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NEC Player of the Week: Cane Broome, SHU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Quincy McKnight, SHU
Previous NEC Releases: Preseason Poll Release

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cane Broome, Sacred Heart
6-0, 160 lbs.
So., G, East Hartford, CT/East Hartford (St. Thomas More)
An NEC All-Rookie selection as a freshman and a 2015-16 preseason All-NEC pick, Broome powered Sacred Heart to a 76-64 season-opening victory over Quinnipiac at the Connecticut 6 on Friday night. Broome established career-highs with a game-best 27 points and four steals, and added six rebounds while turning the ball over just once in 37 minutes. His 12 free throw attempts was also a personal best and his 20 attempts from the stripe matched a 45-year old school record set by Bob Gers vs. Stonehill on January 13, 1971. After Quinnipiac pulled within one with 5:31 remaining, Broome followed two Chris Robinson free throws with four straight points to reestablish a seven point Pioneer lead. He then made two free throws with 1:24 on the clock, putting an exclamation point on a 13-1 run.

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Quincy McKnight, Sacred Heart
6-3, 180 lbs.
Fr., G, Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph’s (Phelps)
McKnight made an immediate impact in his first collegiate game, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the second half to help lead Sacred Heart to a 76-64 win over Quinnipiac at the Connecticut 6 on Friday. After missing all three of his first half shots, McKnight made 4-7 from the field and hit 3-4 from the line following intermission. He also finished with three assists and four steals - both team-highs - to go along with four rebounds in a promising all-around effort. The Bridgeport, CT native helped ice the victory with five points in the final 2:05, including a key steal in the midst of a 13-1 run.

BROOME HELPS SWEEP QUINNIPIAC AT CONNECTICUT 6
Following one of the NEC’s top freshman campaigns in recent annals, Sacred Heart sophomore guard Cane Broome’s (East Hartford, CT/East Hartford (St. Thomas More)) return to the court to begin his sophomore season couldn’t have gone any better, especially considering his role in SHU’s 76-64 win over Quinnipiac at the Connecticut 6 on Friday.

Or could it?

“I’m proud of this guy,” head coach Anthony Latina said of Broome. “He can play much better than that, I know it’s hard to say when the guy scores 27 but he can play better. He carried us at the end.”

While Latina looks to squeeze every bit of potential from his emerging superstar, the fact of the matter is that Broome looked every bit the part of a franchise player in the victory.

Broome established career-highs with a game-best 27 points and four steals, and added six rebounds while turning the ball over just once in 37 minutes. After Quinnipiac pulled within one with 5:31 remaining, Broome followed two Chris Robinson (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes) free throws with four straight points to reestablish a seven point Pioneer lead. He then made two free throws with 1:24 on the clock, putting an exclamation point on a 13-1 run.

While Broome’s performance was not unexpected and earned him NEC Player of the Week honors, redshirt senior forward Eyimofe Edukugho’s (Warri Delta State, Nigeria/Our Savior New American School (Erie CC)) evening managed to turn some heads.

Playing without projected starting forwards De’von Barnett (Waldorf, MD/Riverdale Baptist School) and Tevin Falzon (Newton, MA/Newton North (Winchendon School)), who were out with injuries, Edukugho came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points and added six boards in 24 minutes.  Edukugho, who scored just three points in all of 2014-15, caught everyone’s attention with a spin move and layup during a SHU second half surge that brought the crowd to their feet.

“Eyimofe … he was projected as a 12th man at the beginning of the year,” Latina said. “But some guys got hurt, he worked his tail off in the gym and he was ready when he got the call. He had 11 and 6. I didn’t think he’d have 11 and 6 the whole season. He was great.”

Throw in NEC Rookie of the Week Quincy McKnight’s (Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph’s (Phelps)) 13-point, four-rebound, three-assist, four-steal debut, and Sacred Heart ended the night with plenty of optimism as it works its way through non-conference play.

“This win does not make our season,” said Latina. “This is all about trying to get better every day. If we keep doing that I think we have enough players to be a factor at the end of the year.”

Next up for the Pioneers will be a matchup at Yale on Monday night.

NEC REBOOT
With all five first team All-Conference players and eight of the league’s top-10 scorers having moved on, it feels like the start of a new cycle in NEC men’s hoops.

Taking a quick glance at the top point producers from the first weekend of action, six of the top-10 are underclassmen, led by Sacred Heart sophomore guard Cane Broome (East Hartford, CT/East Hartford (St. Thomas More)) and Bryant sophomore guard Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, GA/North Cobb Christian), who poured in 27 and 24 points, respectively, in their opening games.  

In fact, of the top-20 scorers from weekend play, only three - Broome, RMU senior guard Rodney Pryor (Evanston, IL/Cloud County CC) and Sacred Heart graduate student forward Jordan Allen (Bayshore, NY/Long Island Lutheran (Hofstra University)) - finished the 2014-15 season ranked among the league’s top-20 in points per game.

Unlike last season, which started out with four players already ensconced in the NEC’s 1,000 point club and nine others with 500+ points, the 2015-16 campaign tipped off with  CCSU senior forward Brandon Peel (Forestville, MD/Riverdale Baptist) as the NEC active scoring leader with 618 points.  He is one of just eight players who entered the season already having reached the 500-point mark in their careers.

FOULS & FREE THROWS FUN
In a game with 61 combined fouls on Friday, Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac combined to shoot 84 free throws, 51 of which were by the Pioneers in SHU’s 76-64 win over its former NEC rival.

The 51 foul shots were the most in a game for the Pioneers in the Division I era. The previous high was 44 in a February 15, 2005 game against St. Francis Brooklyn. Sophomore guard Cane Broome’s (East Hartford, CT/East Hartford (St. Thomas More)) 20 attempts matched a 45-year old school record set by Bob Gers vs. Stonehill on January 13, 1971 and were more than Sacred Heart had as a team in 11 games last season.

TO BE THE MAN, YOU’VE GOT TO BEAT THE MAN
Mount St. Mary’s head coach Jamion Christian backs down from no team.

The first four games of the year have the Mount transversing the country taking on big time competition over the span of nine days. The Mountaineers opened last Friday with an 80-56 setback at #3 Maryland, then fell at fellow Big Ten power Ohio State two days later, 76-54. Preseason All-NEC pick BK Ashe (Washington, DC/Friendship Collegiate) led the Mountaineers with 18 points and seven boards against the Terps and sophomore guard Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance) scored a team-best 16 points versus the Buckeyes.

Christian and the Mount will now pack their bags for the 2,726 mile trip to Seattle to take on Washington on Thursday, before heading to Spokane to face #9 Gonzaga on Saturday.  Both games are part of the Battle for Atlantis mainland bracket.

WARE SHINES UNDER CAMERON’S BRIGHT LIGHTS
After serving an apprenticeship to Bryant all-time great Dyami Starks as a freshman last season, sophomore guard Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, GA/North Cobb Christian) delivered a star-making performance of his own on Saturday at #5 Duke in the Bulldogs’ season opener.

Making his first career start, Ware scored a career-high 24 points against the reigning national champs.  He made 9-15 from the floor, including 6-11 from beyond the arc, and added two assists.

Last year, Ware averaged 5.6 ppg and made 25 three-pointers in a key reserve role for the Bulldogs.

RMU’S PRYOR BACK TO OLD TRICKS
Last year’s NEC Tournament MVP started his senior season the same way he wrapped up his junior campaign.

Robert Morris guard and preseason All-NEC pick Rodney Pryor (Evanston, IL/Cloud County CC) averaged 22.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg, while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor in RMU’s first two games of the 2015-16 campaign. Pryor sparked a comeback from a 16-point halftime deficit against Penn in Friday’s season-opener, scoring 19 of his game-high 28 points following intermission. He had a chance to win it in the final seconds, but his mid-range jumper was just off the mark in a 76-75 setback.  

Pryor has now scored in double figures in each of his last 12 games dating back to last season, including 21.5 ppg in RMU’s two NCAA Tournament games and 17 in the NEC title game.

BRYANT DID YOU KNOW?
When Bryant took on Duke at Cameron Indoor on Saturday, it marked the second straight season the Bulldogs opened the season against the reigning national champion.  One year ago, Bryant took on UConn in its season opener.

CCSU’S PEEL ON DOUBLE DUTY
One of the NEC’s top returning bigs, CCSU senior forward Brandon Peel (Forestville, MD/Riverdale Baptist) was in midseason form for the Blue Devils in their first two games.  Peel posted consecutive double-doubles, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a double overtime setback to Hartford on Friday, followed by 17 points and 10 rebounds at Penn on Sunday. He has amassed 14 career double-doubles, and dating back to last season has recorded five double-doubles in his last eight games.  Peel also blocked five shots against the Hawks to raise his career total to 137, tops among active NEC players.

NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR CCSU’S CUMBERLANDER
One of CCSU’s veteran leaders, junior guard Khalen Cumberlander (Washington, D.C./Coolidge) opened the 2015-16 season with perhaps the finest performance of his career.  Cumberlander finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for a near triple-double in the Blue Devils’ 92-83 double overtime loss to Hartford at the Connectict 6 at Detrick Gym.  The last NEC player to register a double-double was Quinnipiac’s James Feldeine, who tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists against Monmouth on February 25, 2010.

NEWCOMERS OF NOTE
A number of newcomers to the NEC made good first impressions last week, none more so than Sacred Heart freshman guard Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph’s (Phelps)) and Bryant freshman guard Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, MA/Boston Trinity). The NEC Rookie of the Week was Sacred Heart’s second leading scorer with 13 points in the Pioneers’ 76-64 win over Quinnipiac at the Connecticut 6 on Friday. The freshman scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and finished with three assists and four steals - both team-highs - to go along with four rebounds.  Zouzoua showed no stage fright in Bryant’s opener at Duke, going for 16 points, including 4-7 from long range.  He added four boards, an assist and a steal in his Bulldog debut.

Here is a list of 10 NEC newcomers who made impressive debuts:

Nisre Zouzoua (BRY, Fr, G): 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4-7 3PFG vs. Duke
Marcel Pettway (BRY, Fr, F/C): 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4-8 FG vs. Duke
Austin Nehls (CCSU, Fr, G): 10.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4 3PFG vs. Hartford/Penn
Jahlil Nails (CCSU, Fr, G): 6.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg vs. Hartford/Penn
JJ Cratit (CCSU, Jr, G): 6.5 ppg vs. Hartford/Penn
Isaiah Stll (RMU, Fr, G): 7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg vs. Penn/Cincinnati
Quincy McKnight (SHU, Fr, G): 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals vs. Quinnipiac
Dagur Jonsson (SFBK, Fr, G): 12 points,  5 rebounds, 2 assists vs. Boston College
Jon Doss (SFBK, Jr, F): 9 points, 2 steals, 3-5 3PFG vs. Boston College
Henry Brooks (WC, Gr, F): 6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5-9 FG vs. St. John’s/Seton Hall

BREAKOUT GAME FOR WAGNER’S KADJI
Wagner sophomore Japhet Kadji (Douala, Cameroon/Gulliver Prep (IMG Academy)) had an impressive season opener as the Seahawks did their best to ruin Chris Mullin’s homecoming game for St. John’s.

The brother of former Miami (FL) and Florida forward Kenny Kadji, the bouncy 6-7 forward finished with a career-best 14 points and hit 4-7 from downtown. Wagner’s last lead of the game came on a three-ball from Kadji with 11:37 remaining which gave the Seahawks a 46-45 edge. Late in the game Wagner would get back to within three on two occasions, the last coming on a Kadji three-pointer, which pulled the Seahawks to within 57-54 at the 1:47 mark.

Kadji averaged 3.2 ppg for the Seahawks as a freshman last season.

FDU’S ANDERSON SHINES AT VILLANOVA
Following a promising freshman campaign, FDU’s Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College Prep) appears to be on the verge of a breakout sophomore season if Friday’s season opening performance is any indication.

Anderson, who ranked third among NEC freshman in scoring last season, delivered a 21-point performance at #11 Villanova.  He connected on 8-16 shots from the floor and 5-8 from three-point range.  The Washington, D.C. product also added a pair of assists and a steal for the Knights.

THE WAGNER-SETON HALL CONNECTION
When Wagner met Seton Hall on Sunday, it made for a good time to reminisce about the hoops connection the two schools share.

P.J. Carlesimo arrived at Wagner in 1976 as the nation’s youngest Division I head men’s basketball coach, taking over a school that was new to the DI level. In his just his third season in 1978-79, he led the Seahawks to a 21-7 record. In that magical year, Wagner posted a 16-game winning streak, beating such teams as Alabama, Seton Hall and Northeastern before suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss to St. John’s with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line. The Seahawks earned the school’s first-ever bid to the NIT and Carlesimo would go on to add the duties of Athletic Director in 1978, a post he held until 1982. In a little known fact, Carlesimo coached Wagner during the NEC’s inaugural season in 1981-82 when the league was known as the ECAC Metro Conference.

After putting Wagner on the basketball map, Carlesimo moved on to a legnedary run at Seton Hall, where he helped lead the Pirates to the top of the Big East and the 1989 National Championship game before becoming a head coach in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1994.

WELCOME BACK, MR. ANDERSON
Wagner redshirt senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay (Michigan State)) returned to action for the first time since re-injuring his foot on January 5 against Mount St. Mary’s. In a closely contested setback at St. John’s on Friday that saw the Seahawks within three points of the Red Storm with under two minutes to play, Anderson recorded his first career double-double, finishing with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. He added 11 points against Seton Hall on Sunday.

HERE & THERE

• LIU Brooklyn was the only team that did not play during the opening weekend.  The Blackbirds begin their season on Monday at Loyola (MD).

• Robert Morris sophomore forward Elijah Minnie (Monessen, PA/Lincoln Park) set a career-high with 15 points against Penn on Friday and also tied for team-high honors with nine rebounds.

• A pair of newcomers made an impact for St. Francis Brooklyn in its season-opening setback at Boston College on Saturday. Freshman guard Dagur Jonsson (Reykjanesbaer, Suoumes, Iceland) - one of two Icelandic players on the roster - came off the bench to pace the Terriers with 12 points in 31 minutes. Junior transfer Jon Doss (Chicago, IL/Hope Academy) added nine points and hit 3-5 attempts from behind the arc.

• Saint Francis U freshman forward/center Josh Nebo (Katy, Texas/Cypress Lakes) became the Red Flash’s second freshman to start a season opener in the last three years.  He finished the game at #19 Notre Dame with five rebounds, a block and a steal. Current junior Malik Harmon (Queens, NY/Christ the King) started as a freshman in the 2012-13 season opener and went on win the NEC Rookie of the Year award.

• Saint Francis U sophomore forward Basil Thompson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) scored nine points on 9-of-10 from the free throw line against Notre Dame. He also added five rebounds.

• Wagner sophomore guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) paced the Wagner offense last week, averaging 16.5 ppg while shooting 46.7 percent from outside the arc in close setbacks to St. John’s and Seton Hall. On opening night against the Red Storm, St. John’s, the Upper Marlboro, MD native tallied 16 points, including 4-8 from distance.  Henson then scored 17 points versus the Pirates on Sunday.

QUOTABLE

“I’m pleased with our team. It was a team effort. We’re missing two front-court starters (De’von Barnett and Tevin Falzon) and we were very concerned about foul trouble. But we showed some grit, we showed some toughness and we made some plays when we had to. They’re a very physical team, a very well-coached team and for a while they were imposing their will on us. We bent but we didn’t break.” - SHU head coach Anthony Latina on his team’s win over Quinnipiac

“I thought it might come down to a couple of plays at the end, and that’s the way it was. We got some good looks and we just came up a little short.” - Wagner head coach Bashir Mason on the Seahawks’ nine-point loss to St. John’s

“This was a culture shock to our guys, but a good educational experience. It hurts now and it hurt all night, but these games help.” - FDU head coach Greg Herenda following Friday’s setback to #11 Villanova

“I’m happy and proud of the way our guys fought back in the second half. We just needed one more bucket. We talk all the time about how hard you need to compete in order to win a Division I basketball game. We had some breakdowns, in the first half especially, that really hurt us. But again, we responded really well in the second half. If we can compete like that on a regular basis, I think we have a chance to be a good team.” - RMU ead coach Andrew Toole after RMU battled back from 16 down at the half to put itself in a position to win on the final possession

“The team that we faced tonight certainly I expect them to go on to do big things. That’s a talented group. They present a lot of challenges defensively because of their versatility.” - Rob Krimmel on Notre Dame

“I thought our kids showed a lot of character.” - CCSU’s Howie Dickenman after his team battled Hartford in a double overtime affair.

TWEET DECK

Nelson Castillo @NelCastBHJ
There will be at least 1 gm w/ a #NECMBB team over the first 10 days of the college hoops season. #BuckleUp

Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
Sacred Heart is going to hold one in a really impressive win. 3 freshmen, 3 sophomores played a role, but it was mostly Cane Broome.

Ray Curren @currenrr
Sacred Heart 65-58, 3:47 left. Cane Broome. Good at basketball. If Pioneers can keep from everyone fouling out, might hold on. #CT6

Blue Devil Nation @BlueDevilNation
#1 can play for Bryant, Hunter Ware

Chris Cappella @C_Cappella
RODNEY PRYOR IS GOING BANANAS

Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
If I’m a CCSU fan, I’m very encouraged with how comfortable Jahlil Nails and Austin Nehls look in crunch time. Not fazed by the moment.

John Templon @nybuckets
Japhet Kadji looks completely different from last season. Way more confident and athletic. Could be huge for Wagner.

Ron Ratner @NECHoopsRon
Solid 76-64 win for @SHUBigRed vs. rebounding machine known as Quinnipiac. @AnthonyLatina has some young guns. Plenty to be excited about.

Patrick Stevens @D1scourse
Probably should have seen St. John’s having its hands full with Wagner tonight, too.

The Mount @MountHoops
ICYMI: The Mount was on @ESPNU yesterday vs Ohio St...But also on the nationally featured OSU Snapchat story!