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NEC Player of the Week: Jalen Cannon, SFBK
NEC Rookie of the Week: JoJo Cooper, WC
Previous NEC Releases: November 24 | November 17
CANNON PASSES NEC HALL OF FAMER & SIX OTHERS ON CAREER REBOUND LIST
St. Francis Brooklyn senior forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) continued his rapid ascent up the NEC career rebound chart last week, leapfrogging perhaps the greatest player in league history and six other all-timers to jump from 20th to 13th on the list. With 846 boards in his three-plus years, Cannon first passed Marist’s Rik Smits (811), an NEC Hall of Famer who enjoyed a 12-year NBA career with the Indiana Pacers. He also surpassed a pair of former rivals in LIU’s Julian Boyd (843) and CCSU’s Ken Horton (842). Next up for Cannon is Wagner’s Durell Vinson, who pulled down 893 rebounds from 2003-08.
Cannon was named the NEC Player of the Week after he averaged 16.3 ppg and 12.0 rpg in three contests and was tabbed to the Barclays Classic All-Tournament team. He finished with 15 points and a season-high 14 rebounds on Saturday to lead the Terriers to their first win of the season, a 59-57 triumph over Tennessee State.
Cannon has racked up 1,232 career points as he enters play this week and is the third-leading active scorer in the NEC. The Allentown, PA native hopes to become just the second player in NEC history to finish with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career, joining Quinnipiac’s Justin Rutty (1,521/1,032 from 2007-11).
10. Ted Taylor MAR 923 1981-85
11. Greg Foster FDU 916 1982-84
12. Durell Vinson WC 893 2003-08
13. Jalen Cannon SFBK 846 2011-14
14. Julian Boyd LIU 843 2008-13
15. Ken Horton CCSU 842 2007-12
16. Alan Tomidy MAR 838 1991-96
17. Freddie Burton LIU 836 1986-89
18. Nigel Wyatte WC 834 2000-04
19. Largest Agbejemisin WC 829 1983-87
20. Rik Smits MAR 811 1984-88
NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jalen Cannon, St. Francis Brooklyn
6-6, 235 lbs.
Sr., F, Allentown, PA/William Allen
Cannon, a preseason All-NEC pick, posted a pair of double-doubles and averaged 16.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in St. Francis Brooklyn’s three contests last week. The 6-6 senior forward was named to the Barclays Classic All-Tournament Team after he followed a 23-point, nine-rebound performance in a 72-70 overtime loss to Norfolk State on Friday with a 15-point, 14-rebound night in a 59-57 triumph over Tennessee State the following evening. Cannon also compiled 11 points and 13 rebounds last Tuesday in a 73-60 setback to La Salle. Cannon, who went over the 1,200 point mark for his career against Norfolk State, is averaging 12.7 ppg and a conference-high 9.0 rpg. He has also posted a league-best three double-doubles. Cannon’s 846 career rebounds now ranks 13th on the NEC’s all-time list.
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
JoJo Cooper, Wagner
6-1, 190 lbs.
Fr., G, Wilmington, DE/Concord
Stepping into the point guard role vacated by three-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year Kenneth Ortiz, Cooper comes off his best game on Saturday. In 23 minutes of action, he netted 15 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and 2-4 from long range, and added five rebounds, three assists and a steal as the Seahawks rallied from 12 down to upend visiting Penn, 64-61. Trailing by five with under six minutes to play, Cooper scored eight straight points for Wagner capped by a layup with 1:43 remaining that gave the Green & White their first lead of the day. On the season, Cooper is averaging 7.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg and ranks fourth in the NEC with 4.0 apg.
PRYOR’S SHOOTING EXHIBITION (PART II)
After lighting up Bradley with 26 points on November 19, Robert Morris junior guard Rodney Pryor (Evanston, IL/Notre Dame Prep (Cloud City CC)) delivered an encore performance on Thursday as the Colonials wrapped play at the Battle 4 Atlantic Tournament with a 71-54 win over UL-Monroe.
Pryor came off the bench to hit 8-9 shots from the field, including a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc, to lead all scorers with 22 points. He also added six rebounds and a pair of steals. In the second half against ULM, Pryor scored 10 consecutive points to help keep the Warhawks at bay.
For the week, Pryor averaged 15.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg while shooting 61.1 percent from the field and 62.5 percent (5-8) from distance. On the year, he leads RMU with 14.5 ppg and has made 17 of his 33 three-point opportunities. He ranks third in the NEC in scoring, three-point percentage (.515), free throw percentage (.842) and made three-pointers (2.83/game), and fourth in field goal percentage (.519).
FLASH, JACKSON ON FIRE AT NAVY
It all came together for Saint Francis U on Saturday as the Red Flash posted their most lopsided road win in over 17 years with an 85-68 victory over Navy. The last time the Red Flash won by a wider margin on the road was on November 18, 1997 when SFU turned back Norfolk State, 70-45.
SFU used a 14-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half to take a 46-28 lead into the break against Navy. In the second stanza, the Red Flash extended the advantage to as much as 29 points.
SFU shot a scorching hot 65.4 percent from the floor, a single-game high in the NEC this season. Senior guard Ollie Jackson (Dallas, TX/Pinkston) paced SFU with 20 points, converting 6-8 from three-point range.
“Coming into the game, we knew we had to make open shots,” said Red Flash coach Rob Krimmel, who improved to 2-0 against Navy. “I thought Ollie really did a good job, especially early. Getting that first shot to fall is contagious. He did that and it took the pressure off of our guys.”
DYAMI DIALS LONG DISTANCE
Bryant senior guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East (Columbia)) added to his long list of three-point shooting clinics on Sunday when he nearly rallied the Bulldogs from a 12-point deficit in the final 2 1/2 minutes of a 72-66 loss at Akron.
Starks finished with a season-high 25 points, hitting 7-15 shots from outside the arc, including three in the final six minutes. After junior guard Zach Chionuma (Jamesville, NY/Marianapolis Prep (CT)) drained a trifecta with 22 seconds on the clock to cut the Zips’ lead to three, Starks stole the inbounds pass and missed a layup, but when the ball was batted out of bounds by Akron, Bryant had one final opportunity. Starks had a clean look at a three that came up just short as Akron held on for the win.
Starks surpassed the 20-point mark for the 24th time in his career and his seven three-pointers tied for the second most he has made in a game. The Duluth, MN native made eight treys against Delaware on December 21, 2013 and seven versus Robert Morris on January 3, 2013. He leads the NEC with 18.8 ppg and 4.0 three-pointers per game this season.
WAGNER BIG SHOTS
Wagner sophomore forward Greg Senat (Elmont, NY/Elmont (Marianapolis (CT))) hit the biggest shot of his young career on Saturday when his 12-foot baseline jumper with 14 seconds to play gave Wagner a four-point lead and some breathing room in a nip-and-tuck 64-61 win over Penn at the Spiro Center. Senat, who finished with seven points and six boards, wasn’t the only young Wagner player to come up big in the come-from-behind victory. With the Seahawks trailing by five with under six minutes to play, freshman guard JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord) scored eight straight points for Wagner capped by a layup with 1:43 remaining that gave the Green & White their first lead of the day. Cooper was named NEC Rookie of the Week after he netted 15 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and 2-4 from long range, and added five rebounds, three assists and a steal.
LIU YOUNG GUNS
Over LIU Brooklyn’s first four games, 452 out of a possible 825 minutes (54.8 percent) have been played by freshmen. Icelandic guards Elvar Fridriksson (Reykjanesbaer, Iceland/Njardvik) and Martin Hermannsson (Reykjavik, Iceland/Reykjavík) have played 121 and 119 minutes, respectively, while redshirt freshman Nura Zanna (Kaduna, Nigeria/Coral Spring Christian (FL)) has totaled 109 minutes. All told, 75.6 percent of the minutes for the Blackbirds this season have been doled out to underclassmen.
MARYLAND RIVALRY LIKE NO OTHER
When Mount St. Mary’s takes on Loyola (MD) this Saturday at 7:00 pm in Baltimore (TV: MASN), it will mark the 170th meeting between the longtime rivals in the most-played rivalry in the state of Maryland. Last year, the Mount beat the Greyhounds, 70-58, behind 18 points from Rashad Whack to give the Mountaineers a 97-72 lead in a series that began in 1910. One of the classic games between the two programs was a 99-93 overtime win for the Mountaineers in the championship game of the Mason-Dixon Conference Tournament on March 5, 1955. That was former head coach Jim Phelan’s first of 49 seasons spent as head coach at the Mount.
GAETANO MOVIN’ ON UP
With eight assists last week, Sacred Heart senior guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)) jumped past Wagner’s Andre Van Drost (560) and Courtney Pritchard (563) into sixth place on the NEC career list.
Gaetano, who has accumulated 567 assists, needs just 38 more to pass Mount St. Mary’s Jeremy Goode for third all-time in the conference. He ranks second in the NEC with 4.4 apg this season.
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. Phil Gaetano SHU 567 2011-14
7. Courtney Pritchard WC 563 2000-04
8. Andre Van Drost WC 560 1982-87
9. Forest Grant RMU 555 1981-84
10. Velton Jones RMU 551 2009-13
HERE & THERE
Bryant junior guard and South Euclid, OH native Curtis Oakley (South Euclid, OH/Charles F. Brush) performed well in front of the “home” crowd about 35 minutes from his hometown on Sunday, scoring 13 points while going 3-3 from long range and 5-8 from the floor in a 72-66 loss at Akron. He averaged 9.0 ppg on the week and shot at a 53.8 percent clip.
CCSU sophomore guard Khalen Cumberlander (Washington, D.C./Coolidge) scored a season-high 19 points and added five assists in a 74-59 loss at East Carolina on Sunday. He hit 7-14 from the floor, including 4-6 from long distance. In that same game, junior forward Brandon Peel (Forestville, MD/Riverdale Baptist) match his career-high with 18 points and added six boards. Peel ranks second in the NEC with 7.7 rpg and fourth with 1.2 bpg. Sophomore guard Matt Mobley (Worcester, MA/Worcester Academy) is second in the conference with 17.8 ppg.
The Fairleigh Dickinson guard tandem of Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) and Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) each averaged 12.5 points in games against Columbia and Lafayette last week. Jones hit six shots from downtown and MacDonald also contributed 6.0 rpg. McDonald, a sophomore, finished with 15 points (5-8 FG), six rebounds and two assists, while Jones scored 14 on 4-10 shooting from long range on Sunday against Columbia. In that same game, freshman guard Marques Townes (Edison, NJ/St. Joseph Metuchen) earned his first career start and finished with eight points in 18 minutes. Jones, MacDonald and freshman guard Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College) all rank in the NEC top-15 in three-point percentage.
LIU Brooklyn freshman point guard Elvar Fridriksson (Reykjanesbaer, Iceland/Njardvik) was a maestro with the ball over three games against tough opponents for the Blackbirds last week. The 6-0 guard dished out 13 assists while committing just two turnovers in 92 minutes played. The Icelandic frosh had a career-high 12 points including two critical three-pointers down the stretch of a heartbreaking overtime loss at Saint Joseph’s. Fridriksson finished with eight points and registered a season-high eight assists while committing just one turnover in a loss against Temple that saw the Blackbirds carry a lead well into the second half. Fridriksson currently leads the NEC with 4.5 apg.
Mount St. Mary’s freshman point guard Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance) had a good showing playing in his home state of North Carolina. Robinson finished with nine points and four assists in 29 minutes of action in Wednesday’s setback at Wake Forest. He is averaging 6.8 ppg and a team-high 3.5 apg this season.
Robert Morris senior forward Lucky Jones (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony) was the only member of the Colonials to reach double figures in both games last week, averaging 11.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg. He led RMU with 11 points at Chattanooga and contributed 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds in RMU’s 71-54 win over UL-Monroe. RMU registered 10 steals in jumping out to a 37-26 halftime lead against ULM (11/27/15) and finished the game with a season-high 12 thefts, the fourth consecutive game the Colonials have recorded at least 10 steals in a game. RMU leads the NEC with 9.33 spg.
Sacred Heart senior guard Evan Kelley (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) scored a season-high 27 points in Sacred Heart’s 71-62 win over Campbell on Sunday. He made 11-12 from the line, and added a team-high seven rebounds and two assists. With SHU trailing by three with 7:40 remaining in the first half, he scored 12 straight Pioneer points, then ended the half with a buzzer beating layup to stretch the Pioneers’ lead to eight points. Kelley now leads the Pioneers with 12.0 ppg and ranks second with 4.6 rpg.
Sacred Heart freshman guard Cane Broome (East Hartford, CT/East Hartford) filled the stat sheet last week, averaging 11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg and 2.5 spg. He scored a season-high 15 points, and tied for game-highs with eight rebounds and three assists in a setback at James Madison on Wednesday. He also dished for four assists in 34 minutes. On Sunday, Broome scored all seven of his points in the first half of a nine-point win over Campbell. Broome ranks third among NEC freshman this season with 9.2 ppg, which is the third-best mark on the Pioneers. He also ranks first on SHU in steals (1.6) and second in assists (2.4).
St. Francis Brooklyn senior forward Kevin Douglas (Bronx, NY/Frederick Douglass) recorded a career-high five rejections in an overtime loss to Norfolk State last Friday. He also scored all 12 of his points in the second-half in a 59-57 victory over Tennessee State on Saturday. Douglas leads the NEC in field goal percentage, making 58.8 percent of his shot attempts.
Wagner improved to 2-0 on the year at Spiro Center after defeating Penn, 64-61, on Saturday afternoon behind 17 points for senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler). Burton, a key reserve on last season’s squad, is now a full-time starter and top offensive option for head coach Bashir Mason. Against the Quakers, he hit a key three-pointer to cut Penn’s lead to 55-50 with 6:40 to go and his free throw with one second remaining in the game accounted for the final three-point margin of victory. Burton currently leads the Seahawks and ranks in the NEC top-10 with 13.4 ppg and 11 three-pointers on the year. In two home games, the Charlotte native is averaging 19.5 ppg.
NEC NUGGETS
Bryant’s Dyami Starks is 13-13 from the free throw line this season.
LIU Brooklyn senior guard Gerrell Martin made his 100th career three-pointer on Sunday against Temple. He has 101 entering play this week.
LIU Brooklyn freshman point guard Elvar Fridriksson has turned the ball over just three times in 121 minutes over four games and sports a league-leading 6.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Walk-on and former manager Liam McManimon led Mount St. Mary’s with 10 points in last Wednesday’s loss at Wake Forest. He hit 3-5 from three-point range, all in the final 2:25 of the game.
Robert Morris senior swingman Lucky Jones moved into 12th place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,259 career points and enters this week just three caroms shy of becoming the fourth player in program history to eclipse 700 career rebounds.
Robert Morris has registered at least 10 steals in four straight games, including a season-high 12 in a 71-54 win over UL-Monroe on Thursday.
Senior guard Evan Kelley’s 19 first half points in a win over Campbell on Sunday were more than any Sacred Heart player has scored in an entire game this season.
Three of St. Francis Brooklyn’s five losses have been by three points or less.
Saint Francis U won three November games for just the second time in program history.
Wagner has posted an NEC-leading 4.80 turnover margin.
Wagner is 133-70 (.655) all-time at the Spiro Center.
QUOTABLE
“To hold them to 52 points with 15 turnovers is terrific. We did a great job rebounding, as well. That’s how you win games.” - RMU head coach Andrew Toole on the his team’s win over UL-Monroe on Thursday
“I thought we battled and showed some real fight. We had some issues early on defense, but we buckled down when we had to and that’s what you want to see with a young team. If we play every night the way we did today, I think we are going to be OK. Practice the last few days had been about a lot of bodies hitting the floor, and I think it made a difference.” - Wagner’s Bashir Mason following the Seahawks’ comeback win over Penn on Saturday
“That was a well-fought win. [Navy] coach [Ed] DeChellis does a great job, his guys play hard, they don’t give up and they have some big kids that I thought we were able to take out of the game a little bit with our defense. All-in-all, I’m proud of the effort from our guys.” - Saint Francis U head coach after the Red Flash won 85-68 at Navy on Saturday
“There is a lot of youth (on LIU) and now we get back to playing teams like us. It would have been awesome to win one of these games, yes. In this game, in the end, we didn’t have a chance to win it but we played extremely well enough for a half. I think there is some good things. I’m just trying to keep these guys positive.” - LIU Brooklyn head coach Jack Perri following Sunday’s setback at Temple
TWEET DECK
Andrew Chiappazzi @BCT_AChiappazzi
Andy Toole’s last two JuCo guard commits - Karvel Anderson and Rodney Pryor - starting to have amazing similarities.
Tony Romanello @tonyromanello
Rodney Pryor =buckets
John Templon @nybuckets
Man. Didn’t make the #NECMBB tweets of the week. Must step up my game.
IvyHoopsOnline @IvyHoopsOnline
Penn started game on 14-2 run, shot 57.6%, had 6 players score at least 7 points and still lost to Wagner for the fourth straight year.
John Templon @nybuckets
Nice win for young Wagner team today against Penn. Jojo Cooper and Marcus Burton both had nice games for Seahawks.
Peter Lombardi @PeterLombardi14
@WagnerAthletics great game,so close and exciting #CHAOSonthehill
miguel @bocmig
this LIU team is TOUGH .. It’s fun to watch
Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
When Evan Kelley is creating off the dribble the way he is today, the Pioneers are so much more dynamic on offense.
SFU SAMs & SAAC @SFU_SAMs_SAAC
Congrats Men’s Bball on the win over Navy! Safe travels home #FlashFam
Jason Harris @LIUHarris
Hard being away from family and working on Thanksgiving, but blessed to have such a cool job. ESPNU 4pm
Chris Cappella @C_Cappella
RMU looks so crisp on defense. Rotations are awesome. Like I said, once the offense got going the D would show itself