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Somerset, NJ -- For the second straight year, Northeast Conference (NEC) head coaches have crowned Saint Francis U as the men’s basketball preseason favorite. The Red Flash, who are seeking the program’s first NEC title since 1991, received eight first place votes.

The announcement of the annual preseason poll was made Wednesday during the seventh annual NEC Basketball “Social” Media Day at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Fairleigh Dickinson was picked second, followed by defending champion LIU Brooklyn in the third spot. Both school picked up a single first place vote. Wagner was tabbed fourth with Robert Morris fifth and Central Connecticut sixth in the rankings. St. Francis Brooklyn claimed the seventh spot and Bryant landed in the eighth position. Sacred Heart and Mount St. Mary’s rounded out the 10-team poll.

Conducted annually, NEC coaches have only managed to correctly forecast the eventual league champion two times in the last 19 years. Over the last 31 years, the coaches have proven inaccurate on 27 occasions or 87 percent of the time.
   

2018-19 NEC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll    1. Saint Francis U (8)    2. Fairleigh Dickinson (1)    3. LIU Brooklyn (1)    4. Wagner    5. Robert Morris    6. Central Connecticut    7. St. Francis Brooklyn    8. Bryant    9. Sacred Heart    10. Mount St. Mary’s    First place votes in parentheses

Under seventh-year head coach Rob Krimmel, the Red Flash possess one of the most loaded backcourts in recent NEC memory, led by a pair of first team 2017-18 All-NEC honorees in junior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/The Lawrenceville School) and senior Jamaal King (Salisbury, MD/Bishop O’Connell (VA)). At 6’4”, the versatile Braxton plays like a point guard with power forward skills. A two-time NEC all-star and former NEC Rookie of the Year, Braxton led the conference last season with 9.5 rpg and 15 double-doubles, while also ranking in the top-15 in scoring (17.2, 7th), field goal percentage (.475, 12th), free throw percentage (.795, 7th), three-point percentage (.367, 15th), assists (3.3, 12th) and steals (1.7, 5th). Just two years into his career and Braxton has already racked up 976 points, 589 rebounds, 209 assists and 103 steals. With a penchant for delivering in the clutch, King emerged as one of the top off-the-bounce players in the league a year ago. He finished third in the NEC with 18.2 ppg and ranked fourth with an 81.2 percent success rate from the stripe. Making his return this season is redshirt junior guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte), who went down with the second ACL tear of his career just three games into last season. Blackmon was named to the 2017-18 preseason All-NEC team following a sophomore campaign that saw him average 13.7 ppg and lead the league with a 50.0 success rate from downtown. Also back in the fold is senior Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, OH/Saint Ignatius), a former walk-on and lights-out shooter from long range. Last season he hit 49.5 percent of his three-point attempts to lead the league by a wide margin and rank second nationally. Wolford also raised his scoring average from 4.7 ppg to 14.2 ppg and was the recipient of the NEC Most Improved Player award. There’s even more backcourt depth with dependable junior Randall Gaskins Jr. (Woodbridge, VA/Bishop O’Connell (VA)), who has started 57 games over his first two seasons (5.2 ppg), along with senior marksman Scott Meredith (Pilot Mountain, NC/Hargrave Military Academy (VA)) (4.8 ppg, 31 3P). Up front, look for continued improvements from 6’10” junior Deivydas Kuzvas (Kretinga, Lithuania/St. Mary’s Ryken (MD)) (5.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and 6’9” sophomore Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennsbury) (6.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg

Fairleigh Dickinson (13-18, 9-9 NEC) put it all together down the stretch last season with wins over Wagner and Mount in Februar, followed by a road upset of third-seeded Saint Francis U in the NEC quarterfinals. While the Knights came up one point short in an instant classic against LIU Brooklyn in the semis, there is plenty of optimism moving forward in the FDU ranks. The majority of last season’s core returns this season for sixth-year head coach Greg Herenda, most notably chiseled 6’8” senior forward Mike Holloway (Pittsgrove, NJ/Arthur P. Schalick), a second team All-NEC honoree and the top returning big in the conference. A true post presence, Holloway established new career-highs in 2017-18 with 13.4 ppg and 7.0 rpg. Running mate Kaleb Bishop (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony) gives the Knights perhaps the league’s top one-two frontcourt punch. The bouncy 6’8” junior came into his own late in the season - including a 19-point, 22-rebound outing in the NEC semis - and finished with 8.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg on the year. Senior Darnell Edge (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties) wrapped 2017-18 as the nation’s top free throw shooter at 94.4 percent to tie the league’s all-time record. The third team NEC all-star led FDU with 14.5 ppg and hit 60 shots from downtown. Jahlil Jenkins (Ranson, WV/Virginia Academy) played like anything but a first-year player last season en-route to NEC All-Rookie honors. The silky-smooth point guard led all NEC freshman with 12.0 ppg and 4.4 apg.

LIU Brooklyn (18-17, 10-8 NEC) showed why it’s called March Madness last season, winning the NEC Tournament as the #4 seed, capped by a 71-61 road conquest of Wagner in the title game to put a bow on Derek Kellogg’s first year leading the program. With first team All-NEC guard Joel Hernandez now playing professionally, all eyes will turn to 6’6” senior swingman Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) as the Blackbirds’ franchise player. Clark, who originally walked on to the program, morphed into a full-fledged star last season, boosting his scoring from 6.2 ppg to 17.3 ppg, a figure that ranked him sixth in the NEC. With a non-stop motor, he is a nightmare to defend one-on-one and makes more trips to the line than anyone in the conference. Clark ranked third in the league in field goal accuracy (.556) and fifth in rebounding (7.0) a year ago. The Blackbirds also kept their backcourt intact with the return of juniors Jashaun Agosto (Seattle, WA/Garfield) and Julian Batts (Pittsburgh, PA/Jeannette (St. Thomas More)). The cat-quick Agosto contributed 11.8 ppg, ranked sixth in the conference with 4.2 apg and hit 52 trifectas in 2017-18. Batts was one of the NEC’s top three-point threats a year ago, sinking 66 from distance while ranking seventh with a 41.0 percent success rate. Keep your eyes on 6’9” UMass transfer Tyrn Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart HS (UMass)), a stretch four who sat out last season.

Wagner (23-10, 14-4 NEC) has set the NEC standard for consistent success in recent years. The Seahawks have finished lower than third place just once in the last seven years and come off an NEC regular season title, the program’s second in the last three years under seventh-year head coach Bashir Mason. While Wagner will need to fill some voids in the backcourt - most notably the graduation of first team All-NEC point guard JoJo Cooper - the Seahawks do return a number of key components from last season’s 23-win team. Mason will build around do-everything redshirt senior guard Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac (Mt. Zion Prep)), who earned third team All-NEC honors in 2017-18. Saunders ranked second on the Seahawks in scoring (14.3), rebounding (6.4), assists (2.0) and three-pointers (48). Defensive-minded redshirt senior forward AJ Sumbry (East Windsor, NJ/St. Benedict’s Prep (Quinnipiac)) is the NEC’s top returning rim protector (1.8 bpg) and led the Seahawks with 6.5 rpg. Senior guard/forward Elijah Davis (Bronx, NY/Lincoln (Odessa College)) (7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) could see his role expand after providing energy off the bench last season. Wagner also returns senior guard Devin Liggeons (Philadelphia, PA /Imhotep Charter) (6.4 ppg) and springy sophomore Nigel Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Mount St. Joseph) (5.7 ppg).

Robert Morris (16-17, 9-9 NEC)
Robert Morris laid the groundwork last season, and with a wealth of returning talent, Colonial fans could be in store for a special season in Moon Township. Now in his ninth year, head coach Andrew Toole can build around sophomore forward Koby Thomas (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter), the 2017-18 NEC Rookie of the Year. The high-flying Philly native led all conference freshman with 12.0 ppg and 6.9 rpg, and was a terror in transition, ranking first on the circuit with 36 dunks on the year. Joining Thomas is Matty McConnell (Oakdale, PA/Chartiers Valley), a savvy, veteran guard and strong defender who hit 55 three-pointers and averaged 10.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 2.8 apg as a junior. If McConnell is the glue guy, then the Williams brothers are the catalysts. Jon Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) comes off a strong freshman season at the point that saw him lead the team with 3.5 apg and 58 triples, while contributing 6.7 ppg. After sitting out last year, Akron transfer Josh Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)) will provide an immediate boost. The junior averaged 7.1 ppg and drained 127 shots from downtown in his two years with the Zips. The Colonials return a host of rotation bigs, most notably 6’8” senior forward Malik Petteway (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart) (6.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and 6’8” sophomore forward Charles Bain (Freeport, Bahamas/St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy) (5.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg). 

Central Connecticut (14-18, 7-11 NEC) took a big step last season in its quest to return to the upper tier of the NEC. The Blue Devils qualified for the NEC Tournament after a three-year hiatus and appear ready to make an even bigger jump in 2018-19 under third-year head coach Donyell Marshall. CCSU sports an elite NEC frontcourt led by second team All-NEC swingman Tyler Kohl (Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College). The 6’5” senior excelled in all facets of the game, from running the point at times to playing bully ball on the low block. Kohl was the only player to rank in the NEC top-10 in scoring (16.7, eighth), rebounding (8.2, fourth) and assists (4.1, seventh), and posted eight double-doubles. He’ll be joined by 6’9” senior Deion Bute (Philipsburg, St. Maarten/Tallahassee CC), who averaged 10.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg and shot 60.0 percent to rank second in the league, as well as 6’7” junior Joe Hugley (Gaithersburg, MD/Magruder (Baltimore CC)), who finished with 9.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg and hit 44 shots from downtown. Junior Tyson Batiste (Springfield, MO/Notre Dame Prep) is an experienced hand in the backcourt.

St. Francis Brooklyn (13-18, 10-8 NEC) has finished in the top half of the NEC standings in four of the last five years, including a fourth place showing last season after being picked last in the preseason poll. Ninth-year head coach Glenn Braica infused the roster with young talent and it paid off, highlighted by the emergence of All-NEC rookie guard Jalen Jordan (Conyers, GA/Rockdale County (National Top Sport Institute)). A terrific athlete with big time hops, Jordan ranked fourth among NEC freshman with 11.1 ppg and his 64 triples was the second-best mark among first-year players and ninth overall. He also shot 40.8 percent from distance to finish eighth on the circuit. Jordan joins senior point guard Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) in one of the NEC’s premier backcourts. As steady as they come, Sanabria brings both poise and long distance marksmanship to the Terrier lineup. Last year, he averaged 12.1 ppg, paced the conference with by a wide margin with a 2.87 assist-to-turnover ratio, and ranked in the NEC top-10 in three-pointers (2.28/gm, seventh) and three-point percentage (.413, sixth). Pushing for expanded roles will be 6’6” junior forward Milja Cosic (Belgrade, Serbia/Cannon School (Frank Phillips College)) and cat-quick sophomore guard Chauncey Hawkins (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional), who contributed 7.1 and 6.6 ppg, respectively.

It’s a new beginning at Bryant (3-28, 2-16 NEC) with the hiring of NEC alum Jared Grasso last spring as head coach. The former Iona assistant’s arrival has energized the Bulldog fan base and already yielded a slew of new talent to add to a solid returning core. With Bryant looking to play up-tempo this season under Grasso, much of the spotlight will be on talented junior guards Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) and Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, MA/Brooks School). A third-team NEC all-star last season, Grant has built a reputation as a clutch shooter and compiled 869 points and 124 three-pointers in his first two seasons. He ranked ninth in the NEC in scoring at 15.6 ppg, and his 2.4 triples per outing landed him fifth on the loop. Ndugba is a consummate playmaker who has ranked third in the league in assists in each of his first two seasons. Last year he registered 4.6 dimes per game and bumped his scoring average from 6.0 ppg to 13.8 ppg. Up front, look for rugged junior forward Sebastian Townes (Chesapeake, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) to continue his upward trajectory after compiling 11.3 ppg and 4.0 rpg last season. Brandon Carroll (Brewster, NY/Iona Prep) (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg), a 6’7” redshirt sophomore forward, came on strong down the stretch last season, showing glimpses of his unlimited potential with back-to-back 23 and 25-point outings in mid-February. 

Sacred Heart (10-21, 5-13 NEC) will sport one of the league’s youngest outfits this season under sixth-year head coach Anthony Latina. The Pioneers will suit up nine newcomers around a nucleus that includes rising senior guard Sean Hoehn (Morristown, NJ/Morristown (St. Thomas More)), who comes off a breakout junior campaign. Hoehn showed star potential down in the latter stages of the season for the Pios, averaging 21.8 points over his final five games and a team-high 13.1 ppg on the year. He also ranked fifth in the NEC in assists (4.2/gm), eighth in steals (1.4) and hit 49 shots from distance. Redshirt junior sharpshooter Kinnon LaRose (Ogdensburg, NY/Ogdensburg Free Academy (Siena)) came as advertised last season, hitting a team-best 59 three-pointers on the year while contributing 9.3 ppg. Expect a big jump in production from 6’8” sophomore forward E.J. Anosike (East Orange, NJ/Paramus Catholic (St. Thomas More)), a rebounding machine who averaged 3.9 boards in under 14 minutes per game as a freshman. Freshman guard Koreem Ozier (Racine, WI/Scotland Campus Sports) is a player to look out for in a wide-open race for minutes in the backcourt.

Everything will seem new at Mount St. Mary’s (18-14, 12-6 NEC) this season. After an extremely successful six-year run that netted the program two NEC titles, the Mount welcomed back Dan Engelstad as head coach last spring. Engelstad, who previously served as an assistant at the Mount from 2007-10, will preside over one of the nation’s youngest squads with nine freshman and 16 underclassmen gracing the roster. To illustrate the youthful nature of the Mountaineer lineup, 6’6” sophomore forward Omar Habwe (Lexington, VA/St. James School (MD)) is the team’s leading returning scorer after averaging 2.6 ppg in limited minutes a year ago. With the Mount looking to replace the offensive void left by the graduation of NEC Player of the Year Junior Robinson, Engelstad will lean heavily on a pair of transfer guards in graduate student K.J. Scott (Omaha, NE/Texas Southern) and sophomore Jalen Gibbs (Waldorf, MD/North Point (Drake)). Scott averaged 10.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg in two seasons at Texas Southern, while Gibbs contributed 3.3 ppg off the bench for Drake a year ago. 

  
NEC Preseason Coaches Poll History (last 31 years)          
          
Year        Preseason Favorite                       NEC Tournament Champion
            (actual regular season finish)          (preseason selection)
 
2017-18     Saint Francis U (tie 2nd)                LIU Brooklyn (6th)
2016-17     Fairleigh Dickinson (tie 5th             Mount St. Mary's (4th)
2015-16     Mount St. Mary’s (5th)                   Fairleigh Dickinson (9th)
2014-15     St. Francis Brooklyn (1st)               Robert Morris (3rd)
2013-14     Wagner (2nd)                             Mount St. Mary's (6th)
2012-13     LIU Brooklyn (3rd)                       LIU Brooklyn (1st)
2011-12     LIU Brooklyn (1st)                       LIU Brooklyn (1st)
2010-11     Quinnipiac (2nd)                         LIU Brooklyn (3rd)
2009-10     Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)                   Robert Morris (tie 3rd)
2008-09     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 2nd)               Robert Morris (3rd)
2007-08     Sacred Heart (3rd)                       Mount St. Mary’s (4th) 
2006-07     Monmouth (tie 8th)                       CCSU (tie 4th)
2005-06     Fairleigh Dickinson (1st)                Monmouth (2nd)
2004-05     Monmouth (1st)                           Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
2003-04     Quinnipiac (10th)                        Monmouth (3rd)
2002-03     CCSU (3rd)                               Wagner (2nd)
2001-02     Monmouth (4th)                           CCSU (4th)
2000-01     CCSU (tie 5th)                           Monmouth (3rd)
1999-00     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 7th)               CCSU (3rd)
1998-99     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 5th)               Mount St. Mary’s (1st)
1997-98     LIU Brooklyn (1st)                       Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
1996-97     Monmouth (3rd)                           LIU Brooklyn (4th)
1995-96     Monmouth/Rider (tie 2nd/4th)             Monmouth (tie 1st)
1994-95     Rider (1st)                              Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)
1993-94     Fairleigh Dickinson (tie 5th)            Rider (3rd)
1992-93     Wagner (2nd)                             Rider (3rd)
1991-92     Monmouth (tie 2nd)                       Robert Morris (2nd)
1990-91     Monmouth (4th)                           Saint Francis U (3rd)
1989-90     Fairleigh Dickinson (6th)                Robert Morris (3rd)
1988-89     Monmouth (3rd)                           Robert Morris (5th)
1987-88     *Marist (tie 1st)                        Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)

* Marist was ineligible for the NEC Tournament in 1987-88

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 38th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#22), Baltimore (#26), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. Merrimack will join the NEC as a full-time member in July, 2019. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.