PDF Release
NEC Player of the Week: Quincy McKnight, SHU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Rasheem Dunn, SFBK
Previous NEC Releases: December 12 | December 5 | November 28 | November 21 | November 14 | Preseason Poll Release | Preseason All-NEC Release | NEC-TV Release
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Quincy McKnight, Sacred Heart
6’3”, 180 lbs.
So, G, Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph’s (Phelps)
In winning his second NEC Player of the Week award this season, McKnight torched Boston College to the tune of a career-high 36 points in a seven-point setback on Sunday. McKnight hit 10-18 shots from the floor and 15-18 from the line as the Pioneers battled into the final minute against the ACC foe. He scored 25 of those points in the second half as the Pioneers erased an 11-point halftime deficit to take the lead midway through the final stanza. McKnight added five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in 39 minutes of play. The 36 point explosion marked the NEC single-game season-high this season, eclipsing his own 34-point outing against UMass Lowell on December 6. McKnight ranks second in the NEC this season with 20.0 ppg. The Bridgeport, CT native has already racked up 549 points in 39 career outings.
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Rasheem Dunn, St. Francis Brooklyn
6’2”, 180 lbs.
Fr., G, Brooklyn, NY/Thomas Jefferson
Dunn appears to the heir apparent in a long line of terrific guards to come out of St. Francis Brooklyn. Last week he came off the bench to post team-highs with 13 points and four assists at Albany on Saturday. He hit 5-9 shots from the floor and added a steal in 30 minutes of work. Dunn, a local product out of Thomas Jefferson High School, currently ranks third among NEC freshmen and 19th overall with 12.6 ppg on the year.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Khalen Cumberlander (CCSU, Sr, G)
Cumberlander comes off a fine all-around week that saw him post 15.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 3.5 spg for the Blue Devils. He shot 54.5 percent from the field.
Darian Anderson (FDU, Jr, G)
In games at Rutgers and #23 Cincinnati, Anderson averaged 17.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 4.0 apg. He finished with a game-high 22 points, including four shots from outside the arc at the RAC against the Scarlet Knights.
Nura Zanna (LIU, Jr, F)
Zanna averaged a double-double with 12.0 ppg and 13.0 rpg for the Blackbirds last week. He shot 61.1 percent from the field. Zanna, who has compiled three straight double-doubles, finished with 15 points and a career-high 16 boards against Dartmouth on Sunday.
Isaiah Still (RMU, So, G)
Playing against one of the nation’s premier defensive teams, Still netted 16 points on 5-10 shooting from the floor at #13 Virginia. Still has led RMU In scoring in 9-of-12 games this season.
Keith Braxton (SFU, Fr, G)
Braxton pulled down an NEC single-game season-high 19 rebounds against Stony Brook on Saturday and averaged 11.5 rpg on the week. The 19 boards were the most by an NEC freshman in nearly 16 years. Braxton currently leads the NEC with 9.3 rpg.
Elijah Davis (WC, So, G/F)
Making his third straight start, Davis set career-highs with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds at Providence on Saturday. He hit 6-10 shots from the floor.
SFU’S KING HEADS UP MOST NEC’S IMPROVED SCORERS
When the NEC hands out its Most Improved Player award at year’s end, there will be no shortage of deserving student-athletes from which to choose. Glancing at scoring alone, there are a number players who have stepped up their game from last year, none more so than Saint Francis U sophomore point guard Jamaal King (Salisbury, MD/Bishop O’Connell (VA)). With three-year starter Malik Harmon (Queens, NY/Christ the King) out for the year with an injury, King has stepped in admirably and lifted his point production from just 2.1 ppg as a freshman to a team-high 13.7 ppg this season, a whopping 552 percent increase. The Salisbury, MD native ranks 10th in the NEC in scoring and had 16 points in SFU’s game against Stony Brook on Saturday.
Mount St. Mary’s sophomore guard Elijah Long (Mississauga, Ontario/John Carroll (MD)) (+9.4 ppg), LIU Brooklyn senior guard Iverson Fleming (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) (+9.2), Sacred Heart sophomore guard Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph’s (Phelps)) (+8.6) and Bryant sophomore guard Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, MA/Boston Trinity) (+8.4) round out the top-five most improved scorer list. All but Fleming are underclassmen.
Top-15 NEC Most Improved Scorers
Name 2015-16 2016-17 PPG Increase
Jamaal King, SFU 2.1 ppg 13.7 ppg +11.6 ppg
Elijah Long, MSM 5.6 ppg 15.0 ppg +9.4 ppg
Iverson Fleming, LIU 4.9 ppg 14.1 ppg +9.2 ppg
Quincy McKnight, SHU 11.4 ppg 20.0 ppg +8.6 ppg
Nisre Zouzoua, BRY 12.8 ppg 21.2 ppg +8.4 ppg
Tidell Pierre, CCSU 2.1 ppg 9.8 ppg +7.7 ppg
Josh Nebo, SFU 4.9 ppg 11.8 ppg +6.9 ppg
JoJo Cooper, WC 3.5 ppg 9.8 ppg +6.3 ppg
Isaiah Still, RMU 9.9 ppg 15.2 ppg +5.3 ppg
Glenn Sanabria, SFBK 8.5 ppg 13.5 ppg +5.0 ppg
Scott Meredith, SFU 0.5 ppg 4.6 ppg +4.1 ppg
Darian Anderson, FDU 15.2 ppg 19.1 ppg +3.9 ppg
Andre Wolford, SFU 1.3 ppg 5.0 ppg +3.7 ppg
Georgios Angelou, SFU 3.6 ppg 6.9 ppg +3.3 ppg
Mike Holloway, FDU 9.4 ppg 12.4 ppg +3.0 ppg
Sean Hoehn, SHU 4.8 ppg 7.8 ppg +3.0 ppg
BRAXTON’S BOARD ROOM
There are some games when your shot just won’t drop.
Those are the times a player needs to find other ways to contribute.
Cue Saint Francis U freshman guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/The Lawrenceville School), who finished 0-6 from the floor against Stony Brook on Saturday. Instead of letting an off-day throw off his game, the Glassboro, NJ native instead went to work on the boards.
Braxton, who measures 6’4”, snared an astounding 19 rebounds, erasing his previous career-high of 15 set at American on November 26. It also established a slew of #NECMBB superlatives.
- The 19 rebounds represented an NEC single-game season-high and the most since SFU’s Ronnie Drinnon finished with 22 against Fairleigh Dickinson in the NEC quarterfinals on March 2, 2016.
- The 19 boards were the most by an NEC freshman in nearly 16 years. The last player to pull down more was CCSU great Ron Robinson, who had 20 rebounds against Mount St. Mary’s on February 5, 2001.
- Braxton’s rebound total was the most by a freshman in the nation this season and the 12th-most in a DI game on the year.
Braxton’s big day on the glass vaulted him to the top of the NEC rebounding charts. Over his first nine games, the two-time NEC Rookie of the Week is averaging 9.3 per game, a full rebound ahead of any other conference player.
The Glassboro, NJ native is also the top freshman rebounder in the nation this season.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Sacred Heart junior forward Joseph Lopez (Miami, FL/South Miami Senior (Broward College)) has made 36 of his last 48 shots from the field, hitting at a scorching 75.0 percent clip over the six-game stretch.
In that time, Lopez has averaged 14.0 ppg and 8.8 rpg. He put up 16 points and nine rebounds at Boston College on Sunday and is the NEC’s second-leading rebounder at 8.2 per outing.
SHU DID YOU KNOW?
With a 36-point effort in Sacred Heart’s 82-75 setback at Boston College on Sunday, sophomore guard Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph’s (Phelps)) now possesses the two highest scoring games in #NECMBB this season. McKnight, the NEC Player of the Week, dropped 34 points in SHU’s 91-82 win over UMass Lowell on December 6.
Last year another SHU sophomore guard posted the top-two point performances in the conference as well. Cane Broome erupted for 39 points against FDU on February 20 and 38 against LIU Brooklyn on January 27.
RING IN THE HOLIDAYS ON NEC FRONT ROW
As the non-conference season comes to a close this week and with #NECTipoff just ten days away, NEC Front Row is the place to be.
There will be eight games on the NEC’s free digital network this week before teams break for six days.
NEC FRONT ROW SCHEDULE
Tues., Dec. 20 Manhattan at St. Francis Brooklyn, 7 pm
Wed., Dec. 21 Buffalo at Robert Morris, 7 pm
Holy Cross at Sacred Heart, 7 pm
Niagara at LIU Brooklyn, 7:30 pm
Thur., Dec. 22 Dartmouth at Bryant, 11 am
Coppin State at Mount St. Mary’s, 7 pm
Staten Island at Wagner, 7 pm
Fri., Dec. 23 Saint Peter’s at St. Francis Brooklyn, 2 pm
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? RMU’S GARY WALLACE
He wasn’t flashy and was never an NEC all-star, but former Robert Morris player Gary Wallace was valuable in this sense.
All he ever did was win.
During Wallace’s four years at Robert Morris from 2007-11, the Colonials posted a 91-44 record, including three 23+ win seasons, and he graduated with the most wins in school and NEC history. RMU went 52-15 against conference competition during that span, won two NEC title, reached three NEC title tilts and played in the postseason on three occasions.
The point guard from Montclair, NJ with the infectious personality and a steadying influence on the court started 35 games over his four years and finished with 679 career points.
Gary Wallace RMU Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MEMVsy4gJQ
Wallace went on to play professionally in Norway for three years before returning to the states.
Last year, Wallace visited the NEC Front Row studios for a wide-ranking interview that covered the following topics.
- The path that led him to Robert Morris
- His experiences as both a student and athlete at RMU
- What it takes to win an NEC title
- His recollections of playing in the NCAA Tournament
- His toughest NEC rivals
- His connection to RMU and the NEC
- How his time at RMU helped shape him both personally and professionally, and prepared him for life after graduation.
One-on-one with Gary Wallace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5y44jrQ0o8
Follwoing his pro career, Wallace returned to his hometown and started working with the Montclair High School track team. That work led to his recent appointment as Montclair’s head boy’s basketball coach and the 28-year old couldn’t be any happier.
“I am honored to have this great opportunity to give back to the community and I am excited to be able to do it in my hometown,” said Wallace. “This is a dream coaching position, which has become a reality, and I look forward to the challenges ahead.”
Playing under Mike Rice and Andrew Toole at RMU also helped shape his outlook on the game.
“Coach Rice taught me a lot about how important it is to be mentally tough and the fact that there is a lot more to the game than just putting the ball in the basket and if you’re not having a good night on the offensive end that you can always remain locked in on defense and still have a big impact on the game.”
Bergen Record story on Gary Wallace being hired at Montclair HS: http://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2016/12/12/montclair-boys-basketball-season-preview/95323436/
LATIF “JET” RIVERS JOINS GLOBETROTTERS ROOKIE CLASS
One of just 12 players in Wagner history to finish with 1,500 career points, Latif Rivers made his mark in the college basketball world during his four-year career on Grymes Hill from 2010-14.
Now, some two and a half years later, Rivers is about to showcase his considerable skills to millions worldwide.
Rivers was announced last Wednesday as part of the Harlem Globetrotters’ six-member rookie class.
“Having these six outstanding players is only going to make the Harlem Globetrotters better,” said Globetrotters legend, Sweet Lou Dunbar, the team’s director of player personnel and head coach. “The Globetrotters have entertained and thrilled crowds worldwide for over nine decades. As we begin our 91st consecutive season, the presence of each one of these talented rookies will continue to help us put smiles on the faces of every fan who comes to watch one of our games in 2017 and beyond.”
The two-time All-NEC selection will join a star-studded roster as the Globetrotters tip-off their 2017 World Tour on Dec. 26 and play in over 250 North American markets, as well as 30 countries worldwide.
Now billed as Latif “Jet” Rivers, the Elizabeth, NJ will return to the New York City area on February 7 when the Globetrotters play in White Plains. He will compete back in his home state on February 11 at Rutgers and on February 17 at the Prudential Center.
QUICK HITTERS
CCSU senior forward Tidell Pierre (Hempstead, NY/Garden City CC)) continued his strong play of late, averaging 12.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg last week. He posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds at UMass Lowell on Sunday.
Fairleigh Dickinson junior guard Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, MD/Bishop McNamara) scored a game-high 24 points and added five assists in a setback at #23 Cincinnati on Saturday.
LIU Brooklyn senior guard Iverson Fleming (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) hit 7-10 shots from long range last week and has now made 10 of his last 15 shots from beyond the arc. Last Wednesday, he made 6-8 from distance in a 24-point outing at Minnesota. Fleming, who averaged 18.0 ppg last week and has his season average up to 14.1 ppg, is now shooting 42.9 percent from three-point territory on the year.
LIU Brooklyn senior forward Jerome Frink (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony (FIU)) hit at a 51.5 percent clip from the field and averaged 17.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg last week. Frink ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring (17.3) and rebounding (8.0).
TWEET DECK
Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
Quincy McKnight doing his best Cane Broome impersonation- now has 31 points on 16 shots today. For defenders, he’s so hard to keep in front.
Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
All the credit for SHU rebounding dominance goes to two guys that weren’t on the playing roster last season: Joe Lopez and De’von Barnett.
John Templon @nybuckets
John Templon Retweeted Wagner Seahawks
Now that I ponder this it seems like a really good fit. Cool!John Templon added,
Wagner Seahawks @WagnerAthletics
Former Seahawk Great Latif Rivers Named To Harlem Globetrotters' 2017 Roster @Wagner_MBB @NECSports http://bit.ly/2gFog6U