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NEC Player of the Week: De'von Barnett, SHU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Marcquise Reed, RMU
KNIGHTS HAVE THE KNACK!
It’s the home of cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell and Rocky, and in hoops the City of Brotherly Love has produced Kobe, Wilt and Velton (!). On Friday, another Philly product made some noise in the basketball world, and did it in style.
With FDU trailing by two points in the waning seconds to Saint Joseph’s, the ball found itself in the hands of senior guard Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti), playing before his hometown fans. Tightly covered, he pushed the ball to the right wing, and with a hand in his face, faded back slightly and launched the game-winning three-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining on the clock.
The win over the A-10 program may have seemed like a surprise to some, but it’s just par for the course for FDU in the second year of the Greg Herenda era.
A little less than a year ago, the Knights became the talk of the New Jersey college hoops world with back-to-back road wins over Rutgers and Seton Hall. A two hour trip down the Jersey Turnpike on Friday saw Saint Joe’s become FDU latest victim.
“To play in this building was special, to win is incredible,” said Herenda. “I am so happy for Mustafaa and the entire team. We worked so hard for 40 minutes and when Staf put the final shot up, I think the Philadelphia basketball gods took over.”
Jones, who made 74 three-pointers last season, finished with a team-high 13 points. He made two shots from beyond the arc.
Sophomore Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, NY/Canisius), a 2013-14 NEC All-Rookie pick, added 12 points and eight rebounds, while freshman guard Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College) finished with 10 points and four assists in his collegiate debut.
FDU limited the Hawks to 40 percent shooting from the field and forced 16 turnovers.
“We were very fortunate tonight but we took care of the ball and came up with a ton of crucial 50/50 loose balls,” continued Herenda. “We still have a lot of work to do but this team has a chance to be special. There is a great spirit to these guys.”
NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
De’von Barnett, Sacred Heart
6-5, 193 lbs.
So., F, Waldorf, MD/Riverdale Baptist
An NEC All-Rookie pick a year ago, Barnett exploded out of the blocks to begin his sophomore season and led Sacred Heart to a 71-53 win over Hartford on Friday in the Connecticut 6 Classic. Barnett posted team-highs with 18 points and seven rebounds. He made 8-11 shots from the floor and added a pair of assists. The Waldorf, MD native scored the first six points of the game and ten in the opening stanza as the Pioneers built a seven-point lead at intermission. Barnett averaged 11.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg and made 52.8 percent of his shot attempts as a freshman in 2013-14.
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Marcquise Reed, Robert Morris
6-3, 180 lbs.
Fr., G, Landover, MD/Capitol Christian
Showcasing his skills on a national stage on Sunday, Reed had a game to remember in RMU’s setback to #6 North Carolina. The Landover, MD native came off the bench to rack up a game-high 24 points on 10-15 shooting from the field. He scored 18 in the first half, including 10 of RMU’s first 12 points. Two days earlier, Reed netted 10 points in 21 minutes to tie for team high scoring honors in his collegiate debut against Lafayette. On the week, Reed averaged 17.0 points on 58.3 percent shooting from the floor.
HOT SHOOTING, STELLAR DEFENSIVE EFFORT PROPEL SACRED HEART
Sacred Heart won just five games a year ago, but Friday’s 71-53 win over Hartford in the Connecticut 6 Classic may be a sign that times have changed in Fairfield.
With NEC Player of the Week De’von Barnett (Waldorf, MD/Riverdale Baptist) leading the way with 18 points and seven rebounds, the Pioneers pulled away in the second half for the team’s biggest margin of victory since a 72-46 win over Bryant on February 11, 2012.
While SHU shot a scintillating 58.8 percent from the field - the highest shooting mark for the program in nearly five years - it was the defense that most pleased second-year head coach Anthony Latina.
“I’m proud of the guys. We’ve been focusing on defense,” Latina said. “That was a very good offensive team that we played, but we stayed disciplined on the defensive end and that was a big key.”
The Pioneers limited the Hawks to 39.2 percent shooting from the floor, forced 19 turnovers and outrebounded Hartford, 35-23.
SHU also received a stellar debut from Hofstra transfer forward Jordan Allen (Bayshore, NY/Long Island Lutheran (Hofstra)). The grad student scored 13 points on 5-5 shooting, and grabbed five rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench. Allen averaged 6.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 2.0 apg in 30 starts for Hofstra last season.
“Jordan was great,” said senior guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)) said. “It’s great to have him. He’s physical. He makes plays.”
Senior guard Evan Kelley (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) added 13 points and five assists, while Gaetano had seven helpers and just one turnover for the Pioneers. Freshman guard Cane Broome (East Hartford, CT/East Hartford (St. Thomas More)) earned the start in his first collegiate game and finished with eight points.
“We were very disciplined,” said Latina. “We were as prepared for that game as any game since I’ve been at Sacred Heart.”
MOBLEY’S BIG NIGHT
He attained NEC All-Rookie status in 2013-14, and if the first game of his sophomore season is any indication, CCSU sophomore guard Matt Mobley (Worcester, MA/Worcester Academy) may have more honors coming his way.
Mobley dropped a career-high 30 points on Friday, accounting for nearly half of the Blue Devils’ offensive production in a 71-63 setback to Fairfield at the Connecticut 6 Classic. He hit 8-17 shots from the floor, including 3-6 from outside the arc, and made 11-12 from the line. He added three rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. Mobley, whose previous career-high was 22, led all scorers.
“I just tried to stay aggressive the whole game,” Mobley said. “I knocked down some early shots so I got some momentum going.”
Mobley averaged 6.8 ppg as a freshman last season.
BULLDOGS GO TOE-TO-TOE WITH DEFENDING NCAA CHAMPS
Bryant lost All-NEC stalwarts Alex Francis and Corey Maynard to graduation, but didn’t seem to miss a beat in Friday’s opener at #17 UConn. Bryant used an 18-0 first half run to take control oand carried a 34-28 lead into intermission. The Bulldogs would maintain the lead until the 12-minute mark of the second stanza before the defending national champs rallied for a 66-53 win. Senior guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MD/Duluth East (Columbia)), the NEC’s leading returning scorer from a year ago, paced Bryant with 18 points and added six boards.
GAETANO MOVIN’ ON UP
Sacred Heart senior guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)) finished with seven assists in Sacred Heart’s 71-53 win over Hartford on Friday at the CT-6, and in the process passed Robert Morris all-timer Velton Jones on the NEC career assists list. With 552 career dimes, Gaetano is now ninth all-time in the conferenc and just 44 assists shy of reaching the top-five. Last season Gaetano finished 10th nationally and second in the NEC with 6.3 apg.
1. Jason Brickman LIU 1,009 2010-14
2. Drafton Davis MAR 804 1984-88
3. Jeremy Goode MSM 603 2006-10
4. Deon Hames RID 598 1992-96
5. Napoleon Lightning SFU 589 1981-85
6. Courtney Pritchard WC 563 2000-04
7. Andre Van Drost WC 560 1982-87
8. Forest Grant RMU 555 1981-84
9. Phil Gaetano SHU 545 2011-14
10. Velton Jones RMU 551 2009-13
NEWCOMERS OF NOTE
A number of newcomers to the NEC made good first impressions last week, none more so than Robert Morris freshman guard Marcquise Reed (Landover, MD/Capitol Christian), who was named NEC Rookie of the Week. In his second college game, Reed exploded for 24 points on 10-15 shooting at #6 North Carolina on Sunday. For the week, he averaged 17.0 points and made 58.3 percent of his shot attempts.
Here is a list of 10 NEC newcomers who made impressive debuts:
Angus Riley (BRY, FR, F/C): 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists vs. UConn
Darian Anderson (FDU, Fr, G): 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists vs. Saint Joseph’s
Darius Stokes (FDU, Gr, F): 7 points, 4 rebounds vs. Saint Joseph’s
Marcquise Reed (RMU, Fr, G): 10 points vs. Lafayette
Jordan Allen (SHU, Gr, F): 13 points, 5-5 FG, 5 rebounds vs. Hartford
Cane Broome (SHU, Fr, G): 8 points, 2 steals vs. Hartford
Antonio Jenifer (SFBK, Jr, F): 11 points, 5 assists vs. Georgetown
Chris Hooper (SFBK, Jr, F): 7 points, 5 rebounds vs. Georgetown
Stedman Allen (WC, Jr, F): 7 points, 4 rebounds vs. Maryland
Corey Henson (WC, Fr, G): 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists vs. Maryland
HERE & THERE
LIU Brooklyn opens its season on Wednesday at St. John’s in the NIT Season Tipoff. LIU’s last victory over the Red Storm came 18 years ago in its 1996-97 season opener, when Charles Jones scored 23 points in his first game as a Blackbird and recent LIU Hall of Fame inductee Dave Masciale converted a three-point play with 3.3 seconds remaining to give the Blackbirds a 76-73 win.
LIU Brooklyn returns a pair of starters and six letterwinners from last year’s team, including senior guard Gerrell Martin (Brooklyn, NY/Wings Academy). Martin is the team’s leading returning scorer and connected on 44.0 percent of his three-point attempts in 2013-14. The sharpshooting Martin finished with a flurry at the end of last season, averaging 22.6 ppg over the final three contests including a career-high 31 in an overtime loss to Central Connecticut.
Mount St. Mary’s trailed #2 Arizona by just seven points with just over 11 minutes remaining on Friday before the Wildcats pulled away for the win. Kristijan Krajina (Osijek, Croatia/Blue Ridge School (VA)), a 6-11 graduate student who missed last season with an ACL injury, started at the four and finished with a team-high 13 points in 17 minutes.
St. Francis Brooklyn senior guard Brent Jones (Brooklyn, NY/Bedford Academy) led the preseason NEC favorites with 13 points, six assists and four steals in an 83-62 loss to Georgetown on Saturday. The Terriers pulled as close as 12 points with eight minutes remaining in the game. Junior forward Amdy Fall (New York, NY/Wings Academy) added four blocks.
Saint Francis U limited Cincinnati to 52 points and forced 17 turnovers in a 52-37 setback to the Bearcats on Friday. Junior forward Ronnie Drinnon (Jamestown, OH/Greenview) finished with team-highs in points (9), rebounds (6) and steals (4).
Wagner sophomore forward Nolan Long (Waterford, CT/Waterford (South Kent School)) was the lone Seahawk to score in double-figures at Maryland on Friday. The second year dual-sport athlete (member of the baseball team) tallied a career-high 13 points on 4-8 shooting from the floor to go along with a team-best nine rebounds. The nine boards matched a career-high (vs. Sacred Heart, 2/20/14).
NEC NUGGETS
Bryant went on a 18-0 first half run against defending national champ UConn in its opener on Friday.
LIU Brooklyn will be the final DI team to begin its 2014-15 season, as the other 350 teams will have begun by Wednesday’s tipoff with St. John’s at 7:30 pm.
At 5-5, Mount St. Mary’s freshman guard Junior Robinson, who started at PG for the Mount against Arizona last week, is the shortest player in NCAA DI this season. He is also the shortest player in the Mount’s DI history.
Robert Morris forward Elijah Minnie became the sixth true freshman in school history to earn a start in his first collegiate game in RMU’s season opener against Lafayette and the first since Yann Charles in 2010. Also earning starts in their first collegiate games at RMU were Forest Grant (1980), Keith Jones (1995), Jeremy Chappell (2005) and Jonathan Clark (2005).
Sacred Heart senior guard Steve Glowiak moved into a tie for eighth place on the school’s career three-pointer list with 170.
Sacred Heart’s 58.8 percent (30-51) shooting in a 71-53 win over Hartford on Friday was the highest shooting percentage for the program since February 28, 2009, when SHU shot 60.0 percent (33-55) in a 90-60 win over Bryant.
St. Francis Brooklyn’s Jalen Cannon currently stands 20th on the NEC’s all-time list with 797 rebounds. He needs 15 boards to pass NEC Hall of Famer Rik Smits of Marist.
There were four newcomers in Wagner’s starting lineup in the season opener at Maryland on Friday: freshman guard JoJo Cooper, sophomore forward Greg Senat, junior guard Langston Burnett and senior forward Hugo Naurais.
Wagner’s Bashir Mason remains the youngest coach in the nation at 30 years old.
QUOTABLE
“To play in this building was special, to win is incredible. I am so happy for Mustafaa and the entire team. We worked so hard for 40 minutes and when Staf put the final shot up, I think the Philadelphia basketball gods took over.” - FDU head coach Greg Herenda on the game-winning trifecta by Mustafaa Jones to give the Knights a 58-57 win over Saint Joseph’s
“I’m proud of the guys. We’ve been focusing on defense. That was a very good offensive team that we played, but we stayed disciplined on the defensive end and that was a big key. Obviously, you have to make some offensive plays to win the game, but we won that game on defense. We were very disciplined. We were as prepared for that game as any game since I’ve been at Sacred Heart.” - Sacred Heart head coach Anthony Latina following his team’s 71-53 victory over Hartford in the CT-6
“For 32, 34 minutes I thought we acquitted ourselves really well. We’ve got as good a team...I like my team a lot. We have guys who can shoot and are willing to compete.” - Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea following a 66-53 loss to UConn on Friday in a game the Bulldogs led by six at the half
“We were pleased with our effort. I thought we battled for 40 minutes. I’m proud of the effort, I’m proud of the energy, I’m proud of the enthusiasm.” - CCSU head coach Howie Dickenman after the Blue Devils nearly battled back from a 13-point second half deficit before succumbing to Fairfield on Friday in the CT-6
“We learn so much from playing guys like these and coaches like Sean Miller. I hope Arizona fans really understand what a great coach they have here and really appreciate what a great team they have here.” - Mount head coach Jamion Christian after last Friday’s game at #2 Arizona
“Marcquise (Reed) was terrific. It was a positive stride against a quality opponent. He made good decisions in the flow of offense.” - RMU head coach Andrew Toole on Marcquise Reed’s 24-point night vs. #6 UNC.
TWEET DECK
Bill Herenda @BillHerenda
@NECsports @FDUKnights “Great win for brother Greg & FDU Knights @ St Joe in Philly”
Chris Cappella @C_Cappella
Nice showing from Sacred Heart, Bryant, and FDU tonight-- tip of the hat #NECMBB
Vin Parise @VinParise
What a great team win for FDU at St. Joe’s. 8 different guys scored 13 points or less for Greg Herenda & the Knights forced 16 turnovers.
Dave Popkin @DavePopkin
@FDUKnights picked 9th in NEC and they win at St. Joe’s. Big one for #necmbb. Defensive struggle - 58-57.
Matt Giles @HudsonGiles
Really impressed with FDU. Herenda & Co. follows up last season’s OOC wins with a win over St. Joe’s, in Philly.
Vinny Simone @VTSimone
FINAL: Sacred Heart defeats Hartford 71-53. And it wasn’t even that close. Great win for the Pioneers to start the season #NECTipoff14
Kings/Isles/Raptors @maxl100
An excellent win and start to the season for @AnthonyLatina and SHU basketball over a very good Hartford team that will compete in A East
Nelson Castillo @NelCastBHJ
Waiting on the final box score but CCSU’s Matt Mobley had a hell of afternoon scoring.
Stephen Tully @StephenLTully
Bryant University, giving the national champions a run, #beatUCONNn #gobulldogs
Ron Ratner @NECHoopsRon
Shout out to @SHUBigRed’s Phil Gaetano. 7 assists moved him past RMU legend Velton Jones into 9th place on #NECMBB career list. Up to 552.
J. Paul Schofield @Schofield_Trib
Marcquise Reed is balling for Robert Morris against North Carolina