NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Keith Braxton, Saint Francis U
6’5”, 208 lbs.
Jr., G, Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)
Braxton excelled in all facets of the game in a 2-0 week for the Red Flash. The preseason All-NEC selection averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals, while shooting a scorching 72.7 percent from the floor and a perfect 6-6 from the stripe. Braxton’s banker in the paint with 26 seconds to play was the go-ahead bucket in a 79-75 win over Niagara on Friday. He put up 25 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the victory, and in doing so become the only player in the nation with a 25/12/7/3 line this season and just the seventh since the start of the 2010 campaign. Braxton also shot 7-9 and finished with 15 points and six boards in a 24-minute stint on Tuesday as the Flash rolled to a 113-59 win over Bloomsburg. The junior from Glassboro, NJ leads the NEC with 9.3 rpg, and also ranks among league leaders in steals (second, 2.3), assists (eighth, 3.0), field goal percentage (tenth, .488) and scoring (11th, 15.3).

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Cameron Parker, Sacred Heart
6’2”, 170 lbs.
Fr., G, Beaverton, OR/Tilton School
Parker has been turning heads with his distribution skills this season, capped by a pair of stellar performances in Sacred Heart’s 2-1 week. Coming off the bench, Parker dished for 9.0 assists per game, while also contributing 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per outing. He shot 50.0 percent from three-point territory and 84.6 percent from the line. Parker became the first NEC freshman in over a year to register a points/assists double-double with 12 points and 10 dimes in SHU’s 98-89 win over Hartford last Tuesday. He went on to rack up 13 assists to go along with seven points and six boards in an eight-point setback at Boston College on Thursday. The 13 helpers were the fifth-most in a DI contest this season and his third double-digit assist game of the year. Parker, who hails from Beaverton, OR, currently leads all DI freshman and ranks first in the NEC with 7.8 apg. He is fourth nationally in assists.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Byron Hawkins (BRY, Gr, G)
Hawkins averaged 19.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg and 2.0 spg in a 1-1 week for the Bulldogs. He hit all nine of his shots from the line. The grad student drained a three-pointer with 4:02 to play to give Bryant the lead for good in its win over New Hampshire on Saturday. He ranks second on the team with 15.4 ppg.

Raiquan Clark (LIU, Sr, G/F)
Clark was named to the Belfast Classic Samson Bracket All-Tournament team after averaging 17.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.5 spg in a split overseas. He shot 48.0 percent from the field and made 4-7 from long range. Clark scored a game-high 27 points, and added seven rebounds and three steals to spark a Blackbird comeback from a 12-point second half deficit to beat Albany, 80-77, on Thursday.

Malik Jefferson (MSM, Fr, F)
Jefferson poured in a career-high 22 points on 10-15 shooting in the Mount’s setback at Loyola (MD) on Saturday. He also snared seven boards. Jefferson leads all NEC freshman with 54.0 percent field goal accuracy and ranks second with 6.9 rpg.

Cameron Parker (SHU, Fr, G)
Parker came off the bench to average 7.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 9.0 apg and 1.3 spg for the Pioneers, who won two-of-three games. He posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists in SHU’s 98-89 conquest of Hartford last Tuesday. He also compiled 13 assists in an 81-73 loss at Boston College on Thursday. Parker paces all DI freshman and ranks first in the NEC with 7.8 apg. He is fourth nationally in assists.

Jare’l Spellman (SHU, R-Jr, F)
Spellman recorded 11.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.3 bpg and made 58.6 percent of his shot attempts in SHU’s 2-1 week. He hit the game-winner on a putback with three seconds to play in the Pioneers’ 64-62 victory over Lafayette on Sunday. Spellman finished the game with career-highs in points (18), rebounds (13) and blocks (five). He leads the NEC and ranks tenth nationally with 3.1 bpg.

Chauncey Hawkins (SFBK, So, G)
The SFBK super sub scored a career-high 27 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and 4-5 from three in a 90-86 win at Presbyterian on Wednesday. He also dished out five assists and made 7-8 from the line. Hawkins scored 16 in the second half, which marked the fourth time this season that he has scored 14+ points after the break. The soph is second on the Terriers with 14.9 ppg.

Keith Braxton (SFU, Jr, G)
Braxton comes off another terrific all-around week with 20.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.0 spg in wins over Bloomsburg and Niagara. The NEC Player of the Week shot 72.7 percent from the field and made all six of his free throws. He tallied 25 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a four-point win over Niagara on Friday. Braxton’s banker in the paint with 26 seconds to play was the go-ahead bucket.

Romone Saunders (WC, Sr, G)
Saunders played all 40 minutes to help spark Wagner to a comeback win at American on Saturday. He finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while shooting 6-11 from the floor and 4-4 from the stripe.?
 
TOP STORYLINES FROM AROUND #NECMBB

Here’s all you need to know from the fourth week of the 2018-19 season...

BRAXTON TABBED TO LOU HENSON AWARD WATCH LIST
 
As the NEC & ECAC Rookie of the Year in 2016-17, Saint Francis U’s Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) made a name for himself regionally.
 
Last season, people started to take notice of his talents at a national level when he was named a Lou Henson All-American.
 
Not surprisingly, the junior guard has once again been thrust into the national limelight with his inclusion on the 50-player Lou Henson Award Watch List. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top mid-major player.
 
Braxton, a first team All-NEC honoree a year ago and a preseason All-NEC pick in 2018-19, currently leads the NEC with 9.3 rpg and averages 15.3 ppg.
 
After hitting the 1,000-point mark last month, Braxton (1,083 points, 653 rebounds) is right on pace to become the first player in NEC history to finish with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.
 
BRAXTON’S STAT STUFFER
 
With 25 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a 79-75 win over Niagara on Friday, Saint Francis U junior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) joined some elite company.
 
The NEC Player of the Week became the only player in the nation this season to finish with at least 27/12/7/3 in a game, and going back to 2010, only seven players have achieved the statistical rarity.
 
Four of those players went on to the NBA, most notably Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, who tallied 43 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals against North Florida on December 2, 2015. Providence’s Kris Dunn (Bulls), UConn’s Daniel Hamilton (Nuggets) and Cleveland State’s Norris Cole (formerly Heat, Pelicans and Thunder) also achieved the feat.
 
Players With 27p, 12r, 7a & 3s In A Game (Since 2010)
Norris Cole (Cleveland St.) - 41p, 20r, 9a, 3s vs. YSU (2/12/11)
Daniel Mullings (New Mexico St.) - 28p, 12r, 10a, 5s vs. Hawaii (2/23/12)
Kris Duun (Providence) - 27p, 13r, 11a, 3s vs. DePaul (1/29/15)
Daniel Hamilton (UConn) - 25p, 13r, 7a, 3s vs. Memphis (2/19/15)
Ben Simmons (LSU) - 43p, 14r, 7a, 5s vs. North Florida (12/2/15)
Ethan Telfair (Idaho St.) - 25p, 12r, 10a, 6s vs. New Mexico (11/11/16)
Keith Braxton (SFU) - 25p, 12r, 7a, 3s vs. Niagara (11/30/18)
 
MARYLAND RIVALRY LIKE NO OTHER
 
When Mount St. Mary’s faced (MD) this past Saturday, it marked the 174th meeting between the longtime rivals in the most-played rivalry in the state of Maryland. Despite a 75-65 loss to Loyola (MD) on Saturday, the Mountaineers have won four of the last six meetings between the two programs and hold a 100-74 lead - including a 60-16 mark at home - in the “Catholic Clash” series that began in 1910. The Mount is 11-7 against Loyola since 2001.
 
One of the classic games between the two programs was a 99-93 overtime win for the Mountaineers in the championship game of the Mason-Dixon Conference Tournament on March 5, 1955. That was former head coach Jim Phelan’s first of 49 seasons spent as head coach at the Mount.
 
NCAA NET RATINGS DEBUT
 
The NCAA’s new metric, which replaced the RPI, debuted last Monday.
 
The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rating will be the primary sorting tool for evaluating teams this season. The new ranking system was approved in late July after months of consultation with the DI Men’s Basketball Committee, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, top basketball analytics experts and Google Cloud Professional Services.
 
The NET relies on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses. 
 
CCSU was the highest rated NEC team in the initial ranking at 150.

SHU’S PARKER DROPPING DIMES
 
The last NEC freshman put up assist numbers like Sacred Heart’s Cameron Parker (Beaverton, OR/Tilton School) has compiled over his first month of play went on to rewrite many a recordbook.
 
While no one is yet comparing Parker to NEC all-time assist leader Jason Brickman - also the fourth-leading assist man in NCAA history with 1,009 - the Beaverton, OR native has turned some heads with his distribution skills.
 
Last Tuesday, the NEC Rookie of the Week finished with 12 points and 10 assists in SHU’s 98-89 win over Hartford. In doing so, he became the first NEC freshman to register a points/assists double-double against a DI opponent since LIU Brooklyn’s Jashaun Agosto (Seattle, WA/Garfield) recorded 16 points and 10 assists against Robert Morris in the 2017 NEC quarterfinals.
 
He wasn’t done, dishing 13 assists two days later against an ACC opponent as SHU dropped a competitive 81-73 setback to Boston College.
 
Parker, who earlier this season racked up an NEC single-game season-high 14 dimes in a victory over Western New England, is the first conference frosh to post three double-digit assist games since LIU Brooklyn’s James Williams way back in 2003-04.
 
Parker is also one of only two players in the nation this season who have posted at least 13 assists twice, joining TCU’s Alex Robinson.
 
Parker currently leads all DI freshman and ranks first in the NEC with 7.8 apg. He is fourth nationally in assists.
 
HAWKINS PROVIDING BITE OFF THE BENCH
 
Detroit had the “Microwave” Vinnie Johnson back in the day, and the Clippers’ Lou Williams is the industry standard these days when it comes to players providing instant offense off the bench.
 
The NEC has its own fire-breathing sparkplug coming off the bench, and he’s one of the reasons St. Francis Brooklyn has posted a 4-3 record to open the season.
 
Sophomore guard Chauncey Hawkins (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional) had a promising freshman campaign, contributing 6.6 ppg and making 21 shots from three-point territory.
 
With his efficiency numbers up across the board this season, Hawkins has become a game-in and game-out threat for the Terriers.
 
Last Wednesday, he netted a career-high 27 points - including eight in the final five minutes - and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:15 to play in a 90-86 win at Presbyterian. Hawkins made 8-14 from the floor, 4-5 from distance and 7-8 from the line, and added five assists.
 
Hawkins has hit the 20-point mark in three of his last four outings to boost his scoring average to 14.9 ppg, ranking him second on the Terriers and 12th in the NEC.
 
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) and Sacred Heart senior guard Sean Hoehn (Morristown, NJ/Morristown (St. Thomas More (CT))) are the closest to the milestone with 971 points apiece heading into play this week. Right behind are FDU senior guard Darnell Edge (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties) (964 points), Bryant junior guard Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) (960) and Wagner senior guard Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac) (959).
 
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)) (1,091), 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.
 
SFBK ROAD WARRIORS
 
With three straight road wins over Lafayette, Niagara and Presbyterian, St. Francis Brooklyn has distinguished itself nationally.
 
The Terriers are one of only 17 schools nationwide with three true road wins this season.
 
Glenn Braica and his team head back on the road this Saturday to face NJIT.
 
SPELLMAN SPARKS SHU COMEBACK WIN
 
Sacred Heart posted a stirring win on Sunday, erasing a four-point deficit in the final minute to secure a 64-62 win at Lafayette.
 
Junior forward Jare’l Spellman (Glen Allen, VA/Fork Union Military Academy (Florida Southern)) started the comeback with a layup with 43 seconds to play. After two Kinnon LaRose (Ogdensburg, NY/Ogdensburg Free Academy (Siena)) free throws tied it, the Pios got the stop they needed to set up a last shot. 
 
Freshman guard Cameron Parker (Beaverton, OR/Tilton School) missed a layup, but Spellman was there for the tip-in with three seconds to play for the win.
 
Spellman set new career-highs with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots in the victory. Only five players across the nation this season have finished with at least 18/13/5 in a game this season, one of whom is Duke freshman phenom Zion Williamson (27p, 16r, 6b vs. Army on 11/11/18).
 
The five blocks marked the first time a Pioneer rejected five or more shots in a game since Tevin Falzon recorded five against Bryant on January 24, 2015. He leads the NEC and ranks sixth nationally with 3.1 bpg.
 
BRYANT’S MR. BIG SHOT STRIKES AGAIN
 
Over his first three years, Bryant’s Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) has had a knack for coming through in the clutch.
 
In December of his freshman year, Grant converted a layup with three seconds on the clock to send a game at St. Francis Brooklyn to OT.
 
Just two weeks later, Grant hit three trifectas in the last 26 seconds of regulation to help Bryant rally from a six-point deficit to force OT against Sacred Heart in one of the most memorable games in NEC history. He went on to sink two more three-pointers in OT and finished with an NEC freshman record nine in 112-110 triple OT loss.
 
Last December, Grant sank a NBA-range game-tying three-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to send a game against SFU into overtime. 
 
Fast forward to this past Saturday.
 
With Bryant in a nip-and-tuck battle with New Hampshire, the Franklin, VA product was back at it, this time drilling a long, contested three-pointer with 1:16 to play to stretch the Bulldog lead to five, then sank a jumper with 34 ticks on the clock to ice the 75-65 victory.
 
Grant paces Bryant and ranks eighth in the NEC with 15.9 ppg.
 
STAT TRACKER
 
LIU Brooklyn hit 9-13 shots from long range and scored 57 points in the second half of an 80-77 win over Albany last Thursday as part of the Belfast Classic. The Blackbirds came back from a 12-point second half deficit with junior guard Julian Batts (Pittsburgh, PA/Jeannette (St. Thomas More)) converting a traditional three-point play with 1:37 on the clock to give LIU the lead for good.
 
Robert Morris senior guard Josh Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)) has knocked down at least two three-pointers in each of his last six games, averaging 5.3 three-point field goals during that span. It’s the longest streak since former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14) also turned the trick in six contests in 2014 and is three off the school mark of nine that Anderson established in his first season with the Colonials in 2012-13. Williams leads the NEC with 4.5 triples per game and ranks second in three-point percentage, converting at a 48.0 percent clip.
 
HERE AND THERE
 
CCSU junior forward Joe Hugley (Gaithersburg, MD/ Magruder (Baltimore City CC)) led the Blue Devils with 15.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg last week. He posted his second career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench at North Carolina A&T last Thursday. Hughley has scored 10+ points in six straight games, all of them in a reserve role.
 
FDU senior forward Mike Holloway Jr. (Pittsgrove, NJ/Arthur P. Schalick) logged a season-high 13 rebounds at Holy Cross on Saturday.
 
Robert Morris opened 3-0 at home for the first time since 2012-13 with a 76-56 win over Youngstown State on Wednesday. 
 
Wagner senior forward AJ Sumbry (East Windsor, NJ/St. Benedict’s Prep (Quinnipiac)) is up to sixth on Wagner's career blocked shots list with 116. He needs four more to pass Durell Vinson (2003-08) and ten more to surpass all-time great Jermaine Hall (1999-03).
 
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
 
Saint Francis U head coach Rob Krimmel had high praise for junior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) after the Red Flash’s win over Niagara on Friday.
 
“He still has a lot of time here left and I think he has a chance to make a huge statement of where he stands in the tradition that is St. Francis basketball. His numbers speak for themselves. You talk about players in the last 20 to 25 years, there hasn’t been a player that has impacted the game like Keith has on both ends. As proud as I am of his basketball abilities, I’m equally proud of his abilities off the court; his leadership in the community, what he does in the classroom. People are going to remember his numbers; they’re going to remember he was a good player. But I bet you 20 years from now they’re not going to know what his averages were. They’re going to remember him as a great person.”