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Somerset, NJ -- It has been a terrific year on the hardwood for the Northeast Conference (NEC), and the culmination of the regular season means its time to hand out the hardware.  Most notably, LIU Brooklyn junior forward Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft) was the unanimous choice for 2011-12 NEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year in a vote conducted by league head coaches.  Central Connecticut  freshman guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) was tabbed as the NEC Rookie of the Year, while Wagner sophomore guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) was chosen NEC Defensive Player of the Year.  Saint Francis (PA) sophomore forward Scott Eatherton (Hershey, PA/Hershey) was voted the NEC’s Most Improved Player.  Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors went to Glenn Braica of St. Francis (NY).  The honorees were announced this morning as a prelude to the 2012 NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, which begins on Thursday with quarterfinal play at four campus sites.

A two-time All-NEC first team performer for the defending champion Blackbirds, Boyd becomes LIU Brooklyn’s sixth NEC Player of the Year award winner and first since Charles Jones was honored back-to-back in 1996-97 and 1997-98.  The 2008-09 NEC Rookie of the Year, Boyd missed the following season with a heart ailment, but since returning in 2010-11 has not only set the bar high for his position, but also become the face of a program that has won back-to-back NEC regular season titles.  At 6’7” and 230 lbs., Boyd continued to add new wrinkles to his game this season, including a reliable three-point shot to go along with his polished low-post game.  A terrific athlete who can fill the lane on the break and finish above the rim, the San Antonio native leads the NEC in rebounding (9.5/game) and double-doubles (13), and ranks fifth in scoring (17.3/game) and seventh in field goal percentage (.542).  With a 21-point, 20-rebound performance last Thursday against FDU, he became the first LIU player since Freddie Burton in 1989 to pull down 20 boards in a game and the first player NEC player in five seasons to record a 20-20 performance.  Boyd was a two-time Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week in 2011-12 and is a finalist for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year award.  Over his first three years in Brooklyn, he has racked up 1,231 points, 754 rebounds and 29 double-doubles.  Along with the aforementioned Jones, Carey Scurry (1983-84, 1984-85) and Joe Griffin (1994-95) preceded Boyd as NEC Player of the Year honorees for the Blackbirds.

Vinales bypassed the typical adjustment period of an incoming freshman as he literally exploded onto the scene for the Blue Devils last November.  He scored 24 points in his first collegiate game and followed with a 39-point performance three days later against Niagara, which remains the highest single-game scoring output by a freshman in the nation this season.  What followed for Vinales was a star-studded year in which he matched the league record with eight Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week awards, joining fellow NEC Rookie of the Year award winners Alex Blackwell (Monmouth, 1989-90), Charles Smith (Rider, 1993-94) and Darshan Luckey (Saint Francis (PA), 2002-03).  Hailing from Detroit, the 6’1” combo guard showcased his super-quick release and unlimited shooting range all year long to the tune of 18.0 ppg.  He finished the regular season as the nation’s leading freshman point producer and sits third overall on the NEC scoring chart.  The cat-quick Vinales also proved to be an adept distributor with 3.6 apg, and ranks in the NEC top-10 in free throw shooting (.837, fourth), made three-pointers (2.5/game, fourth) and three-point percentage (.390, seventh).  With 504 points on the year, Vinales is the first CCSU freshman to score 500 points in a season.  Shemik Thompson (2006-07) is the only other CCSU player to win NEC Rookie of the Year plaudits.

Ortiz, a 6’0” point guard who hails from Newark, NJ, is the fourth Wagner player to claim the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award since it was instituted back in 1999-00, joining former Seahawks Courtney Pritchard (2001-02), Nigel Wyatte (2003-04) and DeEarnest McLemore (2004-05).  An outstanding on-the-ball defender, Ortiz locked down a host of prolific scorers on the year, none more so than Pittsburgh Preseason All-America guard Ashton Gibbs, whom he helped harass into a 5-16 shooting night in Wagner’s landmark 59-54 win over the Panthers on December 23.  He currently ranks third in the NEC with 1.9 steals per game and has spearheaded a Seahawk defense that ranks second in the NEC in points allowed (63.6 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.412).

Eatherton elevated his game exponentially as a sophomore, more than tripling his scoring and rebounding averages from his freshman campaign in Loretto.  One of the players Saint Francis (PA) head coach Don Friday hopes to build his young team around, Eatherton has developed a diverse offensive game, and at 6’8” can maneuver his way around the paint with an array of low post moves, but also pop out and stick the mid-range jumper with regularity.  He opened the season on a ridiculous tear from the field, converting 41 of his first 51 field goal attempts for the Red Flash and has remained among national leaders in field goal percentage throughout the year.  Eatherton currently paces the NEC and is seventh in the country in the category at 61.4 percent.  The Hershey, PA product raised his scoring average from 3.9 ppg to 14.0 ppg, the biggest jump in the NEC this season, and ranks 13th in the league in point production.  He also lifted his rebound numbers from 2.1 to 7.0 rpg (ninth in NEC) and blocked 1.2 shots per game (seventh in NEC).

In just his second year at the helm of the St. Francis (NY) program, Braica has transformed the Terriers into NEC contenders, perhaps quicker than many expected.  As St. Francis heads into the NEC Tournament as the #4 seed, it’s hard to believe the Terriers were picked 11th in the preseason coaches poll after losing a pair of all-stars in Akeem Bennett and Ricky Cadell who combined for nearly 2,500 career points.  With  starting point guard Dre Calloway sidelined by a season-ending injury in late November, St. Francis got off to a slow start, but began turning things around once the new year arrived.  Over the next month, the Terriers began to build momentum and won nine-of-ten games to vault into the upper tier of the NEC standings.  By year’s end, St. Francis had won 12 league contests, the most for the program since 2003-04.  Braica has been able to seamlessly incorporate a number of new faces into the lineup, and with balanced scoring, a commitment to rebounding and a trio of long range bombers at his disposal, found the magic formula for success.  As a result, the Terriers are set to host their first postseason game since the 1997 season in hope of securing the program’s first-ever NEC crown.

In examining the composition of the All-Conference first and second teams, it should be noted there are just three seniors among the ten honorees this season.  Likewise, all four major award winners will be back competing next season.  In addition, regular season champion LIU Brooklyn is the first team since Robert Morris in 2007-08 to have three players honored on the two All-NEC squads.

Boyd, the leagues Player of the Year, is joined on the All-NEC first team by Central Connecticut State senior forward Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining), the 2010-11 NEC Player of the Year.  Horton is a three-time all-league honoree while Sacred Heart junior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) makes it back-to-back all-star nods.  Robert Morris junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) and LIU Brooklyn sophomore forward Jamal Olasewere (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook) are first time award-winners.

Destined to go down as one of the NEC’s all-time greats, Horton earned his third All-NEC honor, including second straight first team accolade.      Possessing a versatility in his game that ranks among the best to ever play in the conference, Horton has positioned himself in the top-15 of seven different NEC statistical categories.  The two-time Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week currently leads the NEC with 2.1 steals per game, and ranks second in scoring (18.7), third in rebounding (8.9) and blocks (1.4), eighth in free throw percentage (.812), 12th in field goal percentage (.493) and 15th in made three-pointers (1.6/game).  The Ossining, NY product has boosted his career scoring total to 1,941 points, which ranks seventh on the NEC’s all-time list, and he sits 14th on the conference rebounding chart with 833 boards.  He joins NEC Hall of Famer Rik Smits (Marist) as the only two players in league history with 1,900+ points and 800+ rebounds in their careers.  Horton is the NEC’s active career leader with 45 career games of 20+ points and nine 30+ point games.  When the 6’6” wiry forward finished with 39 points, 13 rebounds, six steals and five assists against Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday, it marked the first 30-10-5-5 game for an NEC player since at least the 1997-98 season.

Armed with a smooth stroke, unlimited range, the ability to create his own shot and a fearless approach to late game situations, Gibson developed into the best pure scorer on the circuit in 2011-12.  A second team All-NEC selection a year ago, Gibson carried the Pioneers on his back for much of the season, averaging a league-best 22.0 ppg, a figure that ranks him fourth nationally.  He was even better in league play, where he put up 24.9 ppg, the highest scoring average by an NEC player in 13 years.  Gibson, who stands 6’2” and hails from Killingly, CT, has posted a league-best 21 games of 20 more points - the most by an NEC player since Saint Francis (PA)’s Darshan Luckey had 22 in 2002-03 - and tied for the conference lead with four 30+ point outings.  His 41 points against Mount St. Mary’s on January 28th is the NEC single-game season-high in 2011-12.  In three years, Gibson has accumulated 1,431 points, and his 683 points heading into the postseason ranks 11th on the NEC all-time list.  He is a finalist for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year award and was tabbed on three occasions as the Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week.

The heart and soul of a team that has been perched at or near the top of the NEC since his arrival, Jones has done it all for Robert Morris in 2011-12.  From his buzzer-beater against Sacred Heart last Thursday to his 38 point explosion in a non-conference win over James Madison in November to his 35-point, six-assist game in an overtime victory over Monmouth in January, Jones has answered the call all season long for head coach Andrew Toole.  With a well-deserved reputation for delivering in the clutch and willing his team to victory, the Philadelphia native lifted his scoring average to 16.5 ppg this season to rank eighth on the circuit.  He is also second in the NEC in steals (1.9), fourth in assists (4.3), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.68) and has drained 65 three-pointers on the year.  Possessing an innate ability to break down defenders and go strong to the rim, the 6’0” Jones leads the NEC in both free throws made (175) and attempted (232).  Highlights of his three years in Moon Township include Robert Morris capturing the 2010 NEC championship, reaching the NEC title game twice and compiling an average of 21 wins per seasons.  Jones, who was named Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week on January 23, wrapped the regular season with 1,180 career points.

Possessing one of the most unique styles and skill sets by an NEC player in recent vintage, Olasewere proved to be an unstoppable offensive force for the Blackbirds during the regular season.  At 6’7, his ability to create off the dribble, attack the rim and draw contact is second to none, and with an improved outside shot, the southpaw ended the regular season sixth in the NEC in scoring at 17.0 ppg.  He lifted those numbers against league rivals, scoring at a 19.3 ppg clip, including a 32-point effort in the Battle of Brooklyn game against St. Francis (NY) that saw him hit all 11 of his field goal attempts.  Olasewere, who hails from Silver Spring, MD, is also fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.571) and fifth in rebounding (7.6/game).  He was twice honored as the Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week.  Olasewere has scored 1,189 career points and snared 656 rebounds in his first three seasons with the Blackbirds, who have posted back-to-back 16-2 records in league play.

The all-NEC second team features Quinnipiac senior guard James Johnson (Queens, NY/Bishop Loughlin) and Wagner senior guard Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce), both repeat honorees.  They are joined by three sophomores - Quinnipiac forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/John D. O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep), LIU Brooklyn guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) and Wagner guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Avon Farms (CT)).

Johnson will go down as one of the cornerstones of a Quinnipiac team that has established itself as one of the NEC’s premier programs during his four years in Hamden.  A true floor general and the unquestioned leader of the Bobcats, Johnson is one of the league’s most fearless shooters and top crunch time players.  The six-footer earns his second straight All-NEC honor after being named a first team all-star in 2010-11.  Johnson is the ninth-leading point producer in the NEC with 16.3 ppg and with 61 three-pointers, ranks eighth on the circuit with 2.2 trifectas per outing.  The New York City native has compiled 1,674 career points - the 28th-best mark in NEC annals - and needs just 12 more to pass Rob Monroe as the school’s all-time leader at the Division I level.  He has also compiled 467 assists and 210 three-pointers in a career that will continue this week as the fifth-seeded Bobcats seek their first NEC championship.

Coming off a first team All-NEC selection as a junior, Murray adjusted his game and perhaps even sacrificed his own numbers for the sole purpose of winning basketball games for the second-seeded Seahawks, who set a school record with 24 victories thus far in 2011-12.  One of the nation’s top long distance bombers, Murray raised his three-point shooting percentage from 41.5 percent as a junior to a robust 49.3 percent over the course of the regular season.  As such, the Toronto native leads the NEC in three-point accuracy.  Murray, a 6’5” guard, is averaging 11.8 ppg on the year and ranks second on the Seahawks in free throw shooting at 81.2 percent.  One of just two seniors on Wagner’s roster, Murray has tallied 1,186 points, 183 three-pointers and 281 assists in his career.

One of the most improved players in the conference this past season, Azotam dispelled all notions that Quinnipiac could no longer dominate on the boards with the loss of Justin Rutty - the NEC’s all-time leading rebounder - to graduation.  A key contributor off the bench as a freshman, the 6’7”, 231 lb. sophomore forward quickly established as a force in the interior as the Bobcats maintained their status as one of the top rebounding units in the nation.  Azotam is tied for the league lead with 13 double-doubles and his 9.5 rebounds per game is second in the NEC.  He also displayed an improved low-post game and finished the regular season ranked tenth in the conference in scoring (15.9) and fifth in field goal percentage (.565).  The Boston, MA native posted four games of 20+ points and 10+ rebounds and was picked as the Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week on November 21.

A throwback point guard, Brickman sets the table for his teammates like no other NEC player in recent memory.  Often making it look easy with pinpoint passes off the high screen-and-roll, Brickman also excels in transition with Boyd and Olasewere often serving as the beneficiaries.  The San Antonio product leads the NEC with 7.1 assists per game and is the fifth-leading distributor in the country at this time.  His 16 helpers against Quinnipiac on February 18 is tied for the NCAA single-game season-high this season and marked the highest total by an NEC player since  former LIU great Antawn Dobie dished for 17 back in 2002.  Likewise, he is the first NEC performer to post seven games of 10+ assists since the league started tracking such numbers in the mid-90s and ranks second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.84).  In addition to his deft passing, the 5’10” Brickman also averages 9.1 ppg, and is third in the NEC in three-point shooting at 43.5 percent.  The former All-Rookie pick was named Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week on February 20.

Following a terrific freshman campaign in which he earned NEC All-Rookie recognition, Rivers has taken his game to another level in 2011-12 for Wagner, which set a school record with 24 wins - including a national-best 12 on the road - in the regular season.  The 6’1” guard has already developed a reputation as a clutch shooter, and with unwavering confidence almost single-handedly willed the Seahawks to one of the biggest wins in program history when he scored all 18 of his points in the second half of a 59-54 triumph at Pittsburgh back in December.  Rivers leads a balanced Seahawk attack with 14.4 ppg, ranks second in the NEC in free throw accuracy at 88.0 percent and has drained 56 shots from beyond the arc.  A two-time Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week this season, the Elizabeth, NJ product has scored 835 points in his first two seasons in Staten Island.

This year’s All-Rookie honorees made quite an impact this season, and led by Vinales, the NEC Rookie of the Year, have ensured the conference will be in good hands in future seasons.

One of the key elements to St. Francis (NY)’s surprising season was the emergence of freshman forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen).  The 6’6” Cannon proved to be a dominant force on the glass for the Terriers, who have improved from tenth in the conference in rebound margin a year ago to fourth in 2011-12.  The Allentown, PA product is the nation’s second-leading freshman rebounder and ranks fourth overall in the NEC with 8.8 per game.  He posted games of 19 and 20 rebounds over a ten day span in February with the 20-board outing against FDU this past Saturday tying for the NEC single-game season-high.  The monster efforts on the glass were also the two most prolific rebound performances by an NEC freshman since CCSU’s Ron Robinson pulled down 21 in on February 5, 2001.  The Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week back on January 16, Cannon averages 8.1 ppg and shoots 56.4 percent from the floor.

Quinnipiac has had no shortage of capable big men during the Tom Moore era, and freshman forward Ousmane Drame (Boston, MA/New Mission (Marianapolis Prep)) is the latest addition to the growing list.  At 6’9” and 240 lbs., Drame has really just begun to scratch the surface of his unlimited potential.  A three-time Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week award winner, the Boston product is nimble around the hoop and always seems to be in the right spot for tip-ins and putbacks.  Drame pulled down 7.4 rpg in under 20 minutes per game during the regular season to rank sixth in the NEC.  Offensively, he contributes 6.9 ppg and shoots 50.7 percent from the field, but has also established himself as a defensive presence with 26 blocks.

It should come as no surprise that Robert Morris freshman swingman Lucky Jones (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony) was able to transition into an NEC All-Rookie team selection considering his scholastic background playing for Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley Sr. at powerhouse St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, NJ.  An explosive, tenacious athlete who plays bigger than his listed 6’5”, the versatile Jones twice earned recognition as the Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week for the Colonials.  Despite playing under 24 minutes per contest, he leads Robert Morris and ranks 12th in the NEC with 6.0 rebounds per game.  He is also 10th in the league in free throw shooting (.804) and averages 8.1 ppg.

A former star quarterback in high school, Monmouth junior guard Dion Nesmith (Union, NJ/Union (Northeastern)) originally set out to play football at Northeastern.  When the University disbanded the team, Nesmith returned to his home state, not to play football, but to compete on the Monmouth hoops team.  One of the building blocks of the program under first year head coach King Rice, the 6’0” Nesmith came on strong in conference play and finished the regular season as the Hawks’ second-leading scorer at 9.0 ppg.  Against NEC opposition, he upped that number to 10.9 ppg, including a league-best 51.7 percent from three-point range.  A terrific athlete and hard-nosed defender, Nesmith has hit 38 shots from beyond the arc and registered 36 steals.  He was selected Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week on February 20.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 31st year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 12 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states.  Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 23 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic or play-in access to 14 different NCAA Championships.  NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary’s, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA) and Wagner.  Bryant will become the NEC’s 12th member upon completion of the NCAA Division I reclassification process in 2012. For more information on the NEC, visit www.northeastconference.org.

2011-12 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Award Winners

Player of the Year
Julian Boyd             LIU Brooklyn       F    6-7  230  Jr  San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft

Rookie of the Year
Kyle Vinales            CCSU               G    6-1  180  Fr  Detroit, MI/Phelps School

Defensive Player of the Year
Kenneth Ortiz           Wagner             G    6-0  200  So  Newark, NJ/Science Park
                                                              (Southern Mississippi)

Most Improved Player
Scott Eatherton         Saint Francis (PA) F    6-8  205  So  Hershey, PA/Hershey

Jim Phelan Coach of the Year
Glenn Braica            St. Francis (NY)

2011-12 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball First Team All-Conference

Name                    School             Pos  Ht   Wt   Yr  Hometown/High School (Previous School)
Julian Boyd             LIU Brooklyn       F    6-7  230  Jr  San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft
Shane Gibson            Sacred Heart       G    6-2  180  Jr  Killingly, CT/Killingly
Ken Horton              CCSU               F    6-6  198  Sr  Ossining, NY/Ossining
Velton Jones            Robert Morris      G    6-0  170  Jr  Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic
Jamal Olasewere         LIU Brooklyn       F    6-7  215  Jr  Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook

2011-12 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Second Team All-Conference

Name                    School             Pos  Ht   Wt   Yr  Hometown/High School (Previous School)
Ike Azotam              Quinnipiac         F    6-7  231  So  Boston, MA/John D. O’Bryant
                                                              (Marianapolis Prep))
Jason Brickman          LIU Brooklyn       G    5-10 165  So  San Antonio, TX/Clark
James Johnson           Quinnipiac         G    6-0  195  Sr  Queens, NY/Bishop Loughlin
Tyler Murray            Wagner             G    6-5  200  Sr  Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce
Latif Rivers            Wagner             G    6-1  175  So  Elizabeth, NJ/Avon Farms (CT)

2011-12 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball All-Rookie Team

Name                    School             Pos  Ht   Wt   Yr  Hometown/High School (Previous School)
Jalen Cannon            St. Francis (NY)   F    6-6  230  Fr  Allentown, PA/William Allen
Ousmane Drame           Quinnipiac         F    6-9  240  Fr  Boston, MA/New Mission
                                                              (Marianapolis Prep)
Lucky Jones             Robert Morris      G/F  6-5  195  Fr  Newark, NJ/St. Anthony
Dion Nesmith            Monmouth           G    6-0  200  Jr  Union, NJ/Union (Northeastern)
Kyle Vinales            CCSU               G    6-1  180  Fr  Detroit, MI/Phelps School