NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Deion Bute, Central Connecticut
6’9”, 220 lbs.
Jr., C, Philipsburg, St. Maarten/Tallahassee CC
A welcome addition to CCSU’s front line this season, Bute comes off a week that saw him average a team-high 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting a scorching 72.2 percent from the floor over two games. He recorded a career-high 19 points on 8-11 shooting from the field and pulled down nine boards at St. John’s on Monday. Bute, who hails from Philipsburg, St. Maarten, then posted his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in CCSU’s 79-68 win at East Carolina on Friday. The Tallahassee CC transfer is averaging 11.5 ppg and ranks second with 7.0 rpg on the year for the Blue Devils.
Junior Robinson, Mount St. Mary’s
5’5”, 150 lbs.
Sr., G, Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance
Robinson, a two-time All-NEC second teamer for the defending champion Mountaineers, averaged 20.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals over three games last week. He shot 46.8 percent from the floor and made all ten of his free throw attempts. After a 14-point outing at #14 Notre Dame on Monday, Robinson led all scorers with 26 points, and added four assists and three steals at Georgetown on Wednesday. Three days later he hit the go-ahead runner with 35 seconds to play en-route to game-high scoring honors once again as the Mount tagged an 84-81 loss on a North Florida team picked third in the ASUN. The Mebane, NC native scored 20 on 7-13 from the field, including 3-5 from distance, to go along with five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Robinson ranks fourth in the NEC with 20.0 ppg.
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jalen Jordan, St. Francis Brooklyn
6’3”, 160 lbs.
Fr., G, Conyers, GA/Rockdale County
Jordan looks to be the latest in a long line of terrific guards in recent years who have suited up for the Terriers. On Sunday, he poured in 22 points, including a 6-11 afternoon from outside the arc, and added four rebounds and a steal in St. Francis Brooklyn’s 77-74 overtime win over Brown in its home opener. On the week, Jordan averaged 13.5 ppg on 52.6 percent shooting from the floor and 50.0 percent from three-point range. He ranks second on the Terriers and leads all NEC freshman with 13.7 ppg.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Adam Grant (BRY, So, G)
Grant poured in a team-high 24 points to go along with four rebounds and six assists at NC State on Tuesday. He drained 5-8 from distance and was 9-16 overall from the field. Grant ended his week averaging 19.0 ppg.
Bosko Kostur (BRY, Sr, G/F)
Kostur hit all five of this three-point shots and finished one point shy of his career-high with 25 against Navy on Saturday. For the week, he averaged 18.0 ppg and hit 66.7 percent from the field and 75.0 percent (6-8) from three-point range.
Mike Holloway (FDU, Jr, F)
Holloway comes off an efficient week, hitting 16-24 shots (.667) from the field and scoring 34 points in 44 minutes in FDU wins over FDU-Florham and Kean. He averaged 17.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg and 1.5 spg.
Raiquan Clark (LIU, Jr, G/F)
Clark, who leads the NEC in scoring at 21.6 ppg, scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the second half in LIU Brooklyn’s 86-84 win over Hartford on Saturday. On the week, the junior averaged 17.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 2.3 apg.
Malik Petteway (RMU, Jr, F)
Petteway averaged a double-double with 10.3 ppg and 10.3 rpg in three outings last week while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor. He notched double-doubles at Grand Canyon (10 points, 11 rebounds) and in a 66-59 win at Duquesne (13 points, 14 caroms) on Sunday. His 14 boards against the Dukes were the most by a Colonial since Russell Johnson (2008-13) finished with 15 in a 71-61 victory at St. Francis Brooklyn on January 31, 2013, a span of 152 games.
Rasheem Dunn (SFBK, So, G)
Dunn posted game-highs with 23 points and six assists to pace the Terriers to a 77-74 overtime win over Brown on Sunday. He scored 16 points in the second half and made four big free throws late to help secure the win. Dunn finished the week averaging 18.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.5 apg.
Blake Francis (WC, So, G)
It was another strong week for Francis, who put up 20.5 ppg and shot 50.0 percent from three-point range, making 9-18 from outside the arc. He hit 5-9 from distance in a 17-point outing at Missouri, then hit four more trifectas in a career-high 24-point performance as the Seahawks rallied late to post a 71-70 win over American in its home opener. His two free throws with 13 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winning points for 2-1 Wagner.
PERFORMANCES OF NOTE
Joseph Lopez (SHU, Sr, F)
Lopez contributed 12.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg over three games last week for the Pioneers. He tallied 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds at Boston College on Tuesday, and sank the game-tying layup with seven seconds remaining in regulation in SHU’s 69-68 overtime win over Maine on Sunday.
Isaiah Blackmon (SFU, Jr, G)
Blackmon led the Red Flash with 15.5 ppg last week, including a game-high 18 points in 23 minutes in an 83-56 win at Longwood on Saturday.
TOP STORYLINES FROM WEEK TWO OF #NECMBB
Here’s all you need to know from the second week of the 2017-18 hoops season...
RMU’S STEEL CITY DOMINANCE OVER DUQUESNE CONTINUES
Same story, different year.
In the highly anticipated annual battle between Robert Morris and Duquesne for Steel City supremacy, the results continued to be one sided with the Colonials winning for the seventh time in eight years with a 66-59 win at the Palumbo Center on Sunday.
RM held the Dukes to 37.0 percent shooting from the floor and induced 20 turnovers. Likewise, the Colonials racked up 12 steals, which has been the calling card of the program having led the NEC in the category in each of the last two years.
Junior forward Malik Petteway (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (Northwest Florida State College)) posted his second double-double of the week with 13 points and 14 rebounds in a 26-minute stint off the bench to lead RMU. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke (Orange, NJ/Orange) also recorded his second career double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 boards.
NEC TURNAROUND
After the majority of NEC schools opened their year away from home against high major competition, conference teams rebounded nicely last week, posting a 9-3 record from Friday to Sunday, including road wins over schools from the AAC (CCSU over East Carolina) and A10 (RMU over Duquesne). In fact, nine of the 10 NEC schools are coming off a win heading into play this week.
NEWCOMERS LEADING CCSU CHARGE
Believe it or not, being picked ninth in the NEC preseason poll has served as quite the launch point for those teams in each of the last two years.
Fairleigh Dickinson was tabbed ninth in 2015-16 and went on to win the NEC title. One year later Saint Francis U landed in the ninth spot and reached the NEC final.
This year it was Central Connecticut that occupied the number nine position, and if early season results are any indication, the Blue Devils appear to have quite a similar high ceiling.
Leading the charge in New Britain are a pair of newcomers who have made an immediate impact over the first four games of the year.
Do-it-all junior swingman Tyler Kohl (Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College) and classmate Deion Bute (Philipsburg, St. Maarten/Tallahassee CC), a 6’9” rim-protecting center, have combined to average 27.5 ppg and 15.0 rpg while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
Kohl’s all-around game has opened eyes in the early stages of the season. In Friday’s 79-68 win at East Carolina, he fell just short of a triple-double with 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. On the year, Kohl ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (16.0), rebounding (8.0) and assists (4.8). He has scored 20 or more points in three of CCSU’s four games.
Bute, the NEC Co-Player of the Week, averaged a double-double (15.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg) in CCSU’s split last week, including a 19-point, nine-rebound outing at St. John’s on Tuesday. Bute, who shot 72.2 percent on the week, leads the league with 2.0 bpg, and ranks seventh in rebounding (7.0) and fifth in field goal percentage (.600).
WAGNER’S DAVIS STEPS UP GAME
A year ago, Wagner junior swingman Elijah Davis (Bronx, NY/Lincoln (Odessa College)) was a newcomer for the Green & White who had his moments, but played limited minutes on a team loaded with senior talent.
Fast forward to this fall and Davis seems to be carving out a key role in Bashir Mason’s lineup.
On Saturday, Wagner fans saw a glimpse of his potential in the team’s home opener. Davis established career-highs with 18 points and eight rebounds and served as the spark in the Seahawks’ late-game rally that resulted in a 71-70 victory.
Trailing by seven points with under three minutes to play, Davis scored seven points down the stretch, including a key three-point play with 29 seconds on the clock to pull Wagner to within one point.
Davis, who has started all three games this season for the 2-1 Seahawks, ranks second on the team with 9.0 ppg and is the team-leader with 7.0 rpg.
GRANT & ROBINSON SHINE VS. ELITE COMPETITION
In three games against major conference competition (Marquette, Notre Dame and Georgetown) this season, Mount St. Mary’s senior guard Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance) - the NEC Co-Player of the Week - has averaged 20.0 ppg and 4.0 apg.
Bryant sophomore guard Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) has averaged 24.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, and shot 50.0 percent from the floor and 53.3 percent from three-point territory in games against Georgia and NC State this season.
RED FLASH ROLL ON ROAD
Coming off a two-game west coast swing against challenging competition (#22 St. Mary’s and San Francisco), NEC preseason favorite Saint Francis U remained on the road this past week, albeit with much different results.
The Red Flash put forth a dominant effort in Farmville, VA in an 83-56 win at Longwood. The 27-point margin of victory was the biggest by an NEC team in a road game in the nearly five years since LIU Brooklyn knocked off Rice, 97-70, on December 12, 2012.
A pair of preseason All-NEC picks led the way as junior guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) paced all scorers with 18 points and sophomore guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/The Lawrenceville School) recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Interestingly, the Red Flash met up with a pair of former NEC rivals who now play for Longwood. Seniors BK Ashe and Charles Glover both played for Mount St. Mary’s before transferring to Longwood where they both start. SFU limited Ashe and Glover to four points apiece.
NEW TALENT SHINING IN NEC
It’s a small sample size, but newcomers to the NEC have already made their presence felt early on in non-conference play.
Of the top-10 scorers in the conference, four are underclassmen, five are newcomers to the league and just two are seniors.
Of the top-20 scorers in the conference, eight are underclassmen, seven are newcomers to the league and just five are seniors.
Top freshman scorer:
SFBK’s Jalen Jordan (Conyers, GA/Rockdale County) (13.7 ppg)
Top sophomore scorer:
Wagner’s Blake Francis (Herndon, VA/Westfield) (21.0 ppg)
Top newcomer scorer:
CCSU’s Tyler Kohl (Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College) (16.0 ppg)
In addition, FDU freshman guard Jahlil Jenkins (Ranson, WV/Virginia Academy) leads the circuit with 6.0 apg and RMU newcomer Deion Bute (Philipsburg, St. Maarten/Tallahassee CC) is the blocked shots leader with 2.0 per game.
LIU BROOKLYN PUSHING PACE
After five games, it’s safe to say that LIU Brooklyn is going to score a ton of points this season.
Looking like the run-and-gun Blackbird teams from earlier in the decade, LIU is averaging 85.6 ppg with four players averaging at least 12.8 ppg. LIU is currently 13th nationally in adjusted tempo.
On Saturday, the Blackbirds hung on for an 86-84 win over Hartford in the Jamaica Classic, a day after dropping a 78-74 decision to Miami (OH) in a game that saw LIU rack up 53 points in a second half comeback effort. The Blackbirds have now scored 50 or more points in a half five times in 10 games this season.
The prime beneficiary of the up-and-down style has been junior swingman Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse), who leads the NEC with 21.6 ppg. The New Haven, CT native is shooting 57.4 percent from the field and averages 6.2 rpg. He scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the second half vs. Hartford.
NEC & MEN’S HOOPS SHINE IN GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE REPORT
As Division I student-athletes achieved a record-high graduation rate nationwide, the Northeast Conference (NEC) continued its trend of high level academic success with the announcement of Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures by the NCAA.
According to NCAA data based on student-athletes who entered college in 2010 and graduated within six years, NEC student-athletes graduated at an 88 percent rate, ranking the conference 13th of the 31 NCAA Division I conferences that were tracked. This mark was ahead of the 87 percent GSR for all Division I student-athletes.
NEC men’s basketball student-athletes achieved an 89 percent GSR, the seventh-best mark in the nation. The national averages for men’s and women’s hoops were 82 and 92 percent, respectively. A year ago, the NEC ranked first nationally in men’s basketball GSR.
DID YOU KNOW?
RMU’s contest against Duquesne on Sunday was part of an eight-game road trip to open the year that will see the Colonials travel 4,886 miles and play in three different time zones (Eastern, Mountain, Pacific). Ironically, in securing its first win of the year, RMU traveled the shortest distance it will all season for a road game (18 miles to Duquesne).
It marks the longest road trip to open a season since the 1993-94 campaign, when the Colonials also opened the year with eight consecutive games away from home. The longest season-opening road trip in school history is nine, which came in 1990-91.