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Somerset, NJ -- Merrimack already has one NEC regular season men’s basketball title under it’s belt, but the Warriors have greater aspirations this season.
 
Selected by the league’s head coaches as the 2022-23 NEC preseason favorite, Merrimack has set its sights on an even higher prize, taking home an NEC Tournament crown come March.
 
Merrimack, which earned preseason No. 1 status for the first time, collected six first place votes.

2022-23 NEC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll    1. Merrimack (6)    2. Sacred Heart (2)    3. Saint Francis U    4. Wagner (1)    5. St. Francis Brooklyn    6. (tie) CCSU        FDU    8. LIU    9. Stonehill    First place votes in parentheses

Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U landed second and third, respectively, in the poll. The Pioneers earned a pair of first place nods. Defending NEC regular season champion Wagner received the final first place vote and finished fourth in the rankings. St. Francis Brooklyn was slotted fifth, and there was a tie for sixth between CCSU and FDU. LIU and NEC newcomer Stonehill rounded out the field in that order.
 
The announcement of the annual preseason poll was made Wednesday morning as part of the NEC Basketball Social Media Day webcast from the Prudential Center that aired on NEC Front Row and ESPN3.
 
Conducted annually, NEC coaches have only managed to correctly forecast the eventual league champion two times in the last 23 years. Over the last 35 years, the coaches have proven inaccurate on 31 occasions or 89 percent of the time.
 
The 2022-23 conference season begins on December 29 with the nine teams playing a 16-game traditional round-robin schedule.
 
The eight-team NEC Tournament will take place on March 1 (quarterfinals), 4 (semifinals) & 7 (championship), with each game taking place at the home of the higher seed.
 
Given the rule changes adopted by peer leagues in the last year and the increased focus on the student-athlete experience, the NEC Council of Presidents voted to allow reclassifying institutions to participate in the NEC postseason championships in years three and four of the four-year reclassification process. With the new policy in place, Merrimack becomes postseason eligible this season and Stonehill in 2024-25. If a reclassifying institution wins the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC’s automatic qualifier.

Merrimack
Predicted NEC Finish: 1st
2021-22 Overall Record: 14-16
2021-22 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 10-8/4th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/7
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
 
Players to Watch:
Jordan Minor (Sr, F, 6’8”, 240 lbs.): 15.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 52.6 FG%
Ziggy Reid (Sr, F, 6’6”, 235 lbs.): 11.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 43 3PFG
 
Three Sentence Preview:
Entering its final year of NCAA DI reclassification and first year of NEC postseason eligibility, look for Merrimack and seventh year head coach Joe Gallo to mount an all-out defensive assault on the opposition in order to make good on its preseason favorite ranking and bring a conference title back to North Andover. As per their well-deserved reputation, the Warriors ranked first in steal rate, second in turnover rate and third in block rate during league play last year buoyed by its trademark swarming, confounding and morphing zone defense. The franchise player in Gallo’s plans is senior big Jordan Minor (Kingston, MA/Brimmer & May), a two-time All-NEC honoree and Preseason All-NEC pick, who will be joined by versatile veteran forward Ziggy Reid (Baltimore, MD/St. Paul’s School), and a pair of key JMU transfers in Jaylen Stinson (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Wood (JMU)) and Devon Savage (Washington D.C./Riverdale Baptist (JMU)).
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Firmly entrenched as Merrimack’s goalie in its 2-3 hybrid zone, Jordan Minor served as the rim-protecting presence the Warriors needed during the 2021-22 season. Not only did Minor finish second in the NEC in blocks (71) and block rate (8.35 percent), but he also bested his conference mates in blocks made away from the rim with 20. The senior’s bounciness on the other end was felt as well after posting the most putbacks in the NEC (48) thanks to grabbing 12.4 percent of his misses on the offensive glass.
 
- Despite producing the ninth slowest adjusted tempo in the country (62.2 possessions per game) and getting out in transition just 23.4 percent of the time per Hoop Math, Merrimack registered a NEC best 59.9 percent effective field goal rate when on the fast break. In particular, Jordan Minor made 50 of 66 shots (75.8 percent) near-the-rim in transition opportunities.
 
- Even though Merrimack dropped to the middle of the pack in adjusted defensive efficiency among league mates in conference play last season, the Warriors were once again among the nation’s best at extracting turnovers. Joe Gallo’s team extracted a turnover on 22.6 percent of its opponent’s possessions last season, good for 19th in DI. This is within the norm in Merrimack’s short NEC history: the Warriors were third nationally in defensive turnover rate in 2019-20 (25.9 percent) and 40th in 2020-21 (21.8 percent).
 
Sacred Heart
Predicted NEC Finish: 2nd
2021-22 Overall Record: 10-20
2021-22 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 6-12/7th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/7
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
 
Players to Watch:
Nico Galette  (Jr, F, 6’6”, 210 lbs.): 12.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 39 3PFG
Bryce Johnson (Jr, F, 6’6”, 210 lbs.): 6.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 54.2 FG%
 
Three Sentence Preview:
While Sacred Heart is far from a one-man show, junior forward Nico Galette (Rahway, NJ/Rutgers Prep) is a headline act with high-end ability in all facets of the game who has the ability to power the new look Pioneers to championship contender status in 2022-23. The inside-outside threat and Preseason All-NEC selection will pair up with junior Bryce Johnson (Stockton, CA/St. Mary’s (Pomfret)) and sophomore Tanner Thomas (Springfield, MA/Williston Northampton) - both of whom came on strong late in the season - in a strong frontcourt. Tenth-year head coach Anthony Latina added to his size and defensive versatility in the backcourt with the addition of 6’5” Aidan Carpenter (Hamden, CT/Lee Academy (Siena)) and 6’3” Raheem Solomon (Hartford, CT/Sacred Heart (Niagara)) via the portal, and also brought in multi-skilled forward Brendan McGuire (Garden City, NJ/Chaminade (Quinnipiac)), a grad transfer from Quinnipiac.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- How dominant was then-sophomore Nico Galette over Sacred Heart’s final five games in the 2021-22 season? The forward posted an offensive rating north of 118 in all five, scoring 92 points (18.4 ppg) on 61 shots. According to the analytics site BartTorvik.com, Galette made 19-of-29 near the rim (65.5 percent) and 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from deep while posting a sensational box plus minus of +36.2. Galette was a major reason why the Pioneers scored 1.10 points per possession in those five contests, by far the team’s best offensive stretch.
 
- Despite losing rebounding extraordinaire Cantavio Dutreil to graduation, the Pioneers still feature plenty of stalwarts wreaking havoc around the rim. Junior Bryce Johnson and sophomore Tanner Thomas shot a collective 64.5 percent on 152 near-the-rim shot attempts in 2021-22, according to Hoop Math. Some of their efficiency could be attributed to easier looks on second chance opportunities - Johnson grabbed 8.6 percent of Sacred Heart’s misses while Thomas, in a more limited sample, corralled 7.9 percent last season. Throw in Galette who grabbed 10.0 percent of the team’s misses, and Anthony Latina’s squad should be tenacious off the offensive glass.
 
- According to KenPom, Sacred Heart had one of the lowest average height and effective height measures in all of college basketball this past season, registering 346th and 354th, respectively. Both measures served as the lowest marks in the NEC. Given the roster additions made by Latina this offseason - 6’3” Raheem Solomon, 6’7” Brendan McGuire, 6’5” Aidan Carpenter as well as 6’8” Raymond Espinal-Guzman - the Pioneers will boast better positional size throughout their lineup moving forward.
 
Saint Francis U
Predicted NEC Finish: 3rd
2021-22 Overall Record: 9-21
2021-22 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 5-13/Tie-8th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
 
Players to Watch:
Josh Cohen (R-Jr, F, 6’10”, 220 lbs.): 12.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 57.5 FG%
Myles Thompson (R-Sr, F, 6’7”, 245 lbs.): 11.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 40.9 3PFG%
 
Three Sentence Preview:
One of the enduring NEC figures, Saint Francis U’s Rob Krimmel enters his 27th year as part of the SFU family, from student-athlete, to assistant to now an 11th-year head coach, and all signs point to another run at the top of the standings for Red Flash. Beset by injuries last season, the Flash are back healthy and ready to make some noise with five of their top six scorers returning and four double-digit scorers back in the fold, highlighted by redshirt junior forward Josh Cohen (Lincroft, NJ/CBA), the NEC’s Most Improved Player last season and a Preseason All-NEC honoree who shot 57.5 percent from the floor and has the ability to impact the game from the high and low post. Joining seasoned forward Myles Thompson (Camden, NJ/Camden) and gunslinging junior guard Maxwell Land (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller) in a deep and talented SFU lineup is high-octane junior guard Ronell Giles Jr. (Brandywine, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers), who returns from an injury that sidelined him for 14 games last season.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- According to the analytics site EvanMiya, SFU teammates Josh Cohen and Ronell Giles posted an adjusted team efficiency of plus-10.4 points per 100 possessions when they played together last season, the best mark for any returning duo in the NEC. Most of that spread was derived from their offensive talents: in the 359 possessions they played together in 2021-22, the Red Flash’s adjusted offensive efficiency was 113.9, compared to 94.9 when neither player was in the game.
 
- In a league rife with accomplished fourth and fifth year players last season, then-sophomore Josh Cohen finished third among all conference players in KenPom offensive rating, registering a 117.2 mark (100.0 is considered average). Believe it or not, the offensive rating wasn’t a career best mark for the Lincroft, NJ product, as he posted a 127.0 rating in a smaller sample size as a productive redshirt freshman.
 
- Playing disciplined, solid defense without fouling has always been a staple for Rob Krimmel, and the 2021-22 season was no different. Red Flash opponents posted a free throw rate of 25.6 percent FTA/FGA, the 58th best mark in the nation from a defensive standpoint. SFU averaged 1.4 more free throws per game than its opponents, yet they struggled from the charity stripe with a 64.5 percent success rate, the second-lowest mark in Krimmel’s head coaching tenure.
 
Wagner
Predicted NEC Finish: 4th
2021-22 Overall Record: 21-6
2021-22 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 15-3/2nd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
 
Players to Watch:
Delonnie Hunt (Jr, G, 6’0”, 170 lbs.): 8.4 ppg, 2.6 apg, 26 3PFG
Zaire Williams (So, G, 6’4”, 190 lbs.): 5.8 ppg, 1.3 spg, 29 3PFG
 
Three Sentence Preview:
Following a two-year run that netted a regular season crown (2021), trip to the NEC title game (2022) and a 28-8 (.778) league record, the proud Wagner program hopes for a seamless transition as Donald Copeland returns to Grymes Hill intent on securing the Green & White’s first conference crown since the 2002-03 campaign. While two-time NEC Player of the Year Alex Morales and fellow all-stars Elijah Ford and Will Martinez have graduated, Copeland inherits key talent with big game experience who showcase the program’s commitment to toughness and defensive grit. Look for a breakout season from 2020-21 NEC Rookie of the Year Delonnie Hunt (Upper Marlboro, MD/Rock Creek Christian), who will partner in the backcourt with sophomore sniper and 2021-22 All-Rookie honoree Zaire Williams (Brooklyn, NY/Eagle Academy), while grad student forward Jahbril Price Noel (Scarborough, Ontario/Southwest Christian Academy) and senior Ja’Mier Fletcher (Pittsburgh, PA/Steel Valley (First Love Christian Academy (VA))) give Wagner size and a veteran presence up front.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Wagner may have embraced the mid-range jumper last season, yet three returning Seahawks fell more in line with the analytics embrace of mostly “3 and rim” shot attempts. Last season junior Delonnie Hunt, sophomore Zaire Williams and super senior Jahbril Price-Noel combined to post the following analytic friendly shot profile: 29.8 percent near-the rim attempts, 8.5 percent mid-range attempts and 61.7 percent three-point attempts. With respect to the three-ball, all three players appear to be more comfortable making rhythm threes - 68 of the trio’s 73 made triples came from an assist.
 
- There was no disputing then-freshman Javier Ezquerra’s impact on Wagner when it came to ball movement and defense last season. Per Hoop Explorer, the Seahawks were plus-8.8 points per 100 possessions in adjusted defensive efficiency and plus-5.1 percent in assist rate when Ezquerra was on the floor compared to when he was on the bench.
 
- It was Bashir Mason’s tenth and final season in Grymes Hill when his team achieved its best defensive turnover rate in a decade, forcing a turnover on 22.3 percent of possessions. Per KenPom, the Seahawks posted the 29th-best steal rate in the country (11.8 percent) and the 42nd-best non-steal turnover rate in DI (10.5 percent) as well. Then-rookie Zaire Williams was second on Wagner in steal rate (3.3 percent), an impressive feat for a freshman who started last November as a 17-year-old.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn
Predicted NEC Finish: 5th
2021-22 Overall Record: 10-20
2021-22 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 7-11/6th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
 
Players to Watch:
Rob Higgins (Jr, G, 6’1”, 179 lbs.): 11.5 ppg, 3.3 apg, 39 3PFG
Larry Moreno (Sr, G, 6’0”, 176 lbs.): 9.2 ppg, 51 3PFG, 35.9 3PFG%
 
Three Sentence Preview:
With a trio of talented senior guards to build around, it’s hard not to like St. Francis Brooklyn’s chances to move up the NEC ladder this season under Glenn Braica, who in his 13th season is the senior member of the NEC coaching fraternity. Preseason All-NEC pick and defensive stalwart Rob Higgins (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) has averaged in double-digits in each of his first three years in Brooklyn Heights, and will be joined in the backcourt by long range bomber Larry Moreno (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn High School For Law & Technology) and versatile Tedrick Wilcox Jr. (Pawtucket, RI/William E. Tolman (Dominican)), who dazzled with 39.2 percent accuracy from distance and his ability to flush on the break. There will be ample opportunity for incoming transfer bigs Josiah Harris (New Castle, DE/William Penn (Hutchinson CC/Cowley College)), Nuha Sagnia (Pipeline, Gambia/Escuela Pías de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Marshalltown CC)) and Syrus Grisby (Oklahoma City, OK/Luther (Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa)) - each of whom measures 6’8” or taller - to play key roles in the paint.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Senior guard Larry Moreno not only posted the team’s best KenPom offensive rating at 107.1 last season, but he also served as a lethal weapon for Glenn Braica late in the shot clock. According to Hoop Math, Moreno impressively made 42.1 percent of his 3P when the shot clock was at 10 seconds or less.
 
- Thanks to Glenn Braica’s tenacious half-court defense attack, the Terriers have always thrived at limiting three-point attempts by their opponents. Case in point: the 2021-22 campaign was the tenth time in Braica’s 12 seasons as the head coach where St. Francis Brooklyn finished in the nation’s top 50 in defensive 3PA/FGA. Last season, Terrier opponents posted a 3PA/FGA mark of 30.5 percent, the 15th best mark in DI. Moreover, SFBK held NEC opponents to a 32.3 percent success rate on 3P attempts.
 
- In a standout junior season, Rob Higgins posted career highs in several KenPom categories such as offensive rating (100.5), assist rate (20.6 percent), true shooting percentage (48.4 percent) and fouls committed per 40 minutes (1.5). It should come as no surprise that when the combo guard reached double figures in a contest, St. Francis Brooklyn went 9-9, but was 1-11 when Higgins failed to hit the 10-point threshold in a game.
 
CCSU
Predicted NEC Finish: 6th-tie
2021-22 Overall Record: 8-24
2021-22 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 5-13/Tie-8th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
 
Players to Watch:
Nigel Scantlebury (Sr, G, 6’0”, 170 lbs.): 13.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.5 apg
Andre Snoddy (So, F, 6’6”, 210 lbs.): 8.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 47.8 FG%
 
Three Sentence Preview:
Entering his second year back at his alma mater, Pat Sellers has begun to assemble the building blocks of a program that has the potential to make the leap this season into the upper echelon of the NEC standings. Sellers has the luxury of penciling in Nigel Scantlebury (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena (Niagara County CC)) as his floor general on a nightly basis after the battle tested senior and Preseason All-NEC guard led the Blue Devils in scoring (13.4), assists (3.5) and three-point accuracy (.414). Andre Snoddy (Melville, NY/St. Thomas More) emerged as an elite NEC big in his freshman campaign on his way to All-Rookie accolades, but he was just one of the building blocks of a talented young core, as classmates Jayden Brown (Providence, RI/Tilton School (NH)) and Joe Ostrowsky (Mt. Pleasant, MI/Cheshire Academy (CT)) both earned NEC Rookie of the Week honors, and lightening quick Devonte Sweatman (Boston, MA/Lawrence Academy) cracked the backcourt rotation.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Pure shooting was somewhat of a lost art last season, as Blue Devil guard Nigel Scantlebury was the only NEC player to convert at least 80 percent of his free throw attempts and 40 percent of his three-point attempts. For context, this feat was accomplished by two players in the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season and six players in the 2019-20 campaign. The last time only one league player hit the 80/40 3P threshold in a season was when Bryant’s Bosko Kostur achieved the feat in 2016-17.
 
- When it came to rebounding, power forward Andre Snoddy did not experience the typical learning curve most big men struggle with in year one. Not only was Snoddy a six-time NEC Rookie of the Week, but he also became the first Blue Devil underclassman since Brandon Peel in 2012-13 to register nationally in rebounding rate on both ends of the floor.
 
- In Pat Sellers’ first season in charge, the Blue Devils were highly reliant on the 3-ball, as 35.8 percent of their points in league play came from made triples, the best mark among all NEC teams. Conversely, CCSU struggled to stop opponents from cashing in from deep as their foes made a league-worst 36.2 percent from three, leading to 34.2 percent of their points coming from long range.
 
FDU
Predicted NEC Finish: 6th-tie
2021-22 Overall Record: 4-22
2021-22 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 5-13/Tie-8th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 6/10
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4
 
Three Sentence Preview:
It’s the start of a new era at FDU with the arrival of Tobin Anderson, who turned St. Thomas Aquinas into a DII national powerhouse and plans to implement the same unique high octane offense and 90-feet of pressure defensive approach in Hackensack. Anderson didn’t come alone, bringing along three of his key players at STAC, most notably graduate guard Demetre Roberts (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon (St. Thomas Aquinas)), who scored 1,585 points for the Spartans and was a three-time All-ECC pick, and fellow graduate Grant Singleton (Sumter, SC/Lakewood (St. Thomas Aquinas)), himself an All-ECC guard and career 1,115-point scorer. Sophomore guard Sébastien Lamaute (Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, Canada/Brébeuf) collected NEC All-Rookie honors for the Knights a year ago, and junior guard Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, NY/Monsignor Scanlon) was named to the All-Rookie squad the prior season.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- First year head coach Tobin Anderson plans to fully implement his preferred style of play - an intense full court press designed to create havoc and produce turnovers that lead to easy buckets. At Anderson’s coaching destination last season, DII St. Thomas Aquinas, he guided the Spartans to allow just 0.95 points per possession while generating a steal on 13.3 percent of their opponent’s possessions. Overall, STAC bested their opponents in turnover margin by plus-5.9 turnovers per game.
 
- While Ansley Almonor failed to crack the minutes threshold implemented by KenPom, his perimeter first offensive profile was impressive as a freshman nonetheless. Almonor posted a 113.2 offensive rating buoyed by a true shooting percentage of 59.2 percent, and would have finished second in offensive rating among rookies had hit the 40 percent of team minutes threshold. Perhaps most impressive in a small sample was Almonor converting 8-of-10 near-the-rim opportunities as well as 10 of 18 from the mid-range variety.
 
- Despite their somewhat diminutive stature, the Knights’ super senior guards Demetre Roberts (5’8”) and Grant Singleton (6’0”) thrived at finishing inside the arc while at STAC. In their four seasons at STAC, Roberts finished with a 52.7 percent mark from two whereas Singleton excelled by making 58.6 percent of his takes from inside the arc.
 
LIU
Predicted NEC Finish: 8th
2021-22 Overall Record: 16-14
2021-22 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 12-6/3rd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/9
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4
 
Players to Watch:
Tre Wood (R-Sr, G, 6’1”, 170 lbs.): 6.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.2 spg
Quion Burns (So, G, 6’6”, 180 lbs.): 3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 spg, 73.7 FG%
 
Three Sentence Preview:
LIU turned the page in the offseason, aiming for a fresh start and new approach with New York City legend and former NBA All-Star Rod Strickland taking over the reigns of a program with a rich history. Strickland, a Bronx native who enjoyed a 17-year pro career, will look to build the program from the ground up, beginning his tenure with a roster that includes eight newcomers as the Sharks turn the page after the departure of all-time greats Ty Flowers and Eral Penn. Redshirt senior Tre Wood (Largo, MD/St. John’s College (UMass)) brings a wealth of experience at the point and bouncy sophomore wing Quion Burns (White Plains, NY/White) comes off a promising rookie campaign, while 6’0” grad student Maurice Commander (Chicago, IL/Curie (UIC)) projects as an impact addition after averaging double digits last season at UIC.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Few players in the NEC enjoyed an efficiency bump when in transition more than LIU’s Tre Wood last season. According to Hoop Math, 47.8 percent of Wood’s 115 assists came during fast break opportunities. Furthermore, Wood’s effective field goal percentage improved by 9.5 percentage points when in transition (47.4 eFG percentage) compared to in the half-court (37.9 eFG percentage), mainly due to a 45.0 percent conversion rate on his away-from-the-rim attempts under a speedy tempo.
 
- Although it was a small sample size at 319 possessions, when teammates Tre Wood and Quion Burns were on the floor together last season, LIU enjoyed an adjusted offensive efficiency increase of 4.8 points per 100 possessions, according to Hoop Explorer.
 
- Sophomore point guard Andre Washington illustrated his potential as a facilitator when given minutes on a veteran laden squad in 2021-22. For example, the Staten Island native had four games - all LIU wins - where he posted at least five assists in the contest. In those games, Washington totaled 22 assists to just three turnovers. Out of the guard’s 34 assists last season, 41.2 percent of those led to an at-the-rim make while the remaining 58.8 percent produced a behind-the-arc conversion.
 
Stonehill
Predicted NEC Finish: 9th
2021-22 Overall Record: 15-12
2021-22 NEC Record/NE10 Finish: 10-9/4th in Northeast
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
 
Players to Watch:
Andrew Sims (Gr, F, 6’6”, 200 lbs.): 15.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.2 apg
Isaiah Burnett (Gr, G, 6’5”, 180 lbs.): 12.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.0 spg, 2.3 spg
 
Three Sentence Preview:
The NEC welcomes a Stonehill program that has enjoyed tremendous success under tenth year head coach Chris Kraus, who took the Skyhawks to the NCAA DII Tournament on three occasions, highlighted by an Elite Eight appearance in 2015-16. Kraus comes to the NEC armed with veteran talent and five of his top six scorers from last season, and as recent conference history indicates, cohesion can play a huge role in a team’s success as it makes the leap to DI. Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape Regional), a multi-dimensional and athletic 6’6” wing was a third team All-NE10 selection last season who averaged 15.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg, and he will be joined by fellow fifth-year players Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, MD/Glenelg Country School (Navy)), who shot 12.2 ppg and shot 39.5 percent outside the arc, and Josh Mack (Winchester, VA/Saint Maria Goretti), a 51.2 percent shooter from deep.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- As a DI newbie in 2022-23, KenPom ranked Stonehill eighth out of nine teams in its preseason rankings released this past Sunday. The Skyhawks are currently predicted to win three DI games - all at home versus league opponents - and have an overall projected record of 10-20. The last two programs to join the NEC - Bryant in 2008-09 and Merrimack in 2019-20 - posted records of 8-21 and 20-11, respectively in their first season. Merrimack stunned league opponents by securing the regular season title with a 14-4 record.

- The Skyhawks illustrated an equal offensive profile between its home and road games last season. Chris Kraus’ squad scored 0.998 points per possession in the friendly confines of Merkert Gym, while registering a nearly identical 0.984 points per possession mark in 13 road games. Of note, Stonehill took and made more three-pointers on the road (34.1 3PA/FGA, 35.7 percent 3P), yet committed 2.0 more turnovers per game when wearing the visiting jerseys.

- Stonehill super senior forward Andrew Sims was a consistent presence at the charity stripe in 2021-22, getting there 137 times over the course of 25 games. His free throw rate of 48.4 percent FTA/FGA would’ve been the second-best mark in the NEC last season. Sims also made 50.6 percent of his two-point shots in his third year with Kraus and Stonehill.
     

NEC Preseason Coaches Poll History (last 35 years)          
          
Year        Preseason Favorite                       NEC Tournament Champion
            (actual regular season finish)           (preseason selection)
 
2021-22     Wagner (1st)                             Bryant (2nd)
2020-21     Fairleigh Dickinson (8th)                Mount St. Mary’s (tied 3rd)
2019-20     LIU (tie 5th)                            Robert Morris (5th)
2018-19     Saint Francis U (1st)                    Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
2017-18     Saint Francis U (tie 2nd)                LIU Brooklyn (6th)
2016-17     Fairleigh Dickinson (tie 5th             Mount St. Mary's (4th)
2015-16     Mount St. Mary’s (5th)                   Fairleigh Dickinson (9th)
2014-15     St. Francis Brooklyn (1st)               Robert Morris (3rd)
2013-14     Wagner (2nd)                             Mount St. Mary's (6th)
2012-13     LIU Brooklyn (3rd)                       LIU Brooklyn (1st)
2011-12     LIU Brooklyn (1st)                       LIU Brooklyn (1st)
2010-11     Quinnipiac (2nd)                         LIU Brooklyn (3rd)
2009-10     Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)                   Robert Morris (tie 3rd)
2008-09     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 2nd)               Robert Morris (3rd)
2007-08     Sacred Heart (3rd)                       Mount St. Mary’s (4th) 
2006-07     Monmouth (tie 8th)                       CCSU (tie 4th)
2005-06     Fairleigh Dickinson (1st)                Monmouth (2nd)
2004-05     Monmouth (1st)                           Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
2003-04     Quinnipiac (10th)                        Monmouth (3rd)
2002-03     CCSU (3rd)                               Wagner (2nd)
2001-02     Monmouth (4th)                           CCSU (4th)
2000-01     CCSU (tie 5th)                           Monmouth (3rd)
1999-00     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 7th)               CCSU (3rd)
1998-99     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 5th)               Mount St. Mary’s (1st)
1997-98     LIU Brooklyn (1st)                       Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
1996-97     Monmouth (3rd)                           LIU Brooklyn (4th)
1995-96     Monmouth/Rider (tie 2nd/4th)             Monmouth (tie 1st)
1994-95     Rider (1st)                              Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)
1993-94     Fairleigh Dickinson (tie 5th)            Rider (3rd)
1992-93     Wagner (2nd)                             Rider (3rd)
1991-92     Monmouth (tie 2nd)                       Robert Morris (2nd)
1990-91     Monmouth (4th)                           Saint Francis U (3rd)
1989-90     Fairleigh Dickinson (6th)                Robert Morris (3rd)
1988-89     Monmouth (3rd)                           Robert Morris (5th)
1987-88     *Marist (tie 1st)                        Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)

* Marist was ineligible for the NEC Tournament in 1987-88

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 42nd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.