NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK presented by 
Alex Morales, Wagner
6’6”, 180 lbs.
Sr., G, Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)
Morales claimed his second NEC Player of the Week honor of the season after serving as the offensive catalyst in Wagner’s sweep at St. Francis Brooklyn. His stat line at week’s end included 26.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. He shot at a 53.3 percent clip from the field. In Thursday’s 74-67 win, Morales poured in a game and career-high 27 points on 9-15 shooting, and added six boards and a career-best five steals. His back-to-back buckets gave the Seahawks the lead for good with under four minutes to play and his three free throws helped seal the win. The Paterson, NJ native followed with his second double-double of the season, recording a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive glass, in an 84-81 overtime triumph. Morales ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (17.7, sixth), rebounding (7.6, eight), assists (4.9, third) and steals (1.9, seventh). He has scored 20+ points in four of his last five games, averaging 21.4 ppg in that span.
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK presented by
DeLonnie Hunt, Wagner
6’0”, 160 lbs.
Fr., G, Upper Marlboro, MD/Rock Creek Christian
Hunt comes off an outstanding series that saw him average 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from outside the arc, in Wagner’s road sweep at St. Francis Brooklyn. Hunt, who has started all nine games this season, scored 14 points and snared six boards in Thursday’s 74-67 victory. His layup with 1:20 to play upped the Seahawk lead to four. One day later, he scored 18 of his career-high 20 points in the last 10 minutes of the game as the Green & White posted an 84-81 win in overtime. The Upper Marlboro, MD product scored eight points in OT on a pair of three-pointers and the go-ahead layup with 1:14 to play. He shot 4-7 from downtown. Hunt is averaging 16.3 ppg on 48.8 percent shooting during Wagner’s three-game win streak and is the NEC’s leading freshman scorer at 10.3 ppg.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Jahlil Jenkins (FDU, Sr, G)
Jenkins has taken his game to another level in recent weeks, including 20.0 ppg, 5.5 apg and 1.5 spg in FDU’s sweep at LIU on February 4-5. He shot 54.2 percent from the field and make 6-10 (.600) from three-point range. Jenkins hit 4-5 from downtown on his way to 27 points in Thursday’s 78-70 win. Jenkins is the NEC’s seventh-leading scorer (17.1 ppg), and ranks second in free throw percentage (.845), third in three-point accuracy (.430) and sixth in made three-pointers (2.1/game).
Elyjah Williams (FDU, Sr, F)
Williams contributed in a variety of ways to FDU’s sweep at LIU with 11.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 bpg and 1.0 spg. He also made 3-4 from three-point territory. He finished with 17 points on 7-11 shooting and a 2-2 mark from distance, and tossed in six rebounds, three assists and three blocks on Friday’s 77-62 win. Williams is 12th in the NEC in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (7.2), and fourth in field goal accuracy (.597).
Ty Flowers (LIU, R-Sr, F)
Flowers was stuffing the stat sheet as usual, finishing a two-game set with FDU averaging 19.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.0 bpg and 1.5 spg. He posted a pair of double-doubles to raise his season total to three. The redshirt senior recorded 20 points and 11 boards on Thursday, and came back with 18 points, 11 caroms and six assists the following afternoon. Flowers ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (17.7, fifth), rebounding (7.9, fourth), assists (3.4, ninth), steals (2.1, fourth) and blocks (1.2, seventh).
Eral Penn (LIU, R-Jr, F)
With one of the most dominant outings in recent NCAA memory as the highlight, Penn finished two games against FDU with 23.0 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg and 3.5 spg, and shot 58.6 percent from the field. Penn rang up 33 points, 20 rebounds and six steals on Thursday, making him the only player in the nation this season with a 30/20 game against a DI opponent, and the first NEC player to pull off the feat in nearly 23 years. Penn ranks third in the NEC in scoring (18.0), first in rebounding (10.3), third in field goal percentage (.598), first in steals (2.4) and steal percentage (4.0), third in blocks (1.6) and first in double-doubles (eight).
Mikey Watkins (MC, Jr, G)
Serving as the Warriors’ floor general, Watkins helped direct a home sweep of Saint Francis U with 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.5 apg and 1.0 spg. In Friday’s 59-54 win, he flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, while setting career-highs with eight rebounds and seven assists. Watkins is second on Merrimack with 12.5 ppg, and ranks seventh in the NEC in assists (3.8) and sixth in steals (1.9).
Travis Atson (SFBK, Gr, G/F)
Atson put up 14.0 ppg on a robust 61.1 percent mark from the field, and added 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.0 spg in a series with Wagner. He made 7-11 shots to lead the Terriers with 19 points on Thursday. Atson ranks second on SFBK in scoring (14.0), rebounding (7.3), and is shooting 48.6 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from long distance on the year.
Unique McLean (SFBK, Gr, G)
McLean averaged a double-double for the Terriers with 12.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg, and also recorded 3.5 apg and shot 88.9 percent from the stripe in two games against Wagner. He posted 15 points and 10 boards in an 84-81 overtime setback on Friday. McLean is contributing 11.1 ppg and ranks fifth in the NEC with 7.9 rpg this season.
DeLonnie Hunt (WC, Fr, G)
Hunt’s potential was on full display last week when he supplied Wagner with 17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, shot 50.0 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range in a sweep of St. Francis Brooklyn. In Friday’s 84-81 overtime conquest of the Terriers, he scored a career-high 20 points, eight of which came in overtime. Hunt leads all NEC freshman with 10.3 ppg on the season.
Alex Morales (WC, Sr, G)
Morales can beat you in so many ways, and last week he did it as a point producer, averaging a league-best 26.0 ppg for the week. The senior added 9.0 rpg, 2.5 apg and 2.5 spg, and shot 53.3 percent. Morales dropped a career-high 27 points in Thursday’s 74-67 win at SFBK, and came back with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Seahawks completed the sweep with an 84-81 OT victory. He ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (17.7, sixth), rebounding (7.6, eight), assists (4.9, third) and steals (1.9, seventh).
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK NINE
Here’s all you need to know from week nine of the 2020-21 season...
IT’S GETTING A BIT CONGESTED HERE
Let’s cut right to the chase.
The NEC standings at this point resemble a 10-car pileup in I95.
The details...
- Three teams (Bryant, FDU & Merrimack) tied for first place
- Three more teams (Mount, LIU & SHU) one-half game back of the first place pack
- Just one game separates first place from seventh place
How competitive has it been in the NEC this season?
Saint Francis U, which sits in 10th place, has wins over two of the teams currently tied for first.
So what have we learned with less than a month to go in the regular season?
1. Anyone can win against anyone on any given day.
2. Where a team stands can radically change over any two-day period.
Let’s take FDU, for example.
The Knights were mired in last place following a 1-3 start. Fast forward two weeks and FDU finds itself atop the conference standings after winning five-of-six games.
With seniors Jahlil Jenkins (Ranson, WV/Virginia Academy) and Elyjah Williams (Evanston, IL/Evanston) playing at an elite level, the Knights last week took two from LIU, pulling off a second straight sweep of a team that had entered the series in first place. With five of its next six at home, the Knights have an opportunity to solidify their grip atop the standings and secure one of the coveted spots in the four-team NEC Tournament field.
The turnaround shouldn’t come as news to FDU fans, who have watched this script play out the last three years.
Back in 2017-18, FDU opened 2-5, then won five of its last seven to close out the regular season at .500. In 2018-19, the Knights won 11 of their last 13 following a 1-4 start to finish tied for first and set the stage for an NEC Tournament title run. It was more of the same last season, with a 2-6 start giving way to a 7-3 close to the season.
FDU has now compiled a 20-8 record in the month of February over the last four years.
While Merrimack is ineligible for the NEC postseason, that hasn’t the stopped the Warriors from making their own move up the conference leaderboard.
After losing arguably their top three players - including future MC Hall of Famer Juvaris Hayes - from last season’s NEC regular season championship squad, and sitting out the non-conference season, it took a while for the Warriors to rev the engine. Not to be defined by its 1-3 start, Merrimack has bounced back to win five-of-six and now finds itself where it ended the 2019-20 season, sitting atop the NEC standings.
A new set of stars have emerged for the Warriors, most notably sophomore forward Jordan Minor (Kingston, MA/Brimmer & May) and junior guard Mikey Watkins (Roselle, NJ/Linden), who last week sparked a home sweep of SFU.
FDU and Merrimack currently share the top spot in the NEC with Bryant, which has paused team activities. The Bulldogs’ series against fourth place Mount St. Mary’s last week and Sacred Heart this week have been postponed.
Sacred Heart has also paused activities, with its single game at CCSU last Friday also postponed. The Pioneers are tied with LIU for fifth with a 6-5 NEC mark.
Another team making moves is Wagner.
Coming off a 20-day layoff, the Seahawks didn’t miss a bit in pulling off a road sweep of St. Francis Brooklyn behind the play of NEC Player of the Week Alex Morales (Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)). The Seahawks have now won three straight to reach .500 headed into a critical home-and-home set with FDU this week. After a 1-4 start, the Green & White are in seventh place but remarkably just one game out of first.
So with the standings gridlocked and the excitement building, buckle up for a fantastic finish to a unique season.
Looking Ahead
- LIU and St. Francis Brooklyn look to turn things around when they meet on Monday in a Battle of Brooklyn rematch at the Steinberg Wellness Center. Both teams will turn right around for series at Mount and SFU, respectively, on Thursday and Friday.
- Needing to make up some ground, CCSU (4-7) plays three straight at home and five of its last eight at Detrick Gymnasium. The Blue Devils host Merrimack this week.
- Decisions on makeups involving Bryant and Sacred Heart will be determined in the near future.
PENN WRITES NAME INTO RECORDBOOK
It was a day for the ages for LIU’s Eral Penn (Brooklyn, NY/St. Francis Academy (MD)).
The redshirt junior forward was absolutely dominant in all phases last Thursday against Fairleigh Dickinson, finishing with this transcendent stat line:
33 points, 20 rebounds, 6 steals & 2 blocks
How rare are these numbers?
- Penn became the first player in NEC history to post a 30-point, 20-rebound game since Saint Francis U’s Emmanuel Adekunle finished with 33 points and 22 boards against LIU on February 16, 1998.
- Penn is the only player in the country since at least 2010 to record at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and five steals in a game.
- Penn is the lone player in the nation this season with a 30/20 game against a DI opponent.
- The 20 rebounds tied for 20th on the NEC’s all-time single-game list.
- The 20 rebounds is the sixth-highest total in an NCAA game this season and matched the 20 Bryant’s Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South (New Mexico JC)) snared at Saint Francis U on January 15.
- Penn’s 10 offensive rebounds tied him for seventh on the 2020-21 NCAA single-game list.
- Penn joined teammate Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart) as LIU players to record 20-point, 20-rebound games the last two seasons. Flowers scored 25 points and set an NEC record with 27 caroms against Merrimack on February 8, 2020.
Penn ranks third in the NEC in scoring (18.0), first in rebounding (10.3), third in field goal percentage (.598), first in steals (2.4), third in blocks (1.6) and first in double-doubles (eight).
NEC TV SKED
The NEC returns to the ESPN+ airwaves on Thursday when Merrimack visits CCSU for a 7:00 pm tip.
Dave Popkin (PxP) and Joe DeSantis (color) are on the call.
JENKINS CHART CLIMB
FDU senior guard Jahlil Jenkins (Ranson, WV/Virginia Academy) moved into seventh place on the Knights’ all-time scoring list last week. His 1,568 points passed Darian Anderson (1,538 from 2014-18) and FDU Hall of Famer Mike Payne (1,541 from 1980-84). Jenkins is the NEC’s leading active scorer and tied for 61st on the league’s career list with the late Bobby Hopson, who played at Wagner from 1990-94. He’s also tied for 40th in conference annals with 453 assists along with Quinnipiac’s Kason Mims (2000-04).
ELYJAH’S EFFICIENT EXCELLENCE
The name of the game is making shots, and FDU senior forward Elyjah Williams (Evanston, IL/Evanston) is doing just that from all spots on the court.
Williams ranks second in the NEC in both effective field goal percentage (.643) and true shooting percentage (.656), and ranks in the top-50 nationally in both categories. He is shooting 65.4 percent at the rim and has made 52.0 percent of his two-point jumpers. Williams also ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.597).
By hitting 3-4 from three-point range last week, Williams also continued his stretch of outstanding efficiency from distance. Williams has now drained 11 of his last 15 shots from beyond the arc - a 73.3 percent success rate - to raise his season mark to 48.0 percent.
MORALES IN RARE AIR
How rare are the numbers that Wagner senior guard Alex Morales (Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)) is putting up this season?
The Paterson, NJ native with the all-around skill set is averaging 17.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 4.9 apg and 1.9 spg, ranking in the NEC top-10 in all four categories.
Here’s the kicker.
Morales has a chance to become only the third NCAA player since 1992 to finish a season with at least 17.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.0 spg.
One is Memphis legend and 4x NBA all-star Penny Hardaway, who averaged 22.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.4 apg and 2.4 spg in earning All-America honors in 1992-93. The other is IPFW star and current member of the Memphis Grizzlies John Konchar, who put up 19.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5.4 apg and 2.0 spg as a senior in 2018-19.
PENN’S SPECIAL SEASON
LIU redshirt junior forward Eral Penn (Brooklyn, NY/St. Francis Academy (MD)) could be on his way to a historic season as an all-around force.
With a current stat line of 18.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.4 spg, 1.6 bpg and a 59.8 percent success rate from the field, he ranks in the NEC top-three in each of the five categories. If that holds, it is believed he would be the first NEC player to finish in the top-five in each category in league history (recordbooks are a bit murky, pre-1990).
Likewise, he would become the first in the conference to claim a top-five spot in scoring, rebounding, steals and field goal percentage (excluding blocks) since LIU Hall of Famer Mike Campbell, who finished the 1996-97 season with 18.7 ppg (third), 7.6 rpg (fifth), 2.9 spg (second) and 47.8 percent shooting (third), but did not chart in blocks.
That’s just the appetizer.
If Penn finishes with at least 17.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.5 bpg and shoots at least 55.0 percent from the floor, he would be the first player nationally to do so since at least the 1992-93 season.
If Penn finishes with at least 17.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.0 spg and shoots at least 55.0 percent from the floor, he would be the first player nationally to do so since former Nicholls State center Reggie Jackson averaged 20.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 2.0 spg and shot 59.2 percent back in 1992-93.
Penn currently ranks in the NCAA top-20 in five different categories (rebounding, offensive rebounding, steals, field goal percentage and double-doubles).
MCLEAN PLAYING BIG
Unique McLean's (Brooklyn, NY/The MacDuffie School (UMass)) game is just that...unique.
The St. Francis Brooklyn graduate student measures just 6’2”, but that hasn’t stopped him from claiming a spot as one of the NEC’s top rebounders in each of his two seasons with the Terriers. McLean currently ranks fifth on the circuit with 7.9 rpg, boosted by averaging 10.5 per game over his last four outings, including his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 boards on Friday vs. Wagner.
McLean is also, inch-for-inch, one of the top rebounders in the nation. He is the only player in the nation under 6’3” who is averaging at least 7.9 rpg. A year ago, he was the lone player under 6’3” to post at least 8.0 rpg.
SIXSMITH: SHU’S SHOOTING STAR
We’re just going to leave this here each week as sort of a pinned note until things change.
Sacred Heart freshman guard Mike Sixsmith (Hicksville, NY/Holy Trinity) continues to rank second nationally in effective field goal percentage (.782), true shooting percentage (.799) and offensive rating (148.6).
He is shooting 58.2 percent from the field, a league-best 53.7 percent from distance and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe.
SHOT DISTRIBUTION
As we hit the home stretch, it seems like a good time to see how each NEC team’s offense is structured.
While these first place teams couldn’t be any more different with respect to pace, Bryant and Merrimack both have the same philosophy when it comes to shot selection. The Bulldogs ranks first in the NEC in percentage of shots taken from three-point territory at 42.0 percent followed by the Warriors at 40.6 percent. At the same time, the two programs rank one-two in the fewest percentage of two-point jumpers with Bryant at 15.1 percent and Merrimack at 16.5 percent. Conversely, Bryant ranks first in the conference and third nationally in adjusted tempo (76.3) , while Merrimack is eight and 238th, respectively.
St. Francis Brooklyn leads the NEC in reliance on mid-range shots (26.7 percent), while Wagner is the leader in percentage of shots at the rim (46.9 percent), followed closely by FDU (46.3).
NEC Shot Selection Percentages
Team At Rim 2P Jumpers 3P
BRY 42.9 15.1 42.0
CCSU 37.5 25.6 36.9
FDU 46.3 19.9 33.8
LIU 42.8 17.5 39.7
MC 42.9 16.5 40.6
MSM 38.8 23.3 37.7
SHU 38.9 19.3 41.8
SFBK 44.1 26.7 29.2
SFU 42.7 24.0 33.3
WC 46.9 20.5 32.6
P.O. IS AUTO(MATIC)
FDU freshman forward Pier-Olivier Racine (Montreal, Quebec/Vanier College) has now made 26 of his last 33 shots from the floor, a scorching 78.8 percent. Last week he shot 8-of-10 in averaging 8.0 ppg in FDU’s two wins over LIU. Racine has shot at least 50.0 percent from the field in every game he has taken a shot this season and leads the NEC with a 66.2 percent success rate.
MOUNTING PRESSURE
Mount St. Mary’s has allowed just 70 points once in nine NEC games this season in yielding an NEC-low 61.1 ppg. Likewise, the Mount has recorded league-leading marks in field goal percentage defense (.401), effective field goal percentage defense (.454) and block percentage (14.1) vs. conference opponents.
STAT ATTACK
Bryant is ranked second nationally in scoring (88.1 ppg) behind only #1 Gonzaga (93.3. ppg). The Bulldogs hold a spot in the national top-25 in seven different team categories.
Bryant junior guard Chris Childs (Bronx, NY/Woodstock Academy (Indian Hills CC)) leads the NEC with an 88.4 percent mark from the line. The only players over the last decade who have finished with a higher percentage are FDU’s Darnell Edge (94.4 percent in 2017-18 & 89.4 percent, 2018-19), Mount’s Junior Robinson (89.9 percent in 2017-18), SFU’s Ben Millaud-Meunier (91.0 percent in 2015-16), Dyami Starks (91.3 percent in 2014-15) and CCSU’s Robby Ptacek (92.0 percent in 2011-12). Edge (in 2017-18) and Ptacek both finished as the national leader in free throw accuracy.
CCSU is the lone team in the NEC with at least ten regular rotation players who are averaging at least 10.0 minutes per game. No player averages more than 27.3 minutes. Seven different players have led the Blue Devils in scoring in a game this season.
Merrimack freshman guard Malik Edmead (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) shot 69.2 percent from the floor while averaging 10.0 ppg last week. He also hit the first two three-pointers of his career in a sweep of Saint Francis U. Edmead ranks second among NEC freshman with 9.0 ppg on the year.
Sacred Heart junior forward Cantavio Dutreil (Gonaives, Haiti/Trinity Catholic (North Alabama, Harcum)) leads the NEC in both offensive (17.6) and defensive (34.8) rebounding percentage, figures that rank him fourth and third, respectively, among national leaders. Teammate Bryce Johnson (Stockton, CA/St. Mary’s (Pomfret)), a freshman forward, ranks second in the NEC and 81st nationally in defensive rebound percentage (24.1).
Saint Francis U senior guard Ramiir Dixon-Conover (Newark, NJ/South Kent (CT) (Southeastern CC)) registered 13.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.5 spg last week while shooting 50.0 percent from three-point range. He ranks fourth in the NEC in assists (4.5) and fifth in steals (2.1).
Saint Francis U redshirt freshman forward Josh Cohen (Lincroft, NJ/CBA) has shot at least 50 percent from the field in 10 of his last 11 games and is at 60.0 percent on the season. He scored a career-high 13 points at Merrimack in his first career start on Thursday.
NEC in NCAA STATS (Top-25)
Name School Category Rank Value
Chris Childs BRY 3P/game 7th 3.40
Cantavio Dutreil SHU Reb. 22d 10.0
Hall Elisias BRY Blocks 7th 2.87
Elijah Ford WC FG% 24th .584
Rob Higgins SFBK Steals 20th 2.30
Jahlil Jenkins FDU Minutes 18th 37:06
Malik Jefferson MSM Off. Reb. 15th 3.62
Peter Kiss BRY Trip-Dub 2nd 1
Nana Opoku MSM Blocks 24th 2.38
Eral Penn LIU Dub-Dub 13th 8
Eral Penn LIU FG% 18th .598
Eral Penn LIU Reb. 17th 10.3
Eral Penn LIU Off. Reb. 8th 3.73
Eral Penn LIU Steals 14th 2.36
Tyler Thomas SHU Minutes 25th 36:44
Elyjah Williams FDU FG% 19th .597
Team Category Rank Value
Bryant Scoring 2nd 88.1
Bryant 3P% 16th .391
Bryant 3P/game 11th 10.4
Bryant 3P% Def. 23rd .293
Bryant Assists 23rd 16.8
Bryant Rebounds 18th 40.5
Bryant Def. Reb. 7th 29.8
LIU Steals 8th 9.4
LIU TO Forced 21st 16.7
LIU Off. Reb. 11th 13.9
Wagner Off. Reb. 14th 13.7