards in Saturday’s win over Saint Francis. 
 
Bernie Blunt III, MU (G, Gr)
Blunt came up huge for the Lakers in crunch time in Saturday’s one-point win at Wagner, netting nine of his team’s last 11 points of the game with a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the line inside the last 13 seconds. Leading all scorers with 23 points in the triumph, the graduate guard averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 boards and 3.0 assists on the week.
 
Davante Hackett, STO (G, Jr)
Going 48.3 percent from the field (14-of-29), Hackett guided Stonehill to a 1-1 record last week after he averaged 20.5 poitns and 6.5 rebounds during that stretch. Netting 19 points on Thursday at Central Connecticut, the junior guard, who notched his first double-double of the year with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Chicago State, was key in the Skyhawks’ 85-82 overtime win over the visiting Cougars with nine of his points coming in the extra session. 
 
Hermann Koffi, STO (G, So)
Koffi forced overtime on Saturday by draining two free throws with one-tenth of a second remaining in Stonehill’s eventual 85-82 win over Chicago State. Netting 18 points in the win, the sophomore guard started his week off with a 17-point effort on 66.7 percent shooting from the field at Central Connecticut on Thursday.


#NECMBB BY THE NUMBERS

4 - LIU, the lone unbeaten team in the circuit, defeated Mercyhurst and Saint Francis to improve to 4-0 for the second straight year.

10 - All five of the NEC games on Saturday’s slate were decided by 10 points or fewer, with three of those contests being decided by four points or less.

10 - CCSU’s Darin Smith, Jr. became the first NEC player this season to score 20-or-more points in 10 games this season on Saturday at Le Moyne.


#NECMBB FAST BREAK

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Sophomore Darin Smith, Jr. (20.3 ppg) is the first Blue Devil to net at least 20 points per game since Kyle Vinales (21.6 ppg) in 2012-13.

CHICAGO STATE: Senior forward CJ Ray has been the Cougars’ top scorer in each of their four NEC contests this season.

FDU: Senior Taeshaud Jackson has averaged 11.2 rebounds per contest over his past five appearances.

LE MOYNE: Shilo Jackson is the only NEC player that appears in the league’s top-10 in scoring (8th), rebounding (1st) and blocks (3rd).

LIU: Three of the NEC’s top six scoring spots are occupied by LIU players: Jamal Fuller (4th), Malachi Davis (5th) and Greg Gordon (6th). 

MERCYHURST: Grad student Bernie Blunt III has converted on each of his last 25 free throw attempts, including a 10-for-10 effort at Wagner on Saturday.

NEW HAVEN: Andre Pasha has led the Chargers in scoring in each of their past three games and is averaging 14.7 ppg during that stretch.

SAINT FRANCIS: The Red Flash have knocked down 35 three-pointers since the start of league play to lead the way with 8.75 makes per contest.

STONEHILL:Stonehill’s overtime win over Chicago State marked the Skyhawks’ first in league play since joining the NEC for 2022-23.

WAGNER: Each of Wagner’s two defeats this past week were decided by two points or fewer, including a one-point loss to Mercyhurst Saturday.


#NECMBB NEWS & NOTES

FOUR-AND-ZERO
LIU is off to a 4-0 start to conference play for the second-straight season in 2025-26. Last year, the Sharks rattled off six-straight wins before suffering their first defeat at the hands of Saint Francis (74-64) on Jan. 24, 2025.

LIU has won the first four games of its league slate on five occasions, also turning the trick in 1996-97, 2009-10 and 2011-12. 

THE ROARING TWENTIES
Central Connecticut redshirt sophomore Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) became the first player in the NEC this season to net 20 points on 10 occasions after he dropped a game-high 24 in Saturday’s 69-59 win at Le Moyne. 

In addition, the league’s top scorer at 20.3 ppg became the 22nd player in the nation to reach twin figures in 20-point performances in 2025-26.

Smith needed just 15 games to reach double digits in 20-point games, which ties him for second fastest player to hit the mark since Mount St. Mary’s guard Junior Robinson netted 20 points in 10 of his first 13 games back in 2017-18.

WINNER, WINNER!
Trailing Chicago State with one-tenth of a second remaining in regulation, Stonehill tied up the contest with two Hermann Koffi (Quebec City, Ontario/Polyvalente de Thetford Mines) free throws and ultimately came away with the 85-82 win in overtime on Saturday in Easton.

The extra-session win was the Skyhawks' first against an NEC opponent since joining the league for the 2022-23 campaign. Prior to Saturday’s tilt, Stonehill was 0-2 in games against conference competitors that required extra time with a 94-90 triple overtime loss to Central Connecticut in 2023 (Feb. 18, 2023) and an 81-74 overtime defeat to FDU in 2024 (Jan. 13, 2024).

CLOSE ONES
The second week of NEC play brought some thrilling — and close — games with one overtime contest, a one-point game and a pair of two-point decisions. In fact, all but one of the 10 games on the slate last week were decided by 10 points or fewer, with all five of Saturday’s games falling within that margin. 

BACK TO BOARDING SCHOOL
Just over one week after LIU cleaned up the offensive glass against Central Connecticut (Jan. 2) with 19 — the most in an NEC game since FDU corralled 20 at Sacred Heart on Feb. 22, 2024 — LIU topped the mark in Saturday’s win over Saint Francis.

In the 67-63 triumph, the Sharks pulled down 21 offensive rebounds, the most by an NEC squad against a conference foe since Mount St. Mary’s snared 21 against Sacred Heart on January 30, 2021. 

Over the past decade, just 14 NEC teams have recorded at least 21 o-boards in a league contest.

SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS
We’ve all heard of Diaper Dandies, but the NEC has been run by sophomores as of late.

Central Connecticut forward Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) currently paces the conference in scoring as a sophomore with 20.3 points per game.

Last season’s scoring leader was also a sophomore, as FDU’s Terrence Brown led the way with 20.6 ppg.

The trend of sophomore sensations began in the 2023-24 campaign thanks to Merrimack’s Jordan Derkack, who led the circuit with 17.0 ppg.

DID YOU KNOW?
Saint Francis redshirt senior Skylar Wicks (Jersey City, NJ/Surge Christian Academy (Missouri State)) is just one of six players nationally to average 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

AJ Dybantsa (Brigham Young) - 22.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.9 apg
Cameron Boozer (Duke) - 22.9 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 4.2 apg
Paulius Murauskas (St. Mary’s) - 19.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.4 apg
Keyshawn Hall (Auburn) - 21.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.9 apg
Caleb Wilson (UNC) - 19.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.7 apg
Skylar Wicks (Saint Francis) - 18.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.7 apg

BBIII FROM THE STRIPE
Since a rare misfire on two consecutive free throws following a shooting foul in the first half at Syracuse on Dec. 17, Mercyhurst graduate guard Bernie Blunt III (Morgantown, PA/Peddie School (Edinboro)) has been on a roll from the charity stripe.

The 2025-26 Preseason All-NEC selection has since knocked down each of his 25 free throws, including an 8-for-8 effort against FDU earlier this month (Jan. 2) and a recent 10-for-10 performance at Wagner on Saturday. 

On the season, Blunt is second in the conference in free throw shooting percentage, as his 82.9 percent clip (58-for-70) is behind Central Connecticut’s Darin Smith, Jr.’s 88.4 percent clip (61-for-69).  

DOUBLE-DOUBLE DUO
Stonehill junior guard Davante Hackett (Brampton, Ontario/Bill Crothers Secondary School (Brock University)) and junior center Ridvan Tutic (Novi Pazar, Serbia/Gimnazija Novi Pazar (Maine)) became the first conference tandem to net double-doubles in the same game against a conference foe this season in Saturday’s 85-82 overtime triumph over Chicago State. Hackett turned the trick for the first time in a Skyhawk uniform after registering 22 points and 11 boards while Tutic, who ranks second in the category, recorded his fourth double-double behind a 15-point, 13-rebound performance.

Hackett and Tutic are the first NEC duo to record double-doubles in the same NEC game in exactly one year, when the Le Moyne tandem of Nate Fouts (15p, 10r) and Ocypher Owens (21p, 13r) did so in a double-overtime defeat against against FDU on Jan. 10, 2025.

A RAY OF SUNSHINE
Chicago State forward CJ Ray (Four Oaks, NC/South Johnston) provided a big spark for the Cougars’ offense off the bench on Saturday. The senior went 10-of-19 from the field and extended his double-figure scoring streak to 10 games with a season-high 27-point outing in an overtime defeat at Stonehill.

Ray’s 27 points off the pine were the most by a player coming off the bench by an NEC player this season.

20/20 VISION
LIU has had two players score 20-or-more points in the same game a league-leading five times. There have been 23 other teams in the nation that have at least five games with two 20-point scorers. 

The duo of Malachi Davis (Scarborough, Ontario/Central Tech (Arizona State)) and graduate guard/forward Jamal Fuller (Toronto, Ontario/Central Technical/Academy of Art) have teamed up to score 20 points in the same game three times this year. 

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 7.3-per-game clip, an average that leads all NEC players and is currently the fourth-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 last week. 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 opened NEC play with a 14-assist game at LIU on Jan. 2, 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 ninth 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 also turned the trick three times, while Sacred Heart’s Cameron Parker had 10-or-more dimes in four games. 

STREAKING SHARKS
LIU owns the NEC’s longest regular season win streak against league foes, having won 10-straight games. The Sharks’ last regular season loss in conference play 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.

SMITH’S SCORING STREAK
Mercyhurst’s Bernie Blunt III (Morgantown, PA/Peddie School (Edinboro)) entered the week riding the league’s longest double-digit scoring streak, but that 14-game rally came to an end on Thursday when the grad guard came one point shy of the mark at LIU.

With that streak snapped, Central Connecticut redshirt sophomore and the NEC’s leading scorer Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) owns the conference’s current longest double-figure scoring rally. 

Smith is the lone player to have netted twin figures in every game he has played in this season, having turnin the trick in each of the Blue Devils’ 15 contests this year. 

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
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 20.3 ppg, he leads all NEC players. In addition, Smith, who is 29th in the nation in scoring, is ranked seventh 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 18.0 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 2.7 dimes and 7.1 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 eighth-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 eight double-doubles, a league-leading mark that ties him for 12th 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-six in scoring, led by Fuller, who is fourth with 16.3 ppg.  Davis (15.4 ppg) checks in at fifth and Gordon (14.9) is sixth.

LIU is the lone squad to have three scorers ranked inside the NEC’s top-six, and the Sharks are the first since 2011-12 to do so. Central Connecticut was the last squad to have three top-six 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 17 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 63.9 percent clip. That percentage ranks him first in the conference and 15th nationally in field goal accuracy.

NEWBIE NUMBERS
With New Haven’s 70-55 Opening Night win at Stonehill on Jan. 2, five-straight NEC newcomers have now 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)


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: Darin Smith, Jr. (Central Connecticut)
Jan. 21

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: David Jevtic (FDU)
Jan. 21