NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dachon Burke, Robert Morris
6’4”, 180 lbs.
So., G, Orange, NJ/Orange
Burke became the first student-athlete to win three straight NEC Player of the Week honors in nearly seven years after guiding the Colonials to two more wins last week. The sophomore guard averaged 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 53.8 percent from three-point territory. In RMU’s home opener on Wednesday, Burke supplied 15 points, a team-high eight rebounds and five assists to spark a 78-75 win over Rider. He sealed the win with a pair of free throws with two seconds to play. Four days later, Burke tallied a game-high 25 points to go along with four rebounds and five steals as the Colonials cruised past Drexel, 74-60. He set a career high with six three-pointers in eight attempts and was 9-15 overall from the field. Burke, who hails from Orange, NJ, leads Robert Morris and ranks fifth in the NEC with 16.4 ppg. He also paces the conference with 2.7 spg and is the eighth leading rebounder on the circuit with 6.4 per game. Former CCSU great Ken Horton was the last NEC player to claim three consecutive weekly honors back in February, 2011.
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Koby Thomas, Robert Morris
6’6”, 190 lbs.
Fr., F, Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter
Already a three-time winner of the NEC Rookie of the Week award, Thomas continues to look like anything but a freshman for the Colonials, who have now won six-of-seven games after a 2-0 week. The Philly native averaged 20.5 points on 58.6 percent shooting, and snared 5.5 rebounds per outing. Thomas scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds in a 78-75 win over Rider on Wednesday, and kept the Broncs at bay with a dunk and two free throws in the final 1:09 of the victory. He went on to contribute 21 points and six boards in Sunday’s 74-60 conquest of Drexel. Over the first 10 games of his collegiate career, Thomas has eclipsed the 20-point plateau a school record four times, one more than RMU’s all-time leading scorer and NEC Hall of Famer Myron Walker (1990-94). He leads all NEC freshman with 14.5 ppg.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Ikenna Ndugba (BRY, So, G)
Ndugba posted his third career double-double on Saturday at Memphis with 17 points and a career-high 11 assists. The 11 dimes were the most by a Bulldog since Shane McLaughlin’s 12 against LIU Brooklyn on February 27, 2016. For the week he averaged 15.0 ppg, 9.0 apg, 3.0 rpg and 1.5 spg.
Raiquan Clark (LIU, Jr, G/F)
The third-leading scorer on the circuit with 19.3 ppg, Clark was right near his average last week with 19.5 ppg on 57.1 percent shooting in a split for the Blackbirds. He also averaged 6.5 rpg, 2.0 spg and 1.5 bpg.
Joel Hernandez (LIU, Sr, G/F)
Hernandez continued to sizzle for the Blackbirds, averaging 23.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg last week. He made 50.0 percent of his shots from the floor and was 4-6 from distance. Hernandez, who tallied 23 points and seven boards in a win over Stony Brook on Monday, ranks fourth in the NEC with 18.8 ppg and is the fifth-leading rebounder on the circuit with 6.6 per game.
Junior Robinson (MSM, Sr, G)
Robinson reached the 20-point plateau in both of the Mount’s games last week. The senior guard tallied 24 points and nine assists in an OT loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday and followed with a 20-point effort at Lehigh on Saturday. For the week, Robinson averaged 22.0 points and 6.5 assists, and went a perfect 14-14 at the foul line. He paces the NEC and ranks 14th nationally with 22.4 ppg.
Joseph Lopez (SHU, Sr, F)
Lopez averaged 14.5 ppg and 12.5 rpg in a pair of SHU wins last week against Dartmouth and Lafayette. The senior scored 14 points and snared nine boards against the Big Green on Tuesday, then matched a career-high with 16 rebounds to go along with 15 points vs. the Leopards on Saturday.
Rasheem Dunn (SFBK, So, G)
Dunn scored a game-high 22 points in the Terriers eight-point loss at Fordham on Saturday. He hit 8-14 from the field and added four rebounds and four assists. It was his third 20+ point performance this season.
Jamaal King (SFU, Jr, G)
King averaged 19.5 ppg, 3.5 apg and 1.5 spg, while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor in a 1-1 week for Saint Francis U. He scored 13 at #1 Duke on Tuesday, then put up a career-high 26 points on 10-15 shooting in a 93-87 overtime win at Niagara on Sunday. King netted seven points in the extra session.
Blake Francis (WC, So, G)
Francis was up to his usual tricks last week, hitting 56.5 percent of his shot attempts and all seven of his free throws en-route to 19.5 ppg. He hit 7-8 from the field, including all four of his three-point attempts on Tuesday to finish with 20 points in just 17 minutes as the Seahawks knocked off UMass Lowell, 90-72. Francis is currently second in the NEC in scoring at 19.6 ppg.
PERFORMANCES OF NOTE
Tyler Kohl (CCSU, Jr, G)
Kohl scored a game-high 20 points at Northern Illinois on Saturday, his fourth 20-point game of the season. He netted the first nine points of the second half for Central, including a three-point play that sparked a 14-2 run as the Blue Devils trimmed a 16-point deficit to just four points. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds against the Huskies.
Keith Braxton (SFU, So, G)
Braxton recorded 24 points and added a game-high 12 rebounds in SFU’s 93-87 overtime win at Niagara on Sunday.
TOP STORYLINES FROM WEEK FIVE OF #NECMBB
Here’s all you need to know from the fifth week of the 2017-18 hoops season...
DID YOU KNOW?
The NEC has posted a 36-33 non-conference record since November 18.
DID YOU KNOW?
The NEC is 19-19 this season against its east coast peer conferences (America East, Ivy, MAAC and Patriot League).
WAGNER’S HOT START IN PERSPECTIVE
It’s been a joyful holiday season for Wagner fans, who are reveling in their team’s early-season success.
Currently riding a six-game win streak after knocking off UMass Lowell and Mercy last week, Wagner is now off to a 7-1 start. This marks the best start for the Seahawks since opening 8-1 under PJ Carlesimo in 1979-80. It is also the most prolific start to a season in the NEC since Marist went 14-1 to begin the 1995-96 campaign.
Likewise, Wagner’s six straight wins in non-league play is the longest such streak by an NEC team since Quinnipiac won six in a row during the 2002-03 season. Monmouth holds the league mark having won seven in a row in 1990-91.
KOBY SOARING FOR RMU
Robert Morris freshman forward Koby Thomas (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) has not only turned heads with his numbers, but with his style as well.
The three-time NEC Rookie of the Week has become somewhat of a Human Highlight Film with his aerial acrobatics. On Sunday, Thomas finished with four flushes as part of a 21-point performance in RMU’s 74-60 win over Drexel.
On the year, the Philadelphia product leads the NEC with 14 dunks.
JUNIOR VS. POWER CONFERENCES
As a two-time All-NEC performer, big things were expected from Mount St. Mary’s guard Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance) this season. With that said, it’s safe to say that few predicted the extent of the uptick in the senior’s production.
A career 11.8 ppg scorer who averaged 14.1 ppg as a junior, Robinson currently leads the NEC and ranks 14th nationally with 22.4 ppg. He has scored 20 or more points in eight-of-10 outings and now has 20 career games with 20+ points to rank sixth on the Mount’s all-time list. The rise in production has come with an increase in efficiency as the Mebane, NC native is shooting 42.8 percent from the field, the highest mark of his four-year career. His usage rate (35.0) is fifth nationally, a year after he finished outside the top-500 (23.3) in the category.
Most impressive is Robinson’s production against the high level competition he faces as a part of the Mount’s challenging non-league slate. In four games against Marquette, Notre Dame, Georgetown and Pittsburgh, he has averaged 21.0 ppg and 5.3 apg. Robinson has draine all 15 of his free throw attempts in these games.
Most recently, Robinson torched Pitt to the tune of a game-high 24 points, nine assists and two steals this past Tuesday in an 82-78 overtime setback.
WC’S COOPER SETTING THE TABLE
When Wagner senior guard JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord) dished for 13 assists in Tuesday’s 90-72 win over UMass Lowell, it not only marked a career-high, but it was the most dimes by an NEC player since Bryant’s Shane McLaughlin dished for 14 against Prairie View A&M on November 20, 2015. The 13 assists are also the sixth most in an NCAA game this season.
Cooper leads the NEC with 5.5 apg.
RMU at PPG
After an eight-game road trip to start the season, Robert Morris was back in its temporary home at PPG Paints Arena last week. With wins over Rider and Drexel, the Colonials are now 4-0 at PPG dating back to last season.
Construction on RMU’s new 140,000 square foot UPMC Events Center is expected to open in January, 2019.
BARNETT’S BACK & CONTRIBUTING FOR SHU
Sacred Heart is 3-1 since senior forward De’von Barnett (Waldorf, MD/Riverdale Baptist) made his debut after sitting out the first six games of the year with an injury. The only loss came at St. John’s.
Barnett is averaging 8.0 ppg on 63.6 percent shooting and has added 5.0 rpg off the bench since his return. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s 62-50 win over Lafayette that evened the Pioneers’ record at 5-5 on the season.
WRAY’S RETURN
Last week Mount St. Mary’s welcomed back senior Chris Wray (Shelby, NC/Shelby (Fishburne Military School (VA)), who missed the first eight games of the season with an injury.
In two games, the do-it-all 6’8” forward stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 6.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.5 spg and 2.5 bpg.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Wagner hit 14-22 from three-point range in a 90-72 triumph over UMass Lowell on Wednesday. The 63.6 percent success rate was the best by an NEC team this year and the 17th-highest single game percentage in the nation this year.
STAT OF THE WEEK #2
The current NEC minutes leader this season is...a freshman.
The Mount’s Jonah Antonio (Perth, Australia/Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)) is currently logging 36.5 minutes per outing, just ahead of teammate Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance) (36.3 mpg). Antonio also ranks first in the NEC with 3.5 made three-pointers per contest and is the second-leading freshman scorer in the league with 13.3 ppg.
FRESHMAN UPDATE
It was a breakout week for Bryant freshman forward Brandon Carroll (Brewster, NY/Iona Prep), who averaged 14.5 ppg in outings against Albany and Memphis. Carroll, who entered the week with 13 total points on the season, earned his first two career starts and also averaged 7.0 rpg and 2.0 spg.
Fairleigh Dickinson freshman forward Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon) led the Knights with 13 points against Rutgers on Saturday and has averaged 14.5 ppg over his last two contests. He is averaging 9.7 ppg while shooting an even 50 percent (14-28) from long range on the year, and 55.4 percent overall from the field.
St. Francis Brooklyn freshman guard Jalen Jordan (Conyers, GA/Rockdale County) rang up 18 points, including 3-5 from outside the arc at Fordham on Saturday. Jordan ranks second on the Terriers and is the NEC’s third-leading freshman scorer with 13.0 ppg. He also ranks in the NEC top-five in made three-pointers (2.67/game) and three-point accuracy (.462).
LIU’S HERNANDEZ HEATING UP
After missing last season with an injury, LIU Brooklyn senior guard Joel Hernandez (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) has made it back and then some for the Blackbirds.
Hernandez has taken his game to another level recently, averaging 24.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 2.3 apg in his three contests. In that span, he has converted 51.0 percent from the field and 62.5 percent (5-8) from three-point territory.
Hernandez, who put up 11.4 ppg as a junior in 2015-16, now ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring (18.8) and fifth in rebounding (6.6). He is the only player in the conference to rank in the top-five in both categories.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“Every game we play, we’re starting to have less errors,” Burke said. “We’re starting to learn lessons from wins to losses, watching film. Coaches are telling us not to get too big-headed. This team is way different from last year. I feel like we’re more hungry, we’re the true definition of Robert Morris basketball - grit.” - RMU’s Dachon Burke after win over Drexel on Sunday
“I am most proud of this group for sticking together and using the Stony Brook game as a learning experience. We showed tremendous poise to get the game to overtime and then put them away in overtime by making free throws and getting stops. It was a really good road win against a good team in a difficult environment.” - SFU head coach Rob Krimmel after the Red Flash withstood a Niagara rally that forced OT and won 93-87 in overtime on Sunday
ROBERT MORRIS WINNING TURNOVER BATTLE
With a slew of newcomers and young talent leading the way, the future looks bright for Robert Morris. And while the team’s scoring is up six points per game from last year, it’s the Colonials’ work on the defensive end of the floor that has played the biggest role in RMU winning six of its last seven entering play this week.
Robert Morris led the NEC in turnovers forced last season with 16.6 per game and has built upon those numbers this season, forcing 18.8 miscues per content this fall. The Colonials lead the NEC in turnover margin (+3.0) and defensive efficiency (101.6) by a wide amount.
Sophomore Dachon Burke (Orange, NJ/Orange) is the NEC steals leader with 2.67 per game and also tops the circuit in steal percentage (4.60). He ranks 12th nationally in steals per game and 27th in steal percentage.
RAINING THREES AT PPG
Robert Morris knocked down a season-high 11 three-pointers in both of its wins at PPG Paints Arena last week and has now turned the trick three times this season.
Overall, the Colonials have drained at least 10 three-pointers in five of their last six games and six overall in 2017-18. RMU is 38-8 (.826) in eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game, including 4-2 this season.
JUNIOR’S FREE THROW SUCCESS
Talk about being automatic.
The Mount’s Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance) has now made 56-of-58 from the line this season, which translates to a league-high 96.6 percent.
Robinson, who ranks third nationally in free throw percentage, could challenge the longtime NEC single-season mark for accuracy currently held by Marist’s Danny Basile, who converted 94.4 percent back in 1993-94.
NEC in NCAA STATS (Top-25)
Name School Category Rank Value
Junior Robinson MSM PPG 14th 22.4/gm
Mario Matasovic SHU FG% 24th .657
Andre Wolford SFU 3PFG% 6th .543
Junior Robinson MSM FT% 3rd .966
Blake Francis WC FT% 11th .941
Jonah Antonio MSM 3PFG 22nd 3.50/gm
Joseph Lopez SHU Off. Reb. 24th 3.50/gm
Dachon Burke RMU Steals 12th 2.67/gm
Jonan Antonio MSM Min/Game 23rd 36:30
Team Category Rank Value
Mount St. Mary’s FT% 19th .781
Wagner FG% Def. 23rd .379
St. Francis Brooklyn 3P% Def. 22nd .285
Fairleigh Dickinson Steals 21st 9.2