PDF Release
NEC Player of the Week: Josh Williams, RMU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Mykel Derring, MC 
Previous NEC Releases: January 6 | December 30 | December 23 | December 16 | December 9  | December 2 | November 25 | November 18 | November 11 | Preseason Poll Release

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Josh Williams, Robert Morris
6’2”, 195 lbs.
R-Sr., G, Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)
The nation’s hottest shooter since from distance the start of the new decade, Williams once again caught fire in sparking Robert Morris to two blowout wins last week. Williams averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while shooting 70.0 percent from the field and a scorching 72.2 percent from three-point territory. He hit 13 of his 18 shots from downtown, and has now made 22-31 (.710) three-pointers in RMU’s 4-0 start in NEC play. Williams, who hails from Akron, OH, scored 39 of his 41 points last week from three-point territory, beginning with a 6-8 performance in Thursday’s 78-52 win over St. Francis Brooklyn. Two days later he drilled 7-10 triples as RMU downed Wagner, 94-62. Williams leads the NEC in three-point accuracy (.449) and made three-pointers (3.88/game), and ranks ninth in scoring (15.2).

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Mykel Derring, Merrimack
6’2”, 180 lbs.
Fr., G, Boston, MA/Proctor Academy
Derring joined two-time winner Jordan Minor as Rookie of the Week honorees for the Warriors in their inaugural NEC campaign. The Boston native contributed 11.5 points per game off the bench and hit 41.2 percent of his shots from outside the arc in a 2-0 week for Merrimack. Derring, who had posted just one double-digit scoring game entering play last week, scored 11 in Thursday’s 64-61 over the Mount. With the score tied at 51 and just over eight minutes to play, he hit a three-pointer, then recorded a steal and layup to ignite a 7-0 run that gave the Warriors a lead they would not relinquish. Derring went on to hit four three-pointers in a career-high 12-point outing on Saturday as Merrimack pulled away to post a 58-46 win at CCSU. He drained three straight treys midway through the second half to give the Warriors a nine-point lead.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Jamir Coleman (CCSU, Sr, F)
Coleman averaged a double-double with 14.0 ppg and 10.5 rpg while shooting 60.0 percent from the field. He posted his sixth career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds at LIU on Thursday.

Jahlil Jenkins (FDU, Jr, G)
Jenkins contributed 17.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 4.0 apg last week for the Knights. He scored a season-high 24 points on 8-16 shooting and drained a career-high four three-pointers in the Knights’ last-second loss to Sacred Heart. His layup with 6.9 seconds remaining tied the game. Jenkins, who recently passed 1,000 career points, is now 27th on the program’s all-time scoring list.

Raiquan Clark (LIU, R-Sr, G/F)
Clark put up his usual impressive numbers with 20.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.5 bpg in a home sweep for the Sharks. He shot 61.5 percent from the field. Clark scored a game-high 22 points on just 10 shots against CCSU, then registered 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals vs. FDU. He remains atop the NEC scoring list with 20.5 ppg on the year.

Juvaris Hayes (MC, Sr, G)
Hayes continues to be the catalyst for Merrimack, dominating games in ways outside of scoring. Last week he averaged 7.0 spg, to go along with 7.0 ppg and 5.0 apg in a 2-0 week for the Warriors. Hayes racked up an NEC single-game season-high nine steals in Saturday, which tied for the fourth-most in league history. In doing so, he reached 400 career steals. Hayes is the NEC leader with 3.8 spg and also ranks second with 5.7 apg.

Malik Jefferson (MSM, So, F)
Jefferson stayed red-hot, compiling 17.0 ppg on 64.0 percent shooting, while adding 8.5 rpg in a Mount split. He led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down eight boards in a three-point setback at Merrimack on Thursday, then shot 7-9 on his way to a 15-point, nine-rebound effort in a 67-65 win at Bryant on Saturday. Jefferson ranks in the NEC top-five in field goal accuracy (.560, fourth) and rebounding (7.9, fifth).

Nana Opoku (MSM, So, F)
Opoku comes off perhaps the finest week of his young career after averaging 13.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg and 3.0 bpg while hitting at a 50.0 percent clip from the floor. He posted his first career double-double with 11 points and a personal-best 15 boards on Thursday at Merrimack. On Saturday, he matched his career-best with 15 points on 7-11 shooting as the Mountaineers held on to win at Bryant. Opoku averages 8.5 ppg, ranks second on the team with 5.8 rpg and leads the Mount with 1.2 bpg.

Josh Williams (RMU, R-Sr, G)
Williams continued his torrid shooting, converted 72.2 of his shots from three-point range, and averaged 20.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 3.0 apg in a second straight 2-0 week for the 4-0 Colonials. He splashed 6-8 shots from downtown, and finished with game-highs in points (20) and rebounds (eight) in Thursday’s victory over SFBK, then made 7-10 from three-point land in a win over Wagner. Williams leads the NEC in three-point percentage (.449) and made three-pointers (3.88/game), and ranks 19th in scoring (15.2).

Koreem Ozier (SHU, So, G)
Ozier led the Pioneers with 23 points on 9-17 shooting, including 4-8 from distance in Sacred Heart’s two-point win at FDU on Thursday. His layup with 1:25 to play ballooned SHU’s lead to eight points. Ozier is sixth in the NEC with 15.8 ppg on the year.

Jare’l Spellman (SHU, R-Sr, F)
Spellman contributed in all aspects of the game on Thursday, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a 77-75 win at FDU. He hit 6-8 from the field. Spellman ranks second in the NEC in blocks (2.6) and field goal percentage (.577), and sixth in rebounding (7.9).

Isaiah Blackmon (SFU, R-Sr, G)
Blackmon did a little of everything last week, averaging 16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.5 apg and 3.0 spg, while turning the ball over just twice in 74 minutes to help lead the Red Flash to a home sweep. He recorded a team-high 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in a last second win over SFBK on Saturday. Blackmon is fourth in the NEC with 16.9 ppg, and ranks fourth in made three-pointers (2.36/game) and fifth in three-point percentage (.407).

TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK 10

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
   
Two weeks in and the dream of an unbeaten NEC season is down to just one team.
 
With Robert Morris taking down St. Francis Brooklyn, 78-52, at the UPMC Events Center on Thursday night, it left the Colonials as the last NEC team without a loss. A 94-62 win over Wagner two days later improved RMU to 4-0, one game ahead of Merrimack and Saint Francis U.
 
How dominant have the Colonials been over the first two weeks of NEC play? The numbers tell the story.
 
- Average margin of victory: +20.0 (1st in NEC)
- Scoring offense: 82.5 ppg (1st)
- Scoring defense: 62.5 ppg (2nd)
- FG%: .521 (1st)
- FG% Defense: .418 (1st)
- 3P%: .479 (1st)
- 3P% Defense: .293 (2nd)
- 3P Made: 11.5/game (1st)
- A/TO Ratio: 1.72 (1st)
- O-PPP: 1.19 (1st)
- D-PPP: 0.90 (1st)
- Turnover Rate: 22.3 (2nd)
- EFG%: .619 (1st)
- EFG% Defense: .471 (1st)
 
Looking ahead, the Colonials have a bye on Thursday, followed by a pair of tough tests. RMU hosts Merrimack on Saturday in the first meeting between Colonial head coach Andy Toole and his former assistant Joey Gallo, who has the Warriors off to a 3-1 start in their first season at the DI level. Next Monday, it’s a CBSSN nationally televised MLK Day game against a 2-1 Sacred Heart squad that was picked second in the NEC preseason rankings.
 
TRIO OF NEC PLAYERS TABBED TO LOU HENSON MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
 
The reigning NEC Player of the Year, a fellow NEC all-star and an impact newcomer have earned national recognition for their play thus far in 2019-20.
 
Saint Francis U senior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)), Bryant senior guard Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate) and Merrimack senior guard Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony) were all named to the 50-player Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List last Thursday.
 
The Lou Henson award is presented annually to the nation’s top mid-major player.
 
Braxton was named a Lou Henson All-American as a sophomore and was tabbed to the Preseason Watch List prior to the start of his senior campaign. He currently ranks fifth in the NEC in scoring (16.2) and ninth in rebounding (7.4).
 
Grant is the NEC’s second-leading scorer (19.5) and three-point marksman (3.8/g).
 
Hayes is the NEC leader in steals (3.8) and ranks second in assists (5.7).
 
MC’S HAYES REACHES MILESTONE, EYES NCAA RECORD
   
Thievery isn’t usually something to be lauded.
 
But in the case of Merrimack senior guard Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony), his defensive instincts and ability to pickpocket opposing players has earned him spots in both the NEC and NCAA recordbook.
With a nine-steal outing in Saturday’s win over CCSU, Hayes reached 400 for his career. He is one of just four players in the history of college hoops at any level to reach 400 steals, and would need to average 3.5 per game over his last 14 outings to become the NCAA’s all-time leader.
 
NCAA Players With 400 Career Steals
Tennyson Whitted         Ramapo                  448           2000-03
Jonte Flowers            Winona State            414           2005-08
John Gallogly            Salve Regina            413           1995-98
Juvaris Hayes            Merrimack               400           2016-20
 
Hayes, who ranks first in the country with 3.8 spg and a 6.4 steal percentage this season, is on target to become the seventh player in NEC annals to finish with 100 steals in a season.
 
His nine steals on Saturday matched his career-high, tied for second most in the nation this season and also tied him for fourth on the NEC's single-game steals list. RMU's Chipper Harris set the all-time record with 12 steals vs. Marist on January 20, 1983. Hayes also had eight swipes against Sacred Heart in his first NEC game on January 2.
 
GASKINS’ “STUNNING” MAD DASH WINS IT FOR FLASH
   
On a team with two of the top-five scorers in the league, senior guard Randall Gaskins Jr. (Woodbridge, VA/Bishop O’Connell) wouldn’t be the most obvious choice to take a last second shot.
 
When the situation presented itself on Saturday, Saint Francis U head coach Rob Krimmel didn’t think twice about entrusting the Woodbridge, VA with the ball.
 
With the Red Flash trailing St. Francis Brooklyn by one and needing to go length of the court in five seconds, Gaskins inbounded the ball to Tyler Stewart (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew’s Episcopal (Binghamton)) then took off. Stewart pitched him the ball and Gaskins was off to the races, exploding past two SFBK defenders before kissing the ball off glass as time expired.
 
When asked if the play went as planned, Krimmel didn’t mince words.
 
“When it goes in, yes.”
 
He went on to explain the origin of the play.
 
“It’s a play we worked on all year. We call it Stunner. I was stunned. It’s one of things that looks good in practice 5-on-0, but they couldn’t have executed the play any better. The floor opened up...and Randall (did) a great job.”
 
Gaskins Jr. scored 12 points on just four shot attempts, going 4-4 from the field in the win.
 
“I am so happy for Randall,” said Krimmel. “He is such an important piece to our team and has guarded the other team’s best player for the last four years. It was great to see how excited his teammates were for him to be rewarded with a moment like this.”
 
The win lifted SFU to 3-1 in NEC play, keeping the Flash one game behind Robert Morris.
 
RMU’S SHARPSHOOTING WILLIAMS BROS
   
The odds of brothers playing DI ball at the same time on the same team is a long shot to say the least.
 
The odds that those same brothers would also be the conference’s two most accurate at the “long shot” would be astronomical.
 
Then the Williams brothers came along.
 
With Robert Morris flying high atop the NEC standings, much of the credit has to go to redshirt senior Josh Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)) and his younger brother, junior Jon Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary).
 
The duo has caught fire from three-point range over the first four games of league play, and now rank one-two overall in three-point shooting on the year. Josh Williams is league leader, hitting 44.9 percent of his attempts, with Jon second at 44.3 percent.
 
Josh Williams has been on a tear since the start of the new year, with a nation's best 22 three-pointers over four games. His .710 three-point percentage over that span is the highest in the country for anyone who has hit at least four triples per game.
 
Jon Williams hasn't exactly been a slouch either in games vs. NEC rivals, hitting 10-16 from outside the arc for a 55.6 percent success rate.
 
With the two brothers white-hot from downtown, Robert Morris has made 46 triples in four games at a 47.9 percent success rate, both league-highs. The Colonials now rank 18th nationally in three-point percentage at 38.2 percent.
 
SHARKS SHOW SOME BITE
   
The preseason favorites look to be rounding into form.
 
After suffering a double overtime loss in its NEC opener at the Mount, LIU responded with a pair of double-digit home wins last week.
 
The Sharks averaged 87.0 points, and shot 52.1 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from outside the arc in victories over CCSU (90-78) and FDU (84-70).
 
The win against FDU on Saturday was especially satisfying for head coach Derek Kellogg.
 
“That was a great, great home win by our team,” said Kellogg. “I thought our guys played pretty close to 40 minutes of LIU basketball. We shared the ball, we played really good defense, and I thought we showed some toughness and resiliency in the second half when Fairleigh Dickinson came back and made a run. I’m really proud of the way Jashaun Agosto (Seattle, WA/Garfield) played. I think that was his best game since I’ve been here as a head coach. I’m excited for our guys. I thought the hard work and attention to detail in practice carried over in these last couple of games.”
 
Agosto, a senior guard, scored a season-high 20 points, hitting 9-11 from the field, and added five rebounds and three assists.
 
KRIMMEL TO BE HONORED BY NABC
   
Rob Krimmel isn’t just winning on the court.
 
It was announced last week that the Saint Francis U head coach and 2018-19 NEC Coach of the Year will be the recipient of the Guardians of the Game Award for Service from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on April 5 at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Awards Show during this year’s Final Four in Atlanta.
 
Krimmel, who has spent more than half his life at SFU as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach, has also spent the last eight years as a champion for Stay In To Win, a NABC sponsored program presented to middle school aged children with a focus on student success and dropout prevention.
 
“I became involved after receiving a call from program director Al Foderaro from a reference provided by my friend and Lehigh head coach Brett Reed,” said Krimmel. “We started as a team working with students at Altoona Junior High School in 2013 and it has grown each year. This program has provided an opportunity for the players to speak to a large group of students about their own experiences and shape some of their own beliefs. They share a wide range of skills and interest with the middle schoolers, including working on academic skills and the importance of an education.”
 
Under Krimmel, the Red Flash also joined TEAM IMPACT early in 2014. TEAM IMPACT is a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes.  Its mission is to improve the quality of life for those children by establishing and expanding vibrant team-based support networks.
 
Saint Francis signed 12-year old Jorden McClure to their men’s basketball team.  Jorden, afflicted with Larsen’s Syndrome, a disorder of the development of the bones, wore number 43 at his first game as a member of the Red Flash when he was introduced to a standing ovation at Gol Arena as a member of the starting lineup.
 
“We have had a birthday party for Jorden and he has come to home and away games,” Krimmel said. “He’s now a senior in high school and may well follow in the tradition of his mother and sister, both graduates of Saint Francis, when he makes his college choice.”
 
BUSINESS ABOUT TO PICK UP FOR NEC-TV
   
It’s a busy week of TV hoops on the horizon with two national games and a fierce local rivalry on tap.
 
On Wednesday, it’s a rematch of the 2019 NEC title game as defending champion Fairleigh Dickinson hosts Saint Francis U on ESPNU at 5:00 pm. Mike Crispino (PxP) and Seth Greenberg (color) are the announcer team.
 
That same night, two neighborhood rivals go to battle as LIU makes the one-mile trek to St. Francis Brooklyn in the first of two meetings this year. The game is set to air on SNY at 7:00 pm.  Paul Dottino (PxP) and Joe DeSantis (color) have the call.
 
It’s an MLK Day special next Monday, as NEC-TV heads to the state-of-the-art UPMC Events Center for the first time for a Robert Morris-Sacred Heart clash on CBSSN. Tip time is 5:00 pm. Dave Popkin (PxP), Joe DeSantis (color) and Dottino (sideline) are in the booth.
 
BRAXTON’S CHART CLIMB
 
Just two more hurdles to clear for Saint Francis U senior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) to make NEC history.
 
Last week, the reigning NEC Player of the Year pulled down 17 rebounds to boost his career total to 1,023. In doing so, he passed CCSU’s Ron Robinson (1,022) and LIU’s Carey Scurry (1,013) to move into third place on the NEC’s career list.
 
Look for the Glassboro, NJ native to move past Quinnipiac’s Justin Rutty (1,032) this week, leaving just all-time rebounding king Jalen Cannon of St. Francis Brooklyn in Braxton’s headlights. Cannon snared 1,159 boards from 2011-15.
 
On the Braxton 2K/1K watch, the Glassboro, NJ native needs 253 points to hit 2,000 for his career. No player in NEC history has ever record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

NEC Career Rebounding Leaders
1. Jalen Cannon             SFBK     1,159     2011-15
2. Justin Rutty             QU       1,032     2007-11
5. Keith Braxton            SFU      1,023    2016-20
3. Ron Robinson             CCSU     1,022     2000-04
4. Carey Scurry             LIU      1,013     1982-85
6. Alex Francis             BRY      990       2010-14
7. Obie Nwadike             CCSU     980       2003-07
8. Eric Taylor              SFU      967       1994-98
9. Corsley Edwards          CCSU     966       1998-02
10. Jamal Olasewere         LIU      963       2009-13
 
GRANT 3P UPDATE
 
We continue to track Bryant senior guard Adam Grant’s (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) NEC chart progress for made three-pointers.
 
With four more on Saturday, Grant improved his career total to 264 triples, good for 14th on the league’s career chart.
 
He needs just six more to reach the top-10 and 22 to park himself in the top-five. Former CCSU star Tristan Blackwood holds the league’s all-time record with 328 trifectas from 2004-08.

NEC Career Three-Pointers Leaders
5. Shane Gibson            SHU    286     2008-13
6. Dyami Starks            BRY    281     2012-15
7. Stefan Perunicic        SFBK   280     2008-12
8. James Williams          LIU    277     2003-07
9. Justin Chiera           CCSU   274     2002-06
10. Ryan Litke             SHU    270     2006-10
    Dedrick Dye            WC     270     1999-03
12. Landy Thompson         MSM    267     2002-06
13. Kevin Booth            MSM    265     1989-93
14. Adam Grant             BRY    264     2016-20
15. Dave Calloway          MU     260     1987-91
 
MC DID YOU KNOW?
 
Merrimack’s senior class of Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony), Idris Joyner (Plainfield, NJ/St. Anthony) and Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony) won their 70th career game on Saturday, moving within six of setting the school record for wins by a class. The trio all played in high school together at St. Anthony in Jersey City.
 
SFU DID YOU KNOW?
 
Saint Francis U’s 10-5 start is its best since the Red Flash started 11-4 in 1997-98, a team that featured current head coach Rob Krimmel and assistant coach Eric Taylor.
 
BRYANT MILESTONE UPDATES
 
With 1,629 career points, Bryant senior guard Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) moved within 62 of Dyami Starks for second on Bryant’s DI scoring list.
 
Bryant junior forward Elisias Hall’s (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South (New Mexico JC)) five blocks on Saturday vs. the Mount gave him 48 on the year, just six behind Papa Lo’s single-season DI program record 54 set in 2009-10. Hall leads the NEC and ranks 11th nationally with 3.0 bpg. He’s also first nationally in block percentage at 17.7 percent.
 
STAT ATTACK
 
CCSU posted a +19 rebounding margin in two games last week, outrebounding both LIU and Merrimack. The Blue Devils had not won the battle of the boards through their first 15 games. Junior forward Stephane Ayangma (Yaounde, Cameroon/ Hinds CC (MS)) grabbed a career-high 12 boards against Merrimack, while junior swingman Jamir Coleman (San Antonio, TX/South Plains College) had a personal-best 12 at LIU.
 
FDU starters scored 140 of the Knights’ 145 points last week, including all 75 in a 77-75 setback to Sacred Heart on Thursday.
 
LIU senior guard Julian Batts (Pittsburgh, PA/Jeanette) broke out of a shooting slump from long range last week, hitting 9-12 from downtown while averaging 14.5 ppg.
 
Merrimack forced a season high (against D1 opponents) 24 turnovers - including 18 steals - in its win at CCSU on Saturday. The 18 thefts were the most by an NEC team against a DI foe this season and the second most in the nation this season vs. a DI team.
 
Merrimack senior forward Idris Joyner (Plainfield, NJ/St. Anthony) has reached double digits in three of his first four NEC games after doing so just once in non-conference play. Last week, he led the Warriors with 13.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg, while shooting 75.0 percent from the field.
 
Mount St. Mary’s, which ranked ninth in the NEC in rebounding margin last season, is third in the league this year. In four league games, the Mount has a +5.8 rebounding edge, compared to a -6.1 margin in conference play for the 2018-19 season.
 
Sacred Heart had two players post double-doubles in its 77-75 win at FDU on Thursday. Junior forward E.J. Anosike (East Orange, NJ/Paramus Catholic (St. Thomas More)) tallied 19 points and 12 rebounds, while senior forward Jare’l Spellman (Glen Allen, VA/Fork Union Military Academy (Florida Southern)) finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn grad transfer Unique McLean (Brooklyn, NY/The MacDuffie School (UMass)) has scored in double figures in all four conference outings, shooting at a 55.0 percent clip from the floor. Last week, he finished with 11 points and seven boards in both outings on the Terriers’ road swing through the Keystone State.
 
Wagner junior guard Alex Morales (Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)) scored a career-high 22 points at Saint Francis U on Thursday.

NEC in NCAA STATS (Top-25)
 
Name                    School         Category       Rank       Value
Hall Elisias            BRY            Blocks         11th       3.0
Adam Grant              BRY            3PFG           6th        3.75
Raiquan Clark           LIU            PPG            19th       20.5
Ty Flowers              LIU            Def. Reb.      15th       7.56
Juvaris Hayes           MC             Steals         1st        3.76
Josh Williams           RMU            3PFG           5th        3.88
Josh Williams           RMU            3P%            11th       .449
E.J. Anosike            SHU            Reb.           9th        11.1
E.J. Anosike            SHU            Off. Reb.      12th       3.94
Cameron Parker          SHU            Assists        4th        8.13
Curtis Cobb             WC             3PFG           23rd       3.08

Team                    Category        Rank          Value
Bryant                  3PFG            25th          9.7
LIU                     Scoring         24th          80.0
LIU                     3PFG            9th           10.50
Merrimack               TO Margin       5th           5.76
Merrimack               Steals          4th           10.65
Robert Morris           3PFG%           18th          .382
Robert Morris           Assists         13th          16.8
Robert Moris            A/To Ratio      24th          1.27
Sacred Heart            FT%             18th          .772
Sacred Heart            Rebounding      18th          41.2