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NEC Player of the Week: Josh Nebo, SFU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Keith Braxton, SFU
Previous NEC Releases: January 30 | January 23 | January 16 | January 9 | January 2 | December 26 | December 19 | 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
Josh Nebo, Saint Francis U
6’8”, 215 lbs.
So, F, Houston, TX/Cypress Lakes
Nebo follows in the footsteps of classmate Isaiah Blackmon, making it back-to-back NEC Player of the Week award winners for the Red Flash. Nebo averaged 21.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and shot 64.0 percent from the field as Saint Francis U swept its New York swing with a 78-61 win over St. Francis Brooklyn and an 80-78 triumph at LIU Brooklyn. The Houston, TX native scored a career-high 24 points and snared 11 boards in his fifth double-double effort of the season against the Terriers on Thursday. Two days later, he finished with 19 points on 8-12 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks versus the Blackbirds. With 112 career blocks, Nebo passed Jerry Mack (1985-89) to move into sole possession of second place all-time at SFU and is 25 away from the school record held by Melvin Scott (1996-01). Nebo averages 12.3 ppg on the year, and leads the NEC with 2.3 bpg. He also ranks fourth in field goal accuracy (.582) and sixth in rebounding (7.7).
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Keith Braxton, Saint Francis U
6’4”, 208 lbs.
Fr., G, Glassboro, NJ/The Lawrenceville School
Braxton becomes just the ninth player in NEC history to win six NEC Rookie of the Week awards after posting 10.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in a 2-0 week for Saint Francis U. He also shot 56.3 percent from the floor. Braxton recorded his sixth double-double of the year with 13 points and 13 rebounds in Thursday’s 78-61 victory at St. Francis Brooklyn. He added eight points - including a key layup with 2:29 to play - four rebounds, three assists and two steals on Saturday as the Red Flash edged LIU Brooklyn, 80-78, to move into a second place tie with Fairleigh Dickinson with an 8-4 NEC mark. Braxton is putting up 12.8 ppg this season, and ranks third in the league in rebounding (8.7), fourth in steals (1.6), seventh in field goal percentage (.519), 11th in assists (3.0) and 13th in free throw percentage (.759).
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Nisre Zouzoua (BRY, So, G)
Zouzoua averaged 21.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.5 spg, and hit eight three-pointers at a 44.4 percent clip for the Bulldogs last week. The NEC’s top point-producer hit an off-balance NBA-range three-pointer at the buzzer to send Saturday’s game at Sacred Heart into overtime.
Elijah Long (MSM, So, G)
Long comes off a productive all-around week that saw him put up 15.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg and 3.0 spg for the Mount. He tallied 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in a win over Bryant.
Isaiah Still (RMU, So, G)
Still shot 50.0 percent from the floor and averaged 19.5 ppg on the week as the Colonials won a pair of games in Brooklyn. He also finished with 7.5 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.5 spg. He posted his sixth 20-point game of the year in RMU’s win over LIU Brooklyn and recorded his first career-double with 18 points and 10 boards vs. SFBK.
Quincy McKnight (SHU, So, G)
McKnight made a number of big shots down the stretch in regulation and hit a pair of three-pointers in overtime in SHU’s 73-70 win over Bryant. He finished with 25 points in his ninth 20-point effort of the year. He averaged 21.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 5.0 apg in a terrific all-around week.
Michael Carey (WC, Sr, F)
Carey helped lead the Seahawks to a pair of road wins last week with 17.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.5 apg. He hit 60.0 percent of his shots from the field.
YOUNG CCSU TEAM MAKING MOVES
People say it every year. Anyone can beat anyone in the topsy-turvy world that is the NEC.
No one understands that better at this point than Central Connecticut first year head coach Donyell Marshall.
Following an 0-6 start in league play, the Blue Devils have turned things around by winning three of their last five to keep them within striking distance of an NEC playoff spot.
Although CCSU will still have to make up two games with six to play, the Blue Devils have to be brimming with confidence following Saturday’s 54-52 triumph at first place Mount St. Mary’s, a victory that snapped the Mount’s eight-game win streak.
Along with the win over the red-hot Mountaineers, CCSU has also picked up recent wins over second place Saint Francis U and fourth place LIU Brooklyn.
In a low scoring affair, the Blue Devils rallied from a 15-point second half deficit at Knott Arena on Saturday, reeling off 11 straight points after the Mount had taken a 49-43 lead with 4:33 to play. Sophomore guard Austin Nehls (Tucson, AZ/Catalina Foothills (Cheshire Academy (CT))) hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:17 on the clock, and CCSU survived two layup attempts from close range in the waning seconds and a halfcourt heave by the Mount’s Chris Wray (Shelby, NC/Fishburne Military School (VA)) that bounced off the back rim at the buzzer.
“We have come back in a lot of games, but they haven’t been able to finish games before,” said CCSU head coach Donyell Marshall. “But the last couple of games, they are starting seeing they are better than our record. They know they have to get stops, and we made them take a lot of tough shots late.”
Senior guard Khalen Cumberlander (Washington, D.C./Coolidge) led CCSU with 14 points and eight rebounds in the win, and contributed 14.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.5 apg last week for the Blue Devils.
As the Blue Devils begin to build a defensive identity under Marshall, CCSU has held three of its last four opponents and five of its last eight league rivals to under 40 percent shooting from the floor.
MOUNT IS NEC TOURNEY BOUND
Mount St. Mary’s became the first team to clinch an NEC Tournament berth and did it just 11 games into the 18-game conference season.
The Mountaineers punched their ticket to the eight-team NEC tourney on Thursday with a 77-70 win over Bryant. The Mount has now qualified for the postseason five straight years and 11 of the last 12 seasons.
Despite a setback to CCSU on Saturday, the Mount remains two games clear of the pack with a 10-2 NEC record and owns wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and red-hot Saint Francis U, who are tied for second place with 8-4 marks.
Despite the loss to the Blue Devils, the Mountaineers remained upbeat, while keeping their eye on the prize.
“We are going to take this loss and learn from it,” said sophomore guard Elijah Long (Mississauga, Ontario/John Carroll (MD)). “It’s not the end the world. We are working for a championship and not a great record.”
ZOUZOUA + MCKNIGHT + BRYANT + SACRED HEART = AWESOME
Have Bryant and Sacred Heart suddenly built the league’s best rivalry or do they just have the most thrilling games?
Two years ago it was the infamous Joe O’Shea game.
And just when you thought nothing could top the drama of the 2015 NEC quarterfinal game between Bryant and Sacred Heart that saw the Bulldogs send the game to overtime on O’Shea’s improbable, off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer, the same two teams took three overtime periods to settle the score back on January 16. SHU’s 112-110 victory in Smithfield was not only one of the wildest games in league history, it also featured a pair of individual performances for the ages with SHU sophomore guard Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph’s (Phelps)) finishing with 44 points and Bryant freshman guard Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) setting a new NEC freshman record with nine three-pointers to go along with 32 points.
This past Saturday the two teams rematched in Fairfield, and just like the previous outing between the New England rivals, it looked like SHU had the game all sewn up with a four-point lead and under 20 seconds to play.
Bryant sophomore guard Taylor McHugh (Centreville, VA/Virginia Episcopal School) hit a three-pointer with 16 seconds on the clock to cut it to one, and after a couple of SHU free throws, the ball wound up in the hands of the NEC’s leading scorer, Bryant sophomore guard Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, MA/Boston Trinity).
But first lets rewind seven days.
With time running out and the Bulldogs down one against FDU, the ball was inbounded to Zouzoua, who calmly brought the ball up court and stuck a contested jumper just inside the three-point line with 2.4 seconds to play for the win.
So it should come as no surprise that Bryant wanted the ball back in their star’s possession with the game on the line against SHU.
Zouzoua first misfired on a three-pointer, but McHugh secured the offensive rebound and fired the ball back out to the Brockton, MA native. With the clock winding down, Zouzoua hoisted an off-balance shot from almost 30 feet that found nothing but the bottom of the net to send the game to overtime.
Now it was McKnight’s turn.
The Sacred Heart junior guard had already drained two big shots near the end of regulation, and then in overtime hit a three-pointer to put the Pioneers on the board and added another with 2:15 to play that gave SHU a four-point edge.
Zouzoua had one last chance and nearly sent the game to a second extra session when he hit a runner from beyond halfcourt, but he was ruled out of bounds before he launched the shot with two seconds to play.
Zouzoua finished with 18 points and six steals, while McKnight had a terrific all-around game with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
It seems unlikely both teams will meet for a third time in the NEC Tournament, but wouldn’t that be a treat if it were to occur?
WAGNER’S HENSON REACHES MILESTONE IN BIG SEAHAWK WIN
Wagner junior guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) scored 16 points in the Seahawks’ key 68-59 win over second place Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, but his most memorable bucket was his first, a jumper just 2 1/2 minutes into the game.
With the shot, Henson became the 43rd player in Wagner history and 210th player in NEC annals to reach the millennium mark. He also became the third NEC player this season to crack 1.000 points, joining Fairleigh Dickinson junior guard Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College) and CCSU senior guard Khalen Cumberlander (Washington, D.C./Coolidge).
The next to crack the 1,000-point plateau will likely be Mount St. Mary’s junior guard Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance), who has compiled 986 career points heading into play this week.
Wagner, which held FDU to 31.7 percent shooting from the field, has now won three straight games to move into a fourth place tie with LIU Brooklyn at 7-5 after 12 outings.
LIU’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE TANDEM AT TOP OF THE CLASS
There is only one team in the nation that sports two players with ten or more double-doubles on the year and that team plays right here in the NEC.
LIU Brooklyn senior Jerome Frink (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony (FIU)) and junior forward Nura Zanna (Kaduna, Nigeria/Coral Springs Christian (FL)) rank one-two in the NEC with 11 and 10 double-doubles, respectively.
In fact, there are only three DI teams that have teammates with at least eight double-doubles apiece.
Jerome Frink (11) & Nura Zanna (10) LIU Brooklyn
Dedric Lawson (15) & KJ Lawson (9) Memphis
Eli Chuha (11) & Jemerrio Jones (8) New Mexico State
BRAXTON ROW TRIVIA
With six NEC Rookie of the Week awards this season, Saint Francis U freshman guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/The Lawrenceville School) has joined some elite company. The six honors tie him for fourth on the league’s all-time single-season list.
8 - Kyle Vinales (CCSU) - 2011-12
8 - Darshan Luckey (SFU) - 2002-03
8 - Charles Smith (RID) - 1993-94
8 - Alex Blackwell (MU) - 1989-90
6 - Keith Braxton (SFU) - 2016-17
6 - Marcquise Reed (RMU) - 2014-15
6 - Alex Francis (BRY) - 2010-11
6 - Latif Rivers (WC) - 2010-11
6 - Julian Boyd (LIU) - 2008-09
Braxton has now claimed rookie plaudits in four of the six weeks since NEC play started.
Need a reason why?
Braxton has averaged 15.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.7 spg while shooting 54.9 percent from the field and 83.7 percent from the stripe against conference rivals.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Rising Saint Francis U sophomore big man Josh Nebo (Houston, TX/Cypress Lakes) totaled seven dunks last week en-route to NEC Player of the Week honors. On the year, he has compiled an NEC-best 36 throw downs, including 12 multi-dunk games.
RMU DEFENSE STEPS UP
In winning both games of its NYC swing, Robert Morris limited LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn to just 58.5 ppg on 34.2 percent shooting from the floor.
In particular, Robert Morris held the Terriers to just 24.0 percent shooting in the in second half on Saturday, including 1-11 from three-point territory, to break open a competitive game.
“I thought we probably put forth our best defensive effort of the season tonight,” head coach Andrew Toole said after the SFBK win. “We were extremely active on defense, and we also took care of the glass. One of the big keys of the game coming in was we wanted to limit their second-chance points. We were able to accomplish that.”
It marked the best defensive effort by RMU since holding Mount St. Mary’s to just 25.0 percent (13-52) shooting in a 70-45 victory at the Charles L. Sewall Center on January 3, 2015.
“I told our guys in the locker room after the game that this is where we have to stay,” Toole said. “We’re learning what it takes to play well. If we continue to stay locked in on the defensive end, then success is going to follow.”
RMU has now held four of its last five opponents to under 40 percent shooting, limiting them to 36.0 percent accuracy.
HOME COURT EDGE? NOT SO MUCH
The home court advantage hasn’t been much of an advantage this year in the NEC.
Road teams won 8-of-10 last week highlighted by Robert Morris and Saint Francis U both sweeping games on their visit through Brooklyn.
But this doesn’t seem to be just a one week anomaly.
On the year, home teams have won just 51.7 percent of conference games with a 31-29 record over the first six weeks.
NEC LEADERS: TURNOVER PERCENTAGE
In our weekly look at advanced stats, this week we look at turnover percentage.
What does the stat mean? It is a metric that estimates the number of turnovers a player commits per 100 possessions.
Looking at players who are on the floor a minimum of 20 minutes per game, Fairleigh Dickinson junior swingman Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, MD/Archbishop Spalding) is the leader with a 6.8 turnover percentage, having coughed the ball up just nine times in 383 minutes on the year. St. Francis Brooklyn had three of its guards - Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s), Keon Williams (Radcliff, KY/John Hardin) and Rasheem Dunn (Brooklyn, NY/Thomas Jefferson) - land in the top-10.
Rk Player Team TO%
1 Earl Potts Jr. FDU 6.8
2 Greg Alexander MSM 7.8
3 Nisre Zouzoua BRY 9.2
4 Austin Nehls CCSU 9.8
5 Matej Buovac SHU 10.1
6 Glenn Sanabria SFBK 10.2
7 Keon Williams SFBK 10.2
8 Rasheem Dunn SFBK 10.9
9 Chris Robinson SHU 10.9
10 Darian Anderson FDU 11.0
TRIPLEHEADER HIGHLIGHTS NEC-TV THIS WEEK
If you like NEC hoops and sitting on your couch, then this Thursday is for you.
NEC fans can settle in for a rare tripleheader, beginning at 5 pm when Fairleigh Dickinson plays host to Central Connecticut on ESPN3. John Schmeelk (PxP) and Tim Capstraw (color) will bring you all the action.
What follows next is a doubleheader on MSG+ and Fox College Sports. To kick things off, Wagner visits Saint Francis U at 7:00 pm. Paul Dottino (PxP), Terry O’Connor (color) and Craig D’Amico (sideline) have the call.
At 9:00 pm, the scene shifts to Fairfield where Sacred Heart will entertain St. Francis Brooklyn. Dave Popkin (PxP), Joe DeSantis (color) and John Cabral (sideline) are in the booth. Cox Cable will also be carrying this game in CT/RI.
RED FLASH ON THE ROAD
With its road sweep, Saint Francis U won its fifth NEC game away from home this season, accomplishing that feat for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 1997-98.
QUICK HITTERS
Fairleigh Dickinson junior guard Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, MD/Bishop McNamara) posted solid all-around numbers last week with 16.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 3.0 apg. He tied for game scoring honors on Thursday with 20 points against Sacred Heart.
LIU senior forward Jerome Frink (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony (FIU)) scored 22 points and pulled down eight boards against Robert Morris on Thursday. He also dished for three assists and shot 2-3 from long range. Frink ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring (17.3) and is the league leader in rebounding (9.4).
Robert Morris freshman guard Dachon Burke (Orange, NJ/Orange (Coastal Academy)) averaged 12.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 1.5 spg last week. He picked up his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in a 67-63 win over LIU Brooklyn on Thursday. He hit a pair of free throws with 1.4 seconds to play to seal the win. Burke is averaging 10.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg in league play.
In a pair of Robert Morris wins last week, senior guard Kavon Stewart (Paterson, NJ/Hudson Catholic) averaged 12.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 4.0 apg while shooting 85.7 percent (18-21) at the line. Stewart contributed 15 points, a career-high nine rebounds and three assists in a 67-63 victory over LIU Brooklyn on Thursday.
St. Francis Brooklyn freshman guard Rasheem Dunn (Brooklyn, NY/Thomas Jefferson) averaged 10.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.0 apg last week for the Terriers. He ranks second among NEC freshmen scorers with 13.4 ppg on the year.
TWEET DECK
Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
Since getting back Whittingham/Bowles, a healthy CCSU squad is 2-1 w/ +1 pt differential. Any opponent expecting an easy W will be mistaken.
Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
The amount of game tying heroics Bryant has pulled on Sacred Heart over the past 3 season has been staggering!
Expressions EYBL @XEliteBasketbal
Alum Nisre Zouzoua doing all he can to catapult his Bryant team to a W. Young man has hit big shot after big shot this year. Keep working
LIU Athletics @LIUAthletics
Peep that stat line by #LIUMBB alum Kyle Johnson!!@smoothkj88 had 51 (!!!) points on 17-of-22… https://www.instagram.com/p/BQHfIlYgZ4J/
Pat @PatRunner89
WOW. Coming together for @Dmarsh42 His guys believe. @CCSU_MBB I enjoy following them from Texas.