NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Raul Frias, LIU Brooklyn
6’1”, 165 lbs.
Sr., G, Miami, FL/Mater Academy
Frias comes off a career game that saw the senior guard hit 7-9 from three-point range en route to a personal-best 21 points as LIU Brooklyn moved over .500 with a 74-58 win at Saint Peter’s on Saturday. Frias hit all three of his shots from downtown in the first half, then scored 12 points in the second half on 4-6 shooting from outside the arc to help the Blackbirds outscore the Peacocks, 40-24, after the teams went into the break tied up. The seven triples were also a career-high and he added three rebounds in 28 minutes of work off the bench. Frias lifted his scoring average to 8.3 ppg and he ranks second on LIU with 20 three-pointers on the year.
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Dee Barnes, Mount St. Mary’s
6’4”, 180 lbs.
Fr., G, Great Mills, MD/Great Mills
Barnes became the latest Mount rookie to break out this season, contributing 20.0 points per outing versus St. John’s and Lehigh. After scoring 12 points over his first five games of the year, Barnes rang up a game-high 26 points in his first collegiate start against the Red Storm last Wednesday. The 26 points were the most by a Mount freshman since Miles Wilson put up 26 at UT Arlington on November 23, 2016. He shot a scintillating 7-10 from distance, the highest total by a Mountaineer since Will Miller drained seven against Albany in the NCAA Opening Round on March 18, 2014. He followed with 14 points on 6-12 shooting in an 85-78 loss to Lehigh on Saturday. For the week, Barnes was 14-23 (.609) from the field and 9-16 (.563) from three-point territory. He boosted his scoring average from 2.4 ppg to 7.4 ppg.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Adam Grant (BRY, Jr, G)
Grant tallied a season-high 23 points at Columbia on Friday. He hit 6-14 from three-point range. Grant, who is sixth in the league with 16.8 ppg, is just 17 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
Tyler Kohl (CCSU, Sr, G/F)
Kohl scored a game-high 21 points and added five rebounds, five assists and a season-high three steals in Saturday’s win over Penn State Wilkes-Barre. It was his sixth 20-point game of the season and 19th of his career. Kohl ranks third in the NEC with 18.1 ppg.
Raiquan Clark (LIU, Sr, G/F)
Clark posted his second double-double of the year with 16 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals as the Blackbirds pulled away for a 74-58 win at Saint Peter’s on Saturday. Clark paces the NEC with 20.6 ppg and has upped his career scoring total to 987 points.
Raul Frias (LIU, Sr, G)
Frias dropped a career-high 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench in LIU’s 74-58 win at Saint Peter’s on Saturday. The NEC Player of the Week hit 7-9 from outside the arc, including four triples in the second half as the Blackbirds outscored the Peacocks by 16 after the two teams were tied at intermission.
Dee Barnes (MSM, Fr, G)
Barnes exploded onto the scene last week, averaging 20.0 ppg in the Mount’s games against St. John’s and Lehigh. The freshman scored 26 points in his first collegiate start at St. John’s on Wednesday, hitting 7-10 from three-point range. For the week, he shot 60.9 percent from the floor and 56.3 percent from downtown.
Josh Williams (RMU, Sr, G)
Williams paced the Colonials with 18.0 ppg and added 4.0 rpg in RMU’s split last week. He led RMU in scoring against both Canisius and Siena, and drilled 6-13 (.462) from three-point range. Williams is currently fifth in the NEC with 17.1 ppg. He also tops the circuit with 4.2 three-pointers per game and ranks second with a 47.7 percent mark from outside the arc.
Christian Rohlehr (SFBK, Jr, F)
Rohlehr set a new career-high with 16 points and snared 11 boards in his first career double-double effort at NJIT on Saturday. He shot 6-10 from the field and also matched a personal-best with three blocks in 20 minutes. For the week, he averaged 14.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.5 bpg and made 70.6 percent of his shot opportunities.
Isaiah Blackmon (SFU, R-Jr, G)
Blackmon was red-hot from beyond the arc last week, making 8-11 shots (.737) in road games against American and Delaware. He came off the bench to average 18.5 ppg while shooting 76.5 percent from the floor.
Jamaal King (SFU, Sr, G)
King set season-highs with 26 points and eight assists at Delaware on Sunday to cap a week that saw him average 21.0 ppg and 6.5 apg. He also shot 88.9 percent from the line. King boosted his scoring average to 14.2 ppg.
Keith Braxton (SFU, Jr, G)
Braxton filled the stat sheet as per usual, with 17.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 4.5 apg last week for the Flash. He posted his league-best third double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds at American last Tuesday. Braxton is the NEC’s rebounder leader with 9.8 per game.
Romone Saunders (WC, R-Sr, G)
Saunders hit 9-11 from the floor and 4-6 from three-point territory in a 23-point outing, and added six rebounds, five assists and three steals in Wagner’s win over New Rochelle on Sunday. Saunders leads the Seahawks and is fourth in the NEC with 17.6 ppg.
TOP STORYLINES FROM AROUND #NECMBB
Here’s all you need to know from the fifth week of the 2018-19 season...
NEC QUINTET APPROACHING 1,000
No less than five players are on the precipice of joining the NEC’s 1,000-point club.
LIU Brooklyn senior swingman Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) (987 points) and Bryant junior guard Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) (983) are the closest to the milestone. Right behind are Wagner senior guard Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac) (982), Sacred Heart senior guard Sean Hoehn (Morristown, NJ/Morristown (St. Thomas More (CT))) (971) and FDU senior guard Darnell Edge (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties) (964).
The quintet will join FDU senior forward Mike Holloway (Pittsgrove, NJ/Arthur P. Schalick) (1,122), Saint Francis U senior guard Jamaal King (Salisbury, MD/Bishop O’Connell (VA)) (1,133), Saint Francis U junior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea) (1,083) and St. Francis Brooklyn senior guard Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) (1,012) in the club, which currently sports 223 members.
BRAXTON DID YOU KNOW?
Saint Francis U junior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea) is the only player in the nation this season averaging at least 15.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.0 spg. In fact, since 1992-93, only four players have ended a season with those averages.
Players Since 1992 Who Have Averaged At Least 15 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 apg & 2.0 spg
Bo Outlaw (Houston) - 16. 2 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.6 spg in 1992-93
Artemus McClary (Jacksonville) - 18.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.2 spg in 1995-96
Reggie Williams (VMI) - 27.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.2 spg in 2007-08
Marqus Blakely (Vermont) - 17.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.4 spg in 2009-10
Keith Braxton (SFU) - 15.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.0 spg thus far in 2018-19
BARNES’ BREAKOUT
After combining to score 12 points in his first five appearances in a Mount uniform, freshman guard Dee Barnes (Great Mills, MD/Great Mills) broke out in a big way on Wednesday.
Receiving his first career start, the Great Hills, MD native exploded for a career and game-high 26 points in the Mount’s 85-71 setback at St. John’s. He hit 7-10 shots from the outside the arc and added a pair of steals in just 24 minutes of work.
The seven trifectas marked the fifth-most in the nation this season by a freshman. Barnes became the first NEC freshman to sink seven three-pointers in a game since Bryant’s Adam Grant set the league’s freshman record with nine against Sacred Heart on January 14, 2017.
The 26 points were also the most by a Mount freshman since Miles Wilson put up 26 at UT Arlington on November 23, 2016.
BLUE DEVIL BONANZA AT THE STRIPE
CCSU has been lights out from the stripe this season, one of the factors that has led to an increase in point production from a league low 67.8 ppg in 2017-18 to 74.7 ppg this season.
CCSU is converting an NEC-best 77.3 percent from the stripe, a figure that ranks 16th nationally. Last year, the Blue Devils made 69.9 percent of their attempts.
Central is also making 16.3 shots from the line this season, second on the circuit behind LIU Brooklyn (16.8).
Junior forward Joe Hugley (Gaithersburg, MD/Magruder (Baltimore City CC)) leads the NEC with a 90.0 percent conversion rate, while senior swingman Tyler Kohl (Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College) ranks third at 87.2 percent and freshman guard Ian Krishnan (Boyds, MD/ Clarksburg (Proctor Academy (NH))) is eighth at 81.5 percent.
BLACKMON HEATS UP
Back at full strength after recovering from a second major knee injury that cost him nearly the entire 2017-18 season, Saint Francis U redshirt junior guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) caught fire last week from long range.
Blackmon, who shot 50.0 percent from outside the arc to lead the NEC in his last healthy campaign back in 2016-17, made 8-11 three-point shots off the bench last week in the Red Flash's games at American and Delaware. He averaged 18.5 ppg on 76.7 percent shooting, including a season-high 22 points against the Eagles on Tuesday.
Blackmon is a career 45.5 percent shooter from downtown (91-200), the highest among active NEC players with at least 50 made.
ROHLEHR’S REJECTIONS
St. Francis Brooklyn fans still fondly remember the shot-blocking presence of Amdy Fall, a two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Three years later the Terriers appear to have another game-changer on the defensive end.
Junior forward Christian Rohlehr (Ontario, Canada/Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School (Jefferson CC)) has already developed into one of the NEC’s premier rim protectors with 12 blocks in his last five games. The 6’9” Ontario native has compiled four games with three or more rejections on the year and ranks second in the NEC with 1.9 per game.
The Jefferson CC transfer also picked it up on the offensive end last week with 14.5 ppg on 12-17 (.706) shooting, along with 9.5 rpg and 2.5 bpg. On the season, Rohlehr has come off the bench to average 6.1 ppg and 6.0 rpg while shooting 63.6 percent from the field.
3-PT THREATS
This past Saturday saw a pair of players sink seven three-pointers in a game while making at least 70 percent of their attempts.
LIU Brooklyn senior guard and NEC Player of the Week Raul Frias (Miami, FL/Mader Academy) drained 7-9 from downtown in a win at Saint Peter’s, while Mount St. Mary’s freshman guard Dee Barnes (Great Mills, MD/Great Mills) hit 7-10 against Lehigh.
Frias and Barnes joined an elite group of NEC players the last five years who have hit at least seven shots from distance at a 70 percent clip.
NEC Players with 7 3PFG/.700 3P% In A Game Since 2014-15
Rodney Pryor (RMU): 7-10 vs. FDU on 1/29/15
Matt Mobley (CCSU): 7-10 vs. SFBK on 2/25/15
Ben Millaud-Meunier (SFU): 8-11 vs. CCSU on 2/6/16
Andre Wolford (SFU): 8-11 at Stony Brook on 12/2/17
Scott Meredith (SFU): 7-8 vs. Bethany on 12/18/17
Dee Barnes (MSM): 7-10 vs. Lehigh on 12/8/18
Raul Frias (LIU): 7-9 at Saint Peter’s on 12/8/18
CLARK’S ALL-AROUND EFFORT
LIU Brooklyn senior guard/forward Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) became one of just six players nationally this season to finish a game with at least 16 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. That was his line in Saturday’s 74-58 win at Saint Peter’s.
Players Nationally With At Least 16p/15r/2a/2s/2b In A Game This Season
Lamine Diane (CS Northridge): 32p, 18r, 2a, 2s, 5b at Washington St. (11/27/18)
Ebuka Izundu (Miami (FL)): 22p, 19r, 3a, 3s, 4b vs. SFA (11/13/18)
Matt Rafferty (Furman): 21p, 15r, 2a, 3s, 4b vs. Western Carolina (12/1/18)
Jaylen Hoard (Wake Forest): 22p, 15r, 2a, 3s, 2b vs. Houston Baptist (11/23/18)
Nicolas Claxton (Georgia): 16p, 15r, 4a, 2s, 2b vs. Kennesaw State (11/27/18)
Raiquan Clark (LIU Brooklyn): 16p, 15r, 2a, 2s, 2b at Saint Peter's (12/8/18)
INSIDE THE NEC
The NEC is 17-18 this season against its east coast peer conferences (America East, Ivy, MAAC and Patriot League).
The top five NEC point producers and seven of the top eight are seniors. Last year, only two of the top 12 scorers were seniors.
STAT TRACKER
CCSU junior forward Joe Hugley (Gaithersburg, MD/Magruder (Baltimore City CC)) posted his seventh straight double-digit scoring game with 14 points in 17 minutes played against PSU Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. He averages 12.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg in 19.4 mpg this season.
LIU Brooklyn is playing fast again this season. The Blackbirds rank 36th nationally in adjusted tempo with 74.1 possessions per 40 minutes.
Mount St. Mary’s sophomore Omar Habwe (Lexington, VA/St. James School (MD)) scored a career-high 24 points on just nine shots at Lehigh on Saturday.
Sacred Heart junior forward Jare’l Spellman (Glen Allen, VA/Fork Union Military Academy (Florida Southern)) is first in the NEC and seventh nationally with 3.1 bpg. He’s also 18th nationally in block percentage (12.72).
St. Francis Brooklyn senior guard Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/Saint Peter’s) has turned the ball over just eight times in nine games this season while averaging 26.2 minutes per outing.
Saint Francis U junior forward Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) ranks eighth nationally with 8.11 defensive rebounds per game and 16th in defensive rebound percentage at 29.1 percent.
Wagner redshirt senior forward AJ Sumbry (East Windsor, NJ/St. Benedict’s Prep (Quinnipiac)) made all seven of his shots from the floor and finished with a career-high 17 points against New Rochelle on Sunday. Sophomore guard Chase Freeman (Gallatin, TN/Station Camp) matched his career-high with 12 points, while dishing out a career-best nine assists.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Bryant head coach Jared Grasso on the state of his team from a Daly Dose of Hoops feature over the weekend:
“I’ve been around teams who struggled early, I’ve been around teams that started 1-5, 2-6, tough non-league schedule, struggled on the road, and we found ourselves in January and February, and we were cutting down nets in March. This challenge doesn’t scare me at all, and I’ve told our guys that. This isn’t something that I’m afraid of, this isn’t something we’re going to back down from. We’re going to embrace it, we’re going to figure it out, we’re going to get better and we’re going to play our best basketball when we need to.”