NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Tyler Kohl, Central Connecticut
6’5”, 220 lbs.
Sr., G/F, Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College
Kohl earned his second straight NEC Player of the Week honor after posting strong all-around numbers in a 2-1 week for the Blue Devils. He contributed 20.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steals and shot 85.0 percent from the free throw line. Kohl was named to the Jamaica Classic All-Tournament team, highlighted by a strong outing in Sunday’s 89-75 win over Florida A&M that saw him finish with 20 points on just nine shots, to go along with 12 rebounds and seven assists. Earlier in the week, Kohl tallied 26 points and eight boards to lead the Blue Devils to an 86-74 victory over UMass Lowell in their home opener. Kohl, who hails from Allentown, PA, leads the NEC with 21.8 ppg, ranks second with 5.6 apg and third with 8.6 rpg.
Josh Williams, Robert Morris
6’2”, 195 lbs.
Sr., G, Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)
Williams made a home debut that Robert Morris fans will not soon forget. The Akron transfer matched a 22-year old NCAA record with 15 three-pointers and set a new school record with 49 points in RMU’s win over Mount Aloysius last Wednesday. The 15 trifectas came on 25 attempts and he also established a new program standard with 16 field goals. Williams averaged 31.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 58.8 percent from the field, including 57.6 percent (19-33) from beyond the arc, in a 2-0 week for the Colonials. On the year, the Akron native is averging 20.5 ppg and shooting 47.9 percent from downtown to rank third and fourth, respectively, in the NEC.
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Ian Krishnan, Central Connecticut
6’2”, 180 lbs.
Fr., G, Boyds, MD/Proctor Academy (NH)
Krishnan’s hot start showed no signs of slowing down in a 2-1 week for the Blue Devils. The freshman from Boyds, MD averaged 18.3 points on 60.0 percent shooting, including 47.1 percent from outside the arc. He also chipped in defensively with 2.0 steals per outing. Krishnan hit 3-5 from distance and finished with 22 points and four steals on Monday in CCSU’s home opener, an 86-74 win over UMass Lowell. Krishnan went on to hit 4-8 from beyond the arc en-route to a team-high 20-point outing in a two-point loss to Austin Peay at the Jamaica Classic on Friday. It marked his third consecutive 20+ point game. He closed out the week with 13 points as the Blue Devils wrapped their stay in Jamaica with an 89-75 conquest of Florida A&M on Sunday. Krishnan currently leads all NEC freshman and ranks seventh on the circuit with 17.8 ppg. He’s also fifth in three-point accuracy (.467), sixth in made three-pointers (2.8) and seventh in field goal percentage (.574).
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Adam Grant (BRY, Jr, G)
Grant led the Bulldogs with 19.5 ppg and chipped in with 3.5 rpg and 2.5 apg in a 1-1 week. He hit 10-23 (.435) from three-point range. Grant finished with 18 points and five assists in Bryant’s 71-63 win over Saint Peter’s on Wednesday.
Tyler Kohl (CCSU, Sr, G/F)
The NEC Co-Player of the Week stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 20.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 6.0 apg in a 2-1 week for the Blue Devils. Kohl drained 4-6 from downtown and led all scorers with 26 points in a 12-point win over UMass Lowell, then posted 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists - all game-highs - in CCSU’s 14-point victory over Florida A&M at the Jamaica Classic on Sunday evening.
Ian Krishnan (CCSU, Fr, G)
Krishnan averaged 18.3 points on a scorching 60.0 percent shooting from the floor, 47.1 percent from outside the arc and 84.6 percent from the stripe en-route to NEC Rookie of the Week honors.
Raiquan Clark (LIU, Sr, G/F)
Clark exploded for 20 of his 33 points in the second half, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 37 seconds left and the game-winning jumper with 1.8 seconds to go in an 89-87 win at Fairfield on Tuesday. The 33 points were one off his career-best. He finished the week with 23.0 ppg on 54.1 percent shooting.
Ty Flowers (LIU, R-So, F)
Flowers drained 9-14 (.643) from long distance while averaging 19.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg in a 1-1 week for LIU Brooklyn. He sank 6-of-7 from beyond the arc and netted 23 points in the Blackbirds’ 89-87 victory at Fairfield on Tuesday.
Malik Petteway (RMU, Sr, F)
Petteway averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in RMU’s two victories last week while shooting 80 percent from the field and 91.7 percent at the free-throw line. He registered his fourth career double-double in a 68-59 win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday with a career-high 26 points and 11 caroms.
Josh Williams (RMU, Sr, G)
Williams had a week to remember, averaging 31.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.0 apg, while shooting 58.8 percent from the field, including 57.6 percent from beyond the arc. The NEC Co-Player of the Week tied an NCAA record with 15 three-pointers en-route to a single-game school record 49 points in RMU’s win over Mount Aloysius on Wednesday. Williams finished 15-25 from deep to match a 22-year old mark.
E.J. Anosike (SHU, So, F)
Anosike excelled for SHU in a rare four-game week that saw the Pios come away with a split. The sophomore nearly averaged a double-double with 15.8 ppg and 9.3 ppg. He shot 51.2 percent from the floor and 82.6 from the stripe, making 19-of-23 attempts. He scored a career-high 18 in a win over Western New England, and recorded 17 points and 16 boards against Brown.
Jalen Jordan (SFBK, So, G)
Jordan continued to light up opponents from outside, hitting 9-18 from three-point territory in a 1-1 week for the Terriers. He contributed 18.0 ppg on 52.2 percent shooting, highlighted by a career-high tying 22-point outing in SFBK’s 84-72 win at Lafayette on Sunday. Jordan drilled 6-8 shots from downtown in the victory.
Romone Saunders (WC, R-Sr, G)
Saunders put up 21.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg in a 2-0 week for the Seahawks. He recorded his fourth career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds in Wagner’s 79-73 win at Fairfield on Saturday. He hit four straight free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the victory and shot 12-12 from the stripe on the week.
TOP STORYLINES FROM AROUND #NECMBB
Here’s all you need to know from the second week of the 2018-19 season...
RMU’S WILLIAMS CATCHES FIRE, MAKES HISTORY
Just three weeks ago, Golden State’s Klay Thompson found that zone from deep, hitting an NBA record 14 three-pointers in a game.
Last Wednesday, Robert Morris senior sharpshooter Josh Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)) had him himself a Klay type of night.
Williams matched a 22-year old NCAA record by dropping 15 three-pointers in RMU’s 104-57 win over Mount Aloysius in the Colonials’ home opener. Marshall’s Keith Veney hit 15 from distance against Morehead State on December 14, 1996.
Williams finished with a career-high and school record 49 points on the night, making 15-25 from outside the arc, including the record-tying trifecta on a 30-footer with one second to play.
The 49 points were an NCAA single-game season-high and the most scored by an NEC player since LIU Brooklyn’s Antawn Dobie dropped 53 points at St. Francis Brooklyn on February 22, 2003.
“It shows that hard works pays off,” Williams said after the game. “You can never settle down and be satisfied with one performance. This isn’t a championship, so at the end of the day it doesn’t mean that much. It really doesn’t mean much. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have to go and compete like today never happened. Just day in and day out give my best effort.”
Likewise, Robert Morris hit a program record 22 three-pointers in the win at a 51.2 percent clip. The 22 treys were the most made by an NEC school in league history.
TRANSFER TALENT SHINING IN NEC
A host of transfers have made an immediate impact early on in non-conference play.
RMU senior Josh Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)), who came to the Colonials via Akron, is the second-leading scorer in the conference with 20.5 ppg and has hit a league-leading 5.75 three-pointers per outing.
Drake transfer Jalen Gibbs (Waldorf, MD/North Point (Drake)), a sophomore guard for Mount St. Mary’s, is seventh on the circuit with 17.3 ppg. He averags 5.8 rpg and is hitting at a 52.1 percent clip from the floor.
Bryant redshirt senior guard Byron Hawkins (Fort Washington, MD/Clinton Christian), a Murray State transfer, leads Bryant and ranks 13th in the NEC with 14.5 ppg.
LIU Brooklyn redshirt sophomore Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass)) is contributing 15.8 ppg and has made 3.25 three-pointers per game for the Blackbirds after transferring from UMass.
FDU sophomore guard Xzavier Malone-Key (Philadelphia, PA/Plymouth Whitemarsh), a Rider transfer, ranks second on the Knights with 11.7 ppg and is shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
Sacred Heart redshirt junior Jare’l Spellman (Glen Allen, VA/Fork Union Military Academy (Florida Southern)) has given the Pioneers an interior defensive presence. The Florida Southern transfer leads the NEC with 3.2 bpg, and also averages 7.6 rpg and 9.8 ppg on 60.0 percent shooting.
St. Francis Brooklyn junior guard Rosel Hurley (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights (Kent State)) is putting up 10.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 2.0 spg since coming to the Terriers from Kent State.
FIRST DUB FOR GRASSO
Jared Grasso is no stranger to the NEC, having enjoyed a four-year playing career at former league member Quinnipiac.
During his time on the Bobcats he won his share of games and even competed in the 2002 NEC title game for the then-fledgling DI program.
Fast forward 16 years and Grasso was again back in the winner’s circle for the first time as a head coach.
The first-year Bryant leader guided the Bulldogs to a 71-63 win over Saint Peter’s in the team’s home opener with juniors Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) and Sabastian Townes (Chesapeake, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) both coming off the bench to drop 18 points in the win.
That first win couldn’t come soon enough for Grasso.
“I just needed a win so I could go home and actually talk to my wife and children and be a normal human being again” said Grasso after the win. “It’s been a long week, with a couple of losses and the travel, and the red eye home, and trying to prepare. But I want to win every game. I’m very competitive and I’m a sore loser.”
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 14th of the 31 NCAA Division I conferences that were tracked.
Most notably, NEC’s men’s basketball student-athletes compiled a 97 percent GSR to rank fourth nationally. The national average for men’s hoops was 85 percent. Bryant, LIU Brooklyn, Robert Morris, St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner all posted a perfect 100 percent GSR.
FRESHMAN PERFORMANCES OF NOTE
Bryant freshman guard Joe Kasperzyk (New Haven, CT/Woodstock Academy) secured career-highs with 18 points and eight assists at Navy on Sunday.
Mount St. Mary’s freshman forward Malik Jefferson (Hopewell, VA/Hopewell) recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds at Marshall on Wednesday. The 14 rebounds were the most by a Mount freshman since Melvin Whitaker pulled down 14 against Quinnipiac on January 28, 1999.
Sacred Heart freshman guard Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) averaged 16.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, and shot 59.0 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from three-point range and 90.0 percent from the line over four games last week. In a 79-78 win over Army West Point on Friday, Clarke scored a career-high 24 points, shooting 9-12 from the floor and 4-6 from long range.
PARKER’S DIME DROPPING NIGHT
Sacred Heart freshman guard Cameron Parker (Beaverton, OR/Tilton School) had himself a night last Monday against Western New England.
Parker dished for 14 assists in just his second career game, which marked the most dimes by an NEC player since Bryant’s Shane McLaughlin dished for 14 against Prairie View A&M on November 20, 2015. It was also the highest assist game for an NEC rookie since Wagner’s Mick Wheeler recorded 16 against FDU on February 21, 1998.
Likewise, the 14 assists are an NEC single-game season-high in 2018-19.
MILESTONE APPROACH
St. Francis Brooklyn senior guard Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) is just 10 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
CCSU’S SPECIAL K’S
Central Connecticut shooting guard Ian Krishnan (Boyds, MD/Proctor Academy (NH)), the NEC Rookie of the Week, has looked like anything but a freshman thus far in 2018-19.
Krishnan has been one of the nation’s most efficient scorers over his first five games. With an effective field goal percentage of 70.4, he ranks first among NEC players and 17th among freshman nationally.
CCSU senior guard/forward Tyler Kohl (Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College), the two-time reigning NEC Player of the Week, also sits among the best in the country, ranking 31st in offensive rating (118.1).
LIGHTS OUT
After five games, both Sacred Heart (.525) and CCSU (.514) are both shooting in excess of 50 percent from the floor.
STAT SUPERLATIVES
FDU sophomore forward Elyjah Williams (Evanston, IL/Evanston) pulled down 12 rebounds and recorded five assists in just 16 minutes in the Knights’ win over NYIT last Friday.
Wagner redshirt senior Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac (Mt. Zion Prep)) is shooting a league-best 92.6 percent from the stripe and he’s doing it with high volume. His 6.25 makes per game also tops the league.
RMU DID YOU KNOW?
Robert Morris picked up its first two wins of the 2018-19 campaign last week playing in its fourth different home venue in the last three years.
The North Athletic Complex joined the Charles L. Sewall Center, PPG Paints Arena and the A.J. Palumbo Center as RMU home venues while the on-campus UPMC Events Center is under construction. The new arena is slated to open for the start of next season.