Click
HERE for PDF Release
Influxer/NEC Player of the Week: Jabri Fitzpatrick, New Haven
Influxer/NEC Rookie of the Week: None Awarded
Previous NEC Releases: February 16 |
February 9 |
February 2 |
January 27 |
January 21 |
January 12 |
January 6 |
December 30 |
December 23 |
December 15 |
December 8 |
December 1 |
November 24 |
November 17 |
November 10 |
Preseason Poll Release
INFLUXER/NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jabri Fitzpatrick, New Haven
Guard, Junior, 6-2, North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick (Felician)
Last Week’s Stats: 30.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 spg, 2.5 apg, 57.9 FG%, 66.7 3FG%, 78.6 FG%
Fitzpatrick’s offensive outburst last week helped the junior cement his name in New Haven’s record book as the first-ever Charger to garner Influxer/NEC Player of the Week accolades. The guard was on another level during that stretch and as a result, he guided the Chargers to a perfect 2-0 week in NEC play that included wins over Stonehill and FDU. Fitzpatrick more than doubled his season scoring average of 14.0 points per contest after he netted 30.5 points on 57.9 percent shooting from the field (22-of-38) and a sizzling 66.7 percent clip from long range (6-of-9). In addition, he averaged 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists in that span. The North Brunswick, NJ native was stellar in his team’s 64-51 win over the Skyhawks on Thursday. Tallying eight boards and four steals, he bested his previous career high by six points and led all scorers with 29 points. Three days later at FDU, a wire-to-wire 84-77 win, Fitzpatrick was even more impressive. Draining 11-of-17 shots for a 64.7 percent clip from the field, including a 4-of-4 effort from long range, the 6-2 transfer from Felician established a career high once again after he racked up a game-high 32 points. It marked the first-ever 30-point effort by a New Haven player since the Chargers joined the NEC for the 2025-26 season. Fitzpatrick appears in the league’s top-15 in several categories, including points per game (8th), assists per game (2.54 – 15th), steals per game (1.79 – 3rd) and minutes per game (33.82 – 2nd).
INFLUXER/NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
None Awarded
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Darin Smith, Jr., CCSU (F, So)
Smith notched his league-leading 15th 20-point outing of the season on Thursday when he recorded 20 points, five boards, five dimes and a pair of steals in Central Connecticut’s 78-77 win over Le Moyne. The sophomore forward came one point shy of the 20-point mark to finish with a team-high 19 points on Saturday at Chicago State.
Joey Niesman, FDU (G, Gr)
Niesman, who averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 boards and 4.5 assists on 58.6 percent shooting, established a new career high in scoring in Saturday’s game against New Haven when he dropped 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. The graduate guard opened the week with a stat-stuffer in Thursday’s win at Chicago State after he tallied 19 points, seven dimes and a season-best nine rebounds.
Deng Garang, LEM (G, R-So)
Coming one rebound shy of his first career double-double at Central Connecticut on Thursday, Deng, who combined to go 66.7 percent in two games, shot the lights out in a one-point defeat to the Blue Devils after he went 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from range for 18 points. The redshirt sophomore guard went on to net a team-high 20 points for his second 20-point game in the past three outings on Saturday at Stonehill.
Malachi Davis, LIU (G, R-Sr)
Davis put up twin figures in scoring in each of LIU’s three games to lead the Sharks to a 2-1 record during that stretch. The redshirt senior guard averaged 18.0 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game for the Sharks, who locked up the regular season title and the top seed in the upcoming NEC Tournament.
Jamal Fuller, LIU (G, Gr)
Fuller shot at least 70.0 percent from the field in each of LIU’s three games last week in a stretch that saw him average 21.3 points behind a pair of 20-point games. The graduate guard sank 7-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 from behind the arc and 9-of-10 from the free throw line to lead all scorers with 26 points, a mark that was three points higher than his previous career-best point total.
Bernie Blunt III, MU (G, Gr)
Blunt eclipsed the 20-point mark for the ninth time this season on Thursday when he netted 24 points while adding three thefts in an overtime defeat to Wagner. The graduate guard followed that effort with a 19-point outing to lead Mercyhurst past LIU by a 91-83 final on Saturday.
Jake Lemelman, MU (G, So)
For the second time this season, Lemelman strung together back-to-back 20-point games after he scored a career-high 27 in an overtime defeat to Wagner on Thursday and 20 in a win over first-place LIU on Saturday. On the week, the sophomore guard averaged 23.5 points on 48.5 percent shooting from the field (16-of-33).
Qadir Martin, MU (F, So)
Martin’s torrid play continued last week as he averaged 22.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on 60.7 shooting from the floor (17-of-28). He helped the Lakers go 1-1 during that stretch after he contributed a career-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field to his team’s 91-83 win over first-place LIU on Saturday.
Jabri Fitzpatrick, NHVN (G, Jr)
Fitzpatrick led all NEC ballers and was sixth in the natino with a 30.5 point-per-game average behind 57.9 percent shooting from the floor (22-of-38), a 66.7 percent clip from three (6-of-9) and a 78/6 percent effort from the charity stripe (11-of-14). The junior guard dropped a then-career high of 29 in Thursday’s win over Stonehill before he outperformed that personal-best mark by netting 32 against FDU on Saturday. Fitzpatrick was also pegged the Influxer/NEC Player of the Week.
Davante Hackett, STO (G, Jr)
Hackett recorded Stonehill’s first 30-point outing of the year on Saturday when he scored a career-best 30 points in a 77-68 win over Le Moyne. On the week, the junior guard averaged 18.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest.
Chas Stinson, STO (G, Sr)
Stinson averaged a double-double with 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds to guide Stonehill to a 1-1 record in NEC play last week. Compiling a double-double — his first of the season — after tallying 13 points and 12 boards in a defeat to New Haven, he helped the Skyhawks secure a spot in the NEC Tournament with a 16-point, nine-rebound effort in Saturday’s 77-68 win against Le Moyne.
Travis Gray, WAG (G, Gr)
For the first time in his career, Gray strung together back-to-back double-doubles to lead the Seahawks to a 2-0 week. Combining to shoot 52.4 percent from the field (11-of-21) while averaging 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, the graduate guard upped his previous career-best point total by 10 after he poured in a game-high 27 points while leading all players with 11 rebounds.
#NECMBB BY THE NUMBERS
14 - For the first time in
14 years, LIU has clinched the NEC regular season crown and the top seed in the NEC Tournament.
45 - Four games ended with margins of three points or less on Thursday, marking the first time in the
45-year history of the NEC that this occurs.
6 - New Haven’s Jabri Fitzpatrick averaged 30.5 ppg last week to rank
sixth among the nation’s scorers during that stretch.
#NECMBB FAST BREAK
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Darin Smith, Jr. is on pace to become the first Blue Devil to claim the NEC scoring title since Kyle Vinales in 2012-13.
CHICAGO STATE: Chicago State’s 70-51 win vs. CCSU marked the program’s largest margin of victory in NEC play since joining the league in 2024-25.
FDU: Taeshaud Jackson is the first Knight since Kaleb Bishop (13.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg) in 2019-20 to average more than 10.0+ ppg and 8.0 rpg.
LE MOYNE: Shilo Jackson’s 38 blocks are the most by a Le Moyne player since Jim Jason rejected 80 shots in 2013-14 (Division II).
LIU: Racking up a league-leading 152 blocks, LIU has rejected 35 more shots than last season’s total.
MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst’s three 90+ point games against NEC competitors this season are the most of any league squad.
NEW HAVEN: A win over Saint Francis on Tuesday would extend New Haven’s win streak to four, the program’s longest since joining Division I.
SAINT FRANCIS: Saint Francis’ offense has topped the charts in league play at 74.1 points per contest.
STONEHILL: Davante Hackett became the first Skyhawk this season to put up 30 points in a game when he turned the trick vs. Le Moyne on Saturday.
WAGNER: Travis Gray became the first Seahawk to string together consecutive double-doubles since Brandon Brown in 2022-23 (Feb. 25 & March 1).
#NECMBB NEWS & NOTES
THE PLAYOFF PICTURE
With just two games remaining on the regular season slate, the picture for the upcoming NEC Tournament is starting to become clearer.
LIU, which became the first team to lock up a postseason berth with its win over Stonehill on Feb. 7, earned at least a share of the regular season title for the first time since 2011-12 after Thursday’s win at Saint Francis. Despite suffering a road defeat at Mercyhurst on Saturday, the Sharks went on to claim the top seed of the postseason by virtue of Central Connecticut’s defeat at Chicago State.
Central Connecticut (10-6) and Le Moyne (9-7) each solidified their spots in the postseason earlier this month, but the Blue Devils, who defeated the Dolphins in a battle of second-place squads on Thursday, earned at least a quarterfinal home game on Saturday thanks to Le Moyne’s defeat to Stonehill and FDU’s setback to New Haven.
The final two quarterfinal home sites are still up for grabs and can be claimed by Le Moyne, Mercyhurst, FDU or Stonehill. The magic number for the Dolphins and Lakers to host is one game.
Three other squads — Mercyhurst (9-7), FDU (8-8) and Stonehill (7-9) — clinched postseason berths to leave Wagner (6-10), Chicago State (5-11) and Saint Francis (4-11) in the mix for the final two spots.
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.
THE SHARKS ARE SWARMING
For the first time since the 2011-12 season, LIU has claimed the NEC’s regular season crown and has earned the top seed in the NEC Championship, which begins with quarterfinal action on Thursday, March 4. It marks the second time in as many seasons that the Sharks will host at least a quarterfinal game, while the top-four finish is the program’s fifth in the past 10 years.
The Sharks have qualified for 10-straight NEC postseason tournaments when the conference has sponsored a full tournament field.
BACK IN NEW BRITAIN
The NEC postseason will be back in New Britain for a third-straight season as the Blue Devils are guaranteed to host at least a quarterfinal contest in 2026. A win over Mercyhurst on Thursday will lock up the No. 2 seed for the Blue Devils and it will mark the program’s third-straight top-two finish as the two-time defending regular season champions were the top seed in both 2024 and 2025.
DOLPHINS’ DOUBLE
Le Moyne will be making its second-straight NEC Tournament appearance in its second season of eligibility for the league’s postseason. Last season, the Dolphins bowed out of the tournament after falling at top-seeded Central Connecticut by an 86-57 final.
ONE-FOR-ONE
Mercyhurst will be making its NEC Tournament debut in 2025-26 in the program’s first-ever season of postseason eligibility.
THE VALIANT KNIGHTS
FDU has earned a spot in the NEC Championship for a ninth-straight time in years that the conference sponsored a full tournament field. The lone exception was the 2020-21 campaign, which was limited to a four-team field due to COVID-19.
SOARING SKYHAWKS
Stonehill is included in the conference tournament’s field of eight for the second time since the Skyhawks became eligible for the NEC’s postseason tournament in 2023-24. Last season, fifth-seeded Stonehill made its NEC Tournament debut but came up short to FDU in the quarterfinals.
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
Several NEC ballers have hit their strides as the postseason race ramps up. Here’s a look at players that put together career-best performances during the penultimate week of the regular season:
Jabri Fitzpatrick, New Haven - 32 points at FDU (Feb. 21)
Davante Hackett, Stonehill - 30 points vs. Le Moyne (Feb. 21)
Trent Mosquera, Le Moyne - 28 points at Central Connecticut (Feb. 19)
Travis Gray, Wagner - 27 points at Saint Francis (Feb. 21)
Jamal Fuller, LIU - 26 points at Mercyhurst (Feb. 21)
Qadir Martin, Mercyhurst - 25 points vs. LIU (Feb. 21)
Joey Niesman, FDU - 24 points vs. New Haven (Feb. 21)
Victor Martin, Saint Francis - 23 points vs. LIU (Feb. 19)
Melo Sanchez, Central Connecticut - 23 points vs. Le Moyne (Feb. 19)
CHARGED UP
New Haven caught fire in Saturday’s win at FDU. Shooting 60.0 for the first time this season after turning in a 30-of-47 effort from the field (63.8 percent), the Chargers also turned in a season-best effort from long range by draining 14-of-23 attempts (60.9 percent).
The last team to shoot that efficiently from both the floor and from downtown and rack up at least 14 makes from behind the arc was Mount St. Mary’s in the 2016-17 campaign. That season, the Mount, which made 16 triples, went 68.1 percent from the field and 64.0 percent from distance against Coppin State on Dec. 22.
SPREAD THE WEALTH
LIU’s stat sheet was stuffed with five double-digit scorers in Thursday’s win at Saint Francis, all of which that put up 15-or-more. In doing so, the Sharks became the fourth NEC squad since 2004-05 — and just the second during a conference game — to have five players net at least 15 points in a contest.
NAIL BITERS
NEC fans were on the edge of their seats on Thursday.
For the first time in the 45-year history of the conference, four games ended with margins of three points or less on the same night.
HOME COOKING
LIU is a perfect 7-0 at home against NEC opponents this season. The Sharks’ success against conference foes inside Steinberg Wellness Center extends beyond the 2025-26 campaign, though. LIU has won 10-straight regular season contests in league play in a streak that dates back to a 62-59 win over Stonehill on Feb. 8, 2025. Furthermore, since 2024-25, the Sharks have posted a 14-1 record during the regular season against NEC members.
FIVE FOR #5
Central Connecticut forward Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) now has five Influxer/NEC Player of the Week awards this season. That total marks the most since Jordan Derkack finished with six back in 2023-24, a campaign that ended with him being crowned the NEC Player of the Year.
SHARK BITE
LIU, which hit five three-pointers on Saturday at Mercyhurst, has hit at least one three-pointer in 1,105 straight games. The Sharks’ rally began on Jan. 6, 1990.
RED HOT BLUE DEVILS
Central Connecticut enters the week boasting the league’s top offense with 74.3 points per game. In addition, the Blue Devils have put up sizzling shooting percentages across the board as they lead the league in three-point field goal percentage (36.9) and free throw percentage (77.3) while ranking second in field goal percentage (47.1)
The Blue Devils’ shooting split is one that has not been seen in the NEC in quite time. In fact, just one other squad in conference annals have posted at least a 47/36/77 split, with Monmouth (49.6/37.3/77.1) being the only other team to do so in 1990-91.
FINE FROM THE LINE
Central Connecticut forward Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) has been automatic from the free throw line all season and his recent hot streak from the stripe only validated that.
The soph drained 43-straight free throw attempts, a rally that began with 14:13 left in the first half against Wagner on Jan. 29. Included in that stretch was an 11-for-11 effort at New Haven and a 13-for-13 performance at FDU earlier this month.
Smith’s rally came to an end on Saturday at Chicago State when he misfired on his first free throw attempt of the game in the first half.
With his 13-for-13 game against the Knights, Smith became just one of 21 NCAA Division I players this season to turn in a perfect effort from the stripe (with at least 13 attempts). In addition, he is just one five NEC players (since 2004-05) to attempt at least 13 free throws and not record a miss, and the first to turn the trick since St. Francis Brooklyn’s Jalen Jordan went 13-for-13 against Sacred Heart on Jan. 19, 2019.
In addition, Smith is just one of nine players this season to have multiple games featuring at least 11 made free throws behind a perfect 1.000 percentage, while he is the only NEC player since 2004-05 to have turned the trick multiple times in the same season.
90 DEGREES
The month of February has featured a trio of 90-point outings for Mercyhurst so far. Lighting up the scoreboard with 98 points against Saint Francis on Feb. 5, the Lakers put up 90-or-more points for the second time against the Red Flash when they netted 94 points in the 15-point win. Most recently, Mercyhurst hit the mark in Saturday’s 91-83 win over first-place LIU.
The Lakers’ three 90-point outings against NEC opponents are the most of any league squad, and they are the most since FDU put up 90-or-more three times in 2023-24.
MARTIN’S BLOCK PARTY
Shot-blocking has been a specialty for Mercyhurst forward Qadir Martin (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s Boys). The sophomore is the only NEC player this season to eclipse the 50-rejection mark this season with 68 total, and with a 2.3 swat-per-game average, he currently ranks 12th in the nation in the category.
BROOKLYN BLOCKERS
Rim protection has been one of the calling card’s to LIU’s success in 2025-26. With a league-leading 152 rejections — 43 more than the next closest competitor (Stonehill) — the Sharks rank 15th in the nation in the category.
In fact, with two games remaining on the regular-season slate, the Sharks have already racked up 35 more blocks than they did in the entire 2024-25 season.
In addition, LIU’s 152 swatted shots are the most by the program since 2018-19, when the Sharks racked up 157 blocks.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER WATCH
Several NEC ballers are making a case for this year’s NEC Most Improved Player award with significant increases in their offensive production from the 2024-25 campaign to the 2025-26 season.
Below is a look at five of the biggest scoring jumps in the NEC this season:
Name PPG (2024-25) PPG (2025-26) PPG Increase
Darin Smith, Jr. (CCSU) 6.8 ppg 20.2 ppg +13.4 ppg
Max Frazier (CCSU) 3.1 ppg 12.0 ppg +8.9 ppg
Qadir Martin (MU) 2.6 ppg 11.2 ppg +8.6 ppg
Jake Lemelmen (MU) 5.4 ppg 13.9 ppg +8.5 ppg
Trent Mosquera (LEM) 6.8 ppg 14.0 ppg +7.2 ppg
RODGER THAT
Central Connecticut senior Jay Rodgers (Pickerington, OH/Cochise College (University of New Orleans)) is just one of four players in the nation to have multiple double-doubles of at least 13 points and 13 assists this season. He accomplished the feat against LIU (14 points, 14 assists) on Jan. 2 and Saint Francis (13 points, 13 assists) on Jan. 17.
Sacred Heart’s Mehki Conner and Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. are the only other Division I ballers to have achieved the feat this year.
Among former NEC ballers, Rodgers is just the second player since 2004-05 to have multiple double-doubles of at least 13 points and 13 assists. LIU’s Jason Brickman is the only other player to top Rodgers’ mark with three games in 2013-14.
SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS
We’ve all heard of Diaper Dandies, but the NEC has been run by sophomores as of late.
On pace to become the first Central Connecticut player to win the league’s scoring crown since Kyle Vinales in 2012-13, forward Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) currently paces the conference in scoring as a sophomore with 20.2 points per game.
Last season’s scoring leader was also a sophomore, as FDU’s Terrence Brown led the way with 20.8 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. Among all NCAA Division I sophs, Smith’s scoring average is tied for the is tied for the third-highest, ranking behind only Alabama’s Labaron Philon (21.3 ppg), Wake Forest’s Juke Harris (21.1 ppg) and Cal Poly’s Hamd Mousa (20.2 ppg).
RARE AIR: DARIN SMITH, JR.’S SCORING LEAP
How rare is it for a player to boost his scoring average by more than 13 points from season to season?
This year, Central Connecticut sophomore forward Darin Smith, Jr. (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central/Vermont Academy) has taken his scoring to another level, raising his average by 13.4 points from 6.8 ppg in 2024-25 to a league-leading 20.2 ppg this season.
To put this in perspective, only four other players in NEC history have improved their scoring averages by more than 13 points from one season to the next. The all-time record belongs to St. Francis Brooklyn’s Ray Minlead, who jumped from 8.8 ppg in 1997-98 to a conference-best 24.5 ppg in 1998-99, a remarkable 15.5 point leap.
Across the NEC’s 45-year history, just 33 players have achieved a double-digit scoring increase from season to season.
NEC Players with a 14+ Point Scoring Increase from Season to Season
Ray Minlend (SFBK) 8.8 ppg (1997-98) 24.3 ppg (1998-99) +15.5
Sidney Sanders Jr. (FDU) 4.6 ppg (2012-13) 19.1 ppg (2013-14) +14.5
Sean Baptiste (FDU) 4.6 ppg (2006-07) 18.5 ppg (2007-08) +13.9
Tyler Thomas (SHU) 5.6 ppg (2019-20) 19.1 ppg (2020-21) +13.5
Darin Smith, Jr. (CCSU) 6.8 ppg (2024-25) 20.2 ppg (2025-26) +13.4
A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN
Saint Francis redshirt senior Skylar Wicks (Jersey City, NJ/Surge Christian Academy (Missouri State)) is the only player in the NEC — and just one of four players nationally — to average at least 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Wicks enters the week averaging 18.1 points (2nd in NEC), 6.9 boards (5th), 2.7 dimes (10th) and 1.5 steals per contest (6th).
In addition, just six other NEC players have crafted a stat line that is comparable to Wicks’, with the 2007-08 season being the last time it has happened. That season, Quinnipiac’s DeMario Anderson averaged 21.7 points, 6-5 boards, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.
Wicks’ scoring average of 18.0 point-per-game average is the highest by a Red Flash baller since Josh Cohen put up 21.8 per night in 2022-23.
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: Darin Smith, Jr. (Central Connecticut)
Jan. 27: Trent Mosquera (Le Moyne)
Feb. 2: CJ Ray (Chicago State) & Jamal Fuller (LIU)
Feb. 9: Taeshaud Jackson (FDU)
Feb. 16: Darin Smith, Jr. (Central Connecticut)
Feb. 23: Jabri Fitzpatrick (New Haven)
March 2:
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: Teshaun Steele (New Haven)
Jan. 27: David Jevtic (FDU)
Feb. 2: Ashton Reynolds (Central Connecticut)
Feb. 9: Roddy Jones (Central Connecticut)
Feb. 16: Roddy Jones (Central Connecticut)
Feb. 23: None Awarded
March 2: