CCSU
Howie Dickenman on winning the team's regular season finale
“It’s been quite a few years since we won on senior day, so it was good to go out on a high note. This is a product of the hard work they have put in throughout the years. Ken Horton, these last few games, played like the Player of the Year, and it was good to see him back in form. We were able to jump out on them early and that helped us out. They made some runs on us and sent us to the free-throw line and we were able to hit those and hold them off. I wish for our fans sake that we at least had a home game in the tournament, but it didn’t work out that way. In many ways we wanted to win this last game for our seniors but also for our fans, since we may not have a chance to play at home again. We wanted to send them home with a smile on their face. They support us so much throughout the year.”
Howie Dickenman on the QF matchup with Wagner
““I think we’ll see a different Wagner team. They have developed in the last couple of years a group of loyal and vocal fans, that will be helpful for them. I don’t know if Saturday’s win helps us out at all for Thursday night’s game. We will have to try and win at their house this time.”
Howie Dickenman on Ken Horton being named All-NEC for the third time
“Kenny will leave Central Connecticut as the most productive offensive player in history. It was nice to see him come back in the final two home games and play the way he is capable. He has had a tremendous career, and he has a bright future ahead of him.”
Howie Dickenman on Kyle Vinales winning the NEC Rookie of the Year award
“Kyle had a special year. I don’t we expected him to come in and have the kind of year that he did. He is an extremely hard worker, and very competitive. He’s in the gym shooting almost every day, and his hard work has paid off.”
LIU Brooklyn
Jim Ferry on Julian Boyd being named NEC Player of the Year, along with Jamal Olasewere and Jason Brickman collecting All-NEC accolades
"I’m extremely proud of Julian being recognized as the Player of the Year in the conference. It’s really an unbelievable story when you realize that two years ago we talked about the possibility that he might never play basketball again. I’m very proud of all his hard work and dedication. I’m happy for Jamal and Jason to be recognized as all-league players. They’ve done a great job establishing LIU basketball as a great team in our conference."
Jim Ferry on the regular season
“To be the regular-season champion is one of the hardest things to do in college athletics. Our league was so tough this year that anyone can win in the tournament. The conference is the best that it has been in 10 years and anyone is really capable of winning the next three games.”
Jim Ferry on the QF matchup with Sacred Heart
“We beat them by six up there and went to overtime to beat them at home. This year the tournament’s crazy, the 1-8 matchup this year will be significantly different than it was last year.”
Monmouth
King Rice on Dion Nesmith's NEC All-Rookie honor
"I am so happy for Dion and his family," stated Rice. "Dion is the type of kid that's the right type of kid, the type of kid that you want to build a program around. He is a great student, and a great off-the court, high-character guy. His season went very similar to ours’. I think that the speed of the game started out a little too fast for Dion, but he is such a great athlete, listener and learner that he continued to work and ended up having a very successful year on both ends of the floor. He is one of our better defenders and definitely one of our best three-point shooters. I am extremely happy for him and his family that he was named to the NEC All-Rookie Team."
King Rice on the regular season
“I am very excited about how our team has been playing. I think that we have continuously improved throughout the year. In the conference season, I think our guys really came together and showed down the stretch that we are capable of playing with any team in this league and on good nights for Monmouth, we are capable of winning against any team in this league. I’m just happy that I have these kids with me. They are a great group to work with, a group that kept listening and kept trying to get better throughout the regular season.”
King Rice on the QF matchup with Robert Morris
“Robert Morris has beaten us twice this year. This first time was just a total domination by them. The second time, I think our kids outplayed them, probably for about 33 minutes, and then they outplayed us for the remainder and got the win. Robert Morris is very well coached, and they have some great players that play extremely hard. I like how we are playing right now, so I think it’s going to be a great matchup against Robert Morris.”
Quinnipiac
Tom Moore on his All-NEC award winners
“We are very proud to have James Johnson, Ike Azotam, and Ousmane Drame represent Quinnipiac Basketball with Northeast Conference post-season honors. James has been an incredible leader and winner for us. He has started every game in his career here and will leave in the Top Ten in scoring at Quinnipiac University. In addition to his durability and consistency, he has been able to compete at a high level on both ends of the court, providing scoring and shot-making with outstanding perimeter defense. Ike Azotam has blossomed into one of the premiere inside forces in the NEC as just a sophomore. I don’t think anyone in the league has improved as much as Ike in one year. His combination of scoring and rebounding has been at a consistently high level all season and has allowed us to remain in the Top Two in the country in three national rebounding categories. Ousmane Drame is another young inside player who has improved tremendously in a short time. His length, hands, and feel have allowed him to make immediate contributions at both ends of the court in very big spots for us. Statistically, he is ahead of both Justin Rutty and Ike Azotam in terms of rebounding as a freshman and we are very excited about his future."
Tom Moore on the regular season
"We are very excited to play in the 2012 NEC Tournament. Having won eight of our last eleven games, I feel good about the way we've played recently, especially our commitment to defense. I am very proud of the growth this team has shown during the season, despite having only four scholarship upperclassmen."
Tom Moore on the QF matchup with St. Francis (NY)
"Playing at Saint Francis NY will be a big challenge as they have beaten us twice in the regular season. No team in the NEC played us as physically on both backboards as Saint Francis NY did and Glenn Braica and his staff have done a great job this year. He is a very deserving recipient of the Jim Phelan NEC Coach of the Year Award."
Robert Morris
Andrew Toole on Velton Jones and Lucky Jones receiving All-NEC honors
"I'm happy for those two, proud of them, as well. They both work extremely hard, whether it's during practice, off the court or in the games. Velton has really been our rock this year, and we lean on him a lot, but he's always up to the task. Lucky has been a huge plus for us, as well, especially rebounding the basketball. I think he has a bright future in the NEC."
Andrew Toole on the regular season
"We've certainly had our ups and downs this season, but to win 20 games for the fourth time in the last five years I think says a lot. I think we've done a solid job of building a consistent winner here at Robert Morris, a program that's going to contend for NEC championships year in and year out. We've given ourselves an opportunity to do that this year, and hopefully we can continue to add to the success."
Andrew Toole on the QF matchup with Monmouth
"Obviously King Rice has done a great job with his team this year. I'm impressed with the energy they give and the focus they have right now. They're locked in. I think if there's one thing this league has proven this year is that the team that comes best prepared into a game is the one that has the best chance of success. Monmouth is playing really well, and I know our guys understand that. We have to match their intensity."
Sacred Heart
Dave Bike on Shane Gibson being named All-NEC
“A well deserved award. Shane had a heck of a season. Behind every solid player there is a driving force. I think Shane has that in him. He wants to be good at what he does. After last year we asked the guys to project what they would project for themselves for this season. He had high expectations for himself and he met every one of them.”
Dave Bike on the regular season
"If I had to sum up the season....we survived. We survived a couple of tough match-ups. We survived and we are happy to be in the playoffs."
Dave Bike on the QF matchup with LIU Brooklyn
"I think they have proven that they can play. They come at you. They have a nice team, they have players that do what they are supposed to do. A great coach. We have our hands full. They are a tough, skilled opponent."
St. Francis (NY)
Glenn Braica on winning the Jim Phelan Coach of the Year award
“It’s an honor to receive this award, especially when you consider the group of outstanding coaches that we have in this league. I believe there were other guys who are deserving, even more so than me, and I thank them for recognizing me. This is not an individual award it’s a program award. My assistant coaches have done an outstanding job in preparing the team in order to make this possible.”
Glenn Braica on Jalen Cannon being named to NEC All-Rookie team
“In addition to being an outstanding player, Jalen is an outstanding person and is a pleasure to coach. We are very proud of him and he’s without question the best rebounder that I have ever coached. He was much more ready than any freshman can be expected to be. Jalen can be one of the best players in the league and we look forward to him being the cornerstone of our team for the next three years.”
Glenn Braica on the regular season
“I’m proud of our effort this year and I think we have had a solid season, especially when you consider we have eight underclassmen with very little experience. Finishing in the top-four in the standings in a very difficult league and securing a home playoff game is a very positive accomplishment for our program. When you take into account that we graduated our all-time leading scorer (Ricky Cadell) and the NEC’s Defensive Player of the Year (Akeem Bennett), and lost our starting point guard (Dre Calloway) due to an injury early in the season, we are a little bit ahead of schedule."
Glenn Braica on the QF matchup with Quinnipiac
“Quinnipiac is a very well coached team and they are an extremely tough match-up for us. They are one of the best rebounding teams in the country and play terrific defense. They have some very talented players, particularly James Johnson, Ike Azotam, and Ousmane Drame. We are going to have to play great to beat them and are looking forward to the challenge."
Wagner
Dan Hurley on Latif Rivers & Tyler Murray being named All-NEC
"We are happy to have Kenny, Latif and Tyler recognized with awards. They were all integral pieces in helping our team win a school-record 24 games."
Dan Hurley on the regular season
“It’s a lot of wins. The kids are excited by what they’ve accomplished and I’m excited for them. It’s historic, and the whole season has been like this. That is one of the things that is so satisfying. We’ve won on the road, at home, in conference, out of conference. We are going to do what we’ve done all year,” he declared. “We’ll play whoever is on the schedule, and we’ll pay hard and hopefully win. I know once it come to the playoffs in this league there’s not a whole lot that separates the teams.”
Dan Hurley on the QF matchup with CCSU
"They are a talented team that has three of the highest scorers in our our league, two of which are battle-tested seniors. To come away with a victory will be a great challenge for us."