NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Josh Cohen, Saint Francis U
6’10”, 220 lbs.
R-Jr., F, Lincroft, NJ/CBA
Recognized for the second time in three weeks, Cohen delivered yet another supersized performance, this time five time zones away on Sunday evening at Hawaii. The redshirt junior rang up 40 points on an ultra-efficient 16-23 from the field and 8-10 from the line against the Rainbows. In doing so, he became the first NEC player in 18 years to log a pair of 40-point games in the same season and just the second in the last quarter century. The Lincroft, NJ product also posted his second double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 boards in a win over Saint Vincent on Thursday. For the week, Cohen supplied the Red Flash with 27.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, and made 64.7 percent of his shot opportunities. He ranks first in the NEC in scoring (21.4) and second in FG accuracy (.648).
Demetre Roberts, FDU
5’8”, 165 lbs.
Gr., G, Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon (St. Thomas Aquinas)
One week after backcourt mate Grant Singleton claimed the NEC Player of the Week award, Roberts made it two straight honors for the surging Knights, who have won three in a row following wins over Columbia and NJIT last week. The Mount Vernon, NY native averaged 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals while making 18-22 (.818) at the line. Roberts drained four key free throws in overtime on his way to a game-high 23 points - one off his season-high - during FDU’s 76-73 overtime victory at Columbia on Friday. The grad student went on to record 15 points and five boards in the Knights’ last-second triumph over NJIT two days later. Roberts is second in the NEC in scoring (17.3) and leads the league with 4.0 apg.
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
R.J. Greene, LIU
6’6”, 207 lbs.
Fr., G, Bronx, NY/Iona Prep
Just eight games into his LIU career, Greene has emerged as a go-to player for the Sharks. Last week,. he put up 16.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and shot 46.4 percent from the field. Greene converted 7-13 shots in a then career-high 15-point showing against UMass Lowell last Monday, then bettered that performance with 17 points at #5 UConn on Saturday. Greene has now reached double-digits in six straight games to bump his season average to 11.4 ppg, which ranks first among conference freshmen. His 3.1 apg ranks sixth overall in the conference.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Jay Rodgers (CCSU, Jr, G)
Rodgers made the most of extended playing time last week, establishing a pair of career-highs in CCSU’s split. He finished with 11 points in a 59-50 win over Dartmouth on Friday, then exploded for 23 points on 9-17 shooting and a 5-10 mark from distance at Fordham two days later. For the week, Rodgers averaged 17.0 ppg and shot 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Joe Munden Jr. (FDU, Jr, G)
Munden Jr. elevated his game to the tune of 13.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 1.5 spg in a 2-0 week for the Knights. He went 9-16 (.563) from the floor, 2-4 (,500) from three and 6-7 (.857) from the free throw line. Munden scored a season-high 15 points in Friday’s OT win at Columbia.
Demetre Roberts (FDU, Gr, G)
Roberts compiled 19.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 2.0 spg while making 18-22 (.818) at the line in a pair of FDU wins that stretched the Knights’ win streak to three games. He put up a game-high 23 points in FDU’s 76-73 overtime win at Columbia on Friday. The grad student is second in the NEC in scoring (17.3) and leads the league with 4.0 apg.
R.J. Greene (LIU, Fr, G)
Greene continues to shine for the Sharks, most recently averaging 16.0 ppg over two games last week. He added 2.0 rpg, 2.5 apg and shot 46.4 percent. He tallied a career-high 17 points in Saturday’s setback at #5 UConn. Greene leads all NEC freshmen with 11.4 ppg and ranks second with 3.1 apg.
Jacob Johnson (LIU, R-So, G)
Johnson comes off the finest week of his LIU career with 18.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.0 spg, all team-leading figures. He hit 19-22 from the stripe for an 86.4 percent success rate. Johnson finished 12-12 at the line on his way to a career-high matching 18 points against UMass Lowell on Monday, then set a personal-best with 19 points on 6-12 shooting at #5 UConn on Saturday. He ranks second on the Sharks in scoring (11.8) and rebounding (5.8).
Jordan Minor (MC, Sr, F)
Minor rang up 14.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg. 2.7 apg and 1.7 bpg in a busy three-game week for the Warriors. He made 67.9 percent of his shot attempts. Minor, a Preseason All-NEC pick, posted his third double-double of the season with 19 points and a season-high 12 boards against Maine on Sunday. He is averaging 17.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 2.3 bpg on the season.
Ziggy Reid (MC, Sr, G/F)
Reid paced Merrimack with 15.7 ppg, and also tallied 4.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg and 1.0 spg last week. He sank 52.8 percent from the field and 83.3 percent at the line. Reid tallied 19 points on 8-9 shooting in the Warriors’ win over UNE on Friday. The senior swingman ranks ninth in the NEC with 13.2 ppg.
Larry Moreno (SFBK, Sr, G)
Moreno led all scorers with 18 points on 6-11 shooting in SFBK’s 68-50 win over Hartford on Tuesday and pulled down a career-best nine boards at UMass Lowell on Saturday. For the week, he posted 14.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, and shot 47.6 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from three-point territory. Moreno raised his season scoring average to an even 10.0 ppg.
Josh Cohen (SFU, R-Jr, F)
Cohen had yet another spectacular game late Sunday night at Hawaii, racking up 40 points on 16-23 shooting. It marked his second 40-point game of the season and upped his season average to an NEC-best 21.4 ppg. He also posted a 14-point/12-rebound double-double against Saint Vincent. For the week, Cohen averaged 27.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.0 bpg and 1.5 spg, and made 64.7 percent of his shot opportunities.
Isaiah Burnett (STO, Gr, G)
Burnett led five Stonehill players in double digits against Rider last Wednesday with 17 points on 6-11 shooting, to go along with three rebounds, five assists and two steals. He’s third on the Skyhawks with 12.5 ppg and ranks second in the NEC with 2.8 spg.
Rahmir Moore (WC, Jr, G)
Moore netted a season-best 20 points, and compiled five rebounds and three assists at Fordham on Tuesday. He made 7-15 shots and was 2-3 from beyond the arc. Moore is second on the Seahawks with 10.7 ppg.
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK 5
Here’s all you need to know from the fifth week of the 2022-23 season...
MOORE PROVIDES HEROICS AS FDU WINS THRILLER FOR THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY
While Demetre Roberts (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon (St. Thomas Aquinas)) and Grant Singleton (Sumter, SC/Lakewood (St. Thomas Aquinas)) rank in the NEC top-5 in scoring and have won back-to-back NEC Player of the Week honors for FDU, their former St. Thomas Aquinas teammate Sean Moore (Columbus, OH/Reynoldsburg (St. Thomas Aquinas)) made headlines in his own right on Sunday.
In the waning seconds of a tie game against NJIT at the Rothman Center, Roberts pulled up for an 18-footer that struck the back iron and bounced high in the air. Moore, who was standing at the three-point line when the shot went up, raced in, split a pair of Highlanders and hung in the air for the acrobatic tip-in for the win with two seconds to play.
The win was the third straight for the Knights, who took down Saint Joseph’s, 97-80, last Saturday, then posted a 76-73 OT victory over Columbia on Friday.
Moore, who had a big steal and layup a few minutes earlier in the NJIT victory, matched his season-high with eight points, and added six boards, a block and a pair of steals. In the Columbia win, his free throw with 11 seconds on the clock in OT provided FDU with a three-point cushion as the Lions misfired on a pair of three-point attempts on the final possession.
The Columbus, OH product ranks eighth in the NEC with 5.8 rpg.
COHEN’S 40-POINT BARRAGE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
With his second 40-point game this season, Saint Francis U redshirt junior forward Josh Cohen (Lincroft, NJ/CBA) entered rarified air in NEC circles.
Cohen dropped 40 points on a 16-23 effort from the field and 8-10 mark at the line, and accounted for nearly 61 percent of the Red Flash’s production in a spectacular effort at Hawaii on Sunday evening.
Just three weeks earlier, the Lincroft, NJ native exploded for a career-high 40 points on a scorching 15-19 from the floor against Lehigh.
In doing so, Cohen became the first NEC player in 18 years to register a pair of 40-point performances in a season and the first in a quarter century to hit 40 points against a pair of DI non-conference opponents in the same season.
Here is the list of NEC competitors with multiple 40-point games in a season dating back 25 years.
Josh Cohen, SFU (2) - 42 vs. Lehigh (11/21/22) & 40 at Hawaii (12/11/22)
Rob Monroe, QU (2) - 41 vs. Longwood (1/2/05) & 40 vs. Sacred Heart (2/3/05)
Charles Jones, LIU (3) - 53 vs. Medgar Evers (11/26/97), 45 at Dayton (3/16/98) & 42 vs. Wagner (2/11/98)
At the same time, he became the first Saint Francis U player with two 40-point games in the same season since NBA Hall of Famer Maurice Stokes had three way back in 1954-55.
Cohen tied the SimpiFi Arena at Sherriff Center mark with 16 made field goals in a game and missed the arena point mark by just one point.
Cohen’s 16 field goals also tied for the most by an NEC player against a DI opponent since Bryant’s Alex Francis made 20 at LIU on February 24, 2011. Since that time, five players have recorded 16 FG in a contest.
COHEN’S EFFICIENCY IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
A model of efficiency throughout his career, Saint Francis U redshirt junior forward Josh Cohen (Lincroft, NJ/CBA) has not only substantially increased his production this season, he has become an even more efficient offensive force.
Let’s compare Cohen’s year-to-year numbers:
2020-21: 12.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, .575 FG%, 20.0 ppg per 40/min, 117.2 offensive rating
2021-22: 21.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, .648 FG%, 27.0 ppg per 40/min, 128.6 offensive rating
The Lincroft, NJ native currently leads the NEC in scoring and sits second in field goal percentage, and ranks 10th and 18th, respectively, on a national basis. His offensive rating is fifth nationally as well among players with at least a 24 percent usage rate.
Should Cohen finish the season averaging at least 20.0 ppg on 60.0 percent of better shooting from the field, he would become just the third player in NEC history to accomplish the feat.
Wagner’s Jermaine Hall put up 21.0 ppg on 60.0 percent shooting in 2001-02 and went on to capture NEC Player of the Year honors the following season.
Prior to that, Marist’s Rik Smits registered 20.1 ppg on 60.9 percent accuracy in 1986-87 and went on to record 24.7 ppg with a 62.3 percent success rate in 1987-88. He was tabbed the NEC (then ECAC-Metro) Player of the Year both seasons.
Cohen could also become the first NEC player 6’10” or taller to average at least 21.0 ppg since Smits (7’4”) during that 1987-88 campaign.
SCORING JUMPS
A host of NEC players have taken on greater offensive roles for their respective teams this season, a number of whom rank among league scoring leaders. The biggest scoring jump thus far in 2022-23 goes to FDU sophomore forward Ansley Almonor (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional (Montvale)), whose average has ballooned 10.2 points from 3.5 ppg to 13.7 ppg, which ranks him eighth in the NEC.
Saint Francis U redshirt sophomore forward Josh Cohen (Lincroft, NJ/CBA), who was named the NEC Most Improved Player last season, has continued to elevate his production, boosting his scoring an additional 8.5 points to a league-leading 21.4 ppg.
Below is a list of all the players who have boosted their scoring averages at least 3.0 ppg from last season.
Player Team 2021-22 PPG 2022-23 PPG Change
Ansley Almonor FDU 3.5 13.7 +10.2
Josh Cohen SFU 12.9 21.4 +8.5
Quion Burns LIU 3.2 9.6 +6.4
Joey Reilly SHU 4.7 10.9 +6.2
Jake Cook LIU 1.6 6.4 +4.8
Zaire Williams WC 5.8 10.4 +4.6
Mike Sixsmith SHU 4.4 8.9 +4.5
Javier Ezquerra WC 1.6 6.0 +4.4
Davonte Sweatman CCSU 4.8 8.3 +3.5
Nico Galette SHU 12.4 15.8 +3.4
MC’S BENNETT: ART OF THE STEAL
Three years removed from the incredible feats of Merrimack defensive whiz Juvaris Hayes, another Merrimack player has asserted himself as a disruptive force.
Just 13 games into his freshman season and Javon Bennett (Orlando, FL/Trinity Prep) has already established himself as the league’s top theft artist.
Bennett ranks first in the NEC with 2.9 steals per content, a figure that ranks him fifth in DI.
His 6.50 steal percentage also leads the NEC and ranks fifth nationally.
Bennett, who hails from Orlando, produced an NEC single-game season-high nine steals against UMass Lowell on November 30. The nine swipes was the most by an NEC player since Hayes had nine vs. CCSU on January 11, 2020.
Prior to that, you’d need to go back to the 1998-99 season to find an NEC player with nine steals in a game, That year, CCSU’s Rick Mickens (vs. Brown) and Saint Francis U’s Sam Sutton (vs. FDU) both recorded nine-steal outings.
Bennett is averaging 3.7 steals over his last six games and has 38 on the year.
The NEC freshman record for steals (81) and steals per game (3.1) was set by St. Francis Brooklyn’s Jeff Myers back in 1992-93.
LIU NEWBIES MAKING NOISE
A trio of newcomers have made quite an impact for LIU this season.
Sophomore guard Marko Maletic (London, Ontario/Saunders Secondary School (Laramie County CC)) (14.9), redshirt sophomore guard Jacob Johnson (Minneapolis, MN/Champlin Park (UMKC)) (11.8) and freshman guard R.J. Greene (Bronx, NY/Iona Prep) (11.4) have accounted for 55.3 percent of LIU’s point production this season.
Maletic ranks sixth in the NEC in scoring, with Johnson and Greene, ranked 15th and 16th, respectively.
SFU CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF STOKES CENTER
The great Jack Twyman had these words of wisdom during the dedication ceremony on the opening of the Maurice Stokes Athletic Center on December 8, 1972.
“You sometimes wonder how a college or university achieves tradition or a sense of history. I can’t help but think that-this afternoon here in this gym - we are seeing a great, big chapter in the history of Saint Francis College being written…. As you use this facility, as you walk up and down the streets and see it, try and remember what it stands for and who it represents. If you do that, it will mean a little bit more to you.”
Exactly 50 years later, the Red Flash celebrated the silver anniversary of the facility with an 88-58 win over Saint Vincent last Thursday.
The two teams are tied to the history of this building, having played the inaugural game at the Stokes Center and DeGol Arena back on December 4, 1972.
Junior guard Luke Ruggery (Duncansville, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) led the way with 18 points that included a 5-8 mark from distance.
“The situation where we came to play this game, Coach (Andrew) Helton does a lot of our scheduling for us and sets games up,” said SFU head coach Rob Krimmel postgame. “We intentionally like to tell stories when we play games. This one was a little bit of an accident to play a team a little over 50 years ago Saint Francis matched up against when DeGol Arena was opened.”
WELCOME BACK AIDAN
After missing eight games with an injury suffered in Sacred Heart’s opening night win over Hartford, junior guard Aidan Carpenter (Hamden, CT/Lee Academy (Siena)) made a welcome return to the hardwood last week
Carpenter, a Siena transfer who hit 7-9 shots and scored 15 points in just 17 minutes in the season opener against the Hawks, played 30 minutes off the bench in the Pios’ last second setback at Fairfield on Wednesday. He finished with nine points, three assists and two steals.
Three days later, the 6’5” wing was back in the starting lineup and tallied 16 points on 7-14 shooting in a 36-minute stint at Pitt.
FDU’S EMANUEL CRASHES #SCTOP10
This alley-oop jam by FDU freshman forward Jo’el Emanuel (Suffern, NY/Suffern) against NJIT on Sunday was something special.
So much so that it landed on SportsCenter as the No. 2 Play of the Day.
NEC ANALYTICS ZONE WITH RYAN PETERS
Each week throughout the 2022-23 season, NEC Overtime! blogger and NEC on the Run podcast collaborator Ryan Peters (@pioneer_pride) will contribute a series of analytically based tidbits covering NEC hoops.
Thanks to an explosive offense that’s tops in the NEC with an adjusted offensive rating of 100.9, Tobin Anderson’s FDU Knights have had a penchant for playing from behind. In four of the team’s five wins versus DI competition this season, the Knights trailed in the second half only to roar back with the victory. Over the course of their three game winning streak - a season best for any NEC squad currently - the Knights had minimum win probabilities of 23.9 percent (NJIT), 15.0 percent (Columbia) and 6.0 percent (Saint Joseph’s) at various points in those respective contests according to KenPom.
CCSU hasn’t been known as a run-and-gun offense so far under Pat Sellers (65.8 possessions per game, 291st in D1), yet the Blue Devils certainly made the most of their transition opportunities in a convincing triumph over Dartmouth at Detrick Gymnasium on Saturday. With roughly one quarter of their possessions coming in transition, the Blue Devils posted an effective field goal percentage of 65.4 percent. Of the group, Nigel Scantlebury (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena (Niagara County CC)), Kellen Amos (Houston, TX/St. John XXIII College Prep (Binghamton)) and Tre Breland (Hamden, CT/James Hillhouse (Missouri State West Plains)) combined to make 6-of-8 field goals when pushing the pace. Conversely, Dartmouth was held to a 41.2 percent eFG in transition in their road setback.
Joe Gallo’s Merrimack defense continues to extract turnovers at a high rate, registering the ninth best defensive turnover rate nationally with a mark of 25.7 percent. In other words, the Warriors have forced an opponent to cough up the rock on more than one quarter of their possessions during the 2022-23 campaign. Most of those turnovers are fueled by thefts - Merrimack has gotten a steal on 14.7 percent of opponent possessions (10th in D1) and has four players - Javon Bennett (Orlando, FL/Trinity Prep), Jordan Derkack (Colonia, NJ/Colonia (Spire Academy)), Jaylen Stinson (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Wood (James Madison)) and Devon Savage (Washington, DC/Riverdale Baptist (James Madison)) - with a steal rate at or north of 3.0 percent. Through 13 games, the Warriors have scored an impressive 202 points off those opponent miscues.
Sacred Heart’s Bryce Johnson (Stockton, CA/St. Mary’s (Pomfret)) has thrived as a versatile frontcourt piece in Anthony Latina’s motion offense. Johnson’s ability to break opposing bigs off the dribble has been an offensive weapon, as evidenced by his league leading 76.8 percent free throw rate that’s 19th in all of DI basketball. He’s also drawing 5.5 fouls per 40 minutes, which is sixth best among his league mates.
SFU TALES OF THE ROAD
Last season Saint Francis U traveled every game by bus in non-conference play and had a round-trip total of 4,790 miles, and that included a trip to Hartford and Illinois in the same week for a 1,914-mile round-trip.
Just last week alone, SFU’s trip to from Loretto to Honolulu (to take on Hawaii) by way of Pittsburgh and Houston totaled 4,363 miles one way.
NEC NUMBERS
CCSU sophomore forward Abdul Momoh (Carteret, NJ/The Patrick School) ranks second in the NEC and 41st nationally with a 8.82 block rate.
FDU limited Columbia to 0.93 PPP on Friday, it’s best defensive effort of the season against DI competition. The Knights produced 11 steals and forced 18 turnovers.
LIU freshman guard R.J. Greene (Bronx, NY/Iona Prep) ranks first in the NEC in minutes played per game (35.0) and is 32nd in the country in percentage of possible minutes played (.894).
With his performance against Maine on Sunday, Merrimack senior forward Jordan Minor (Kingston, MA/Brimmer and May) became one of just four players across the nation this season to finish with at least 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in a game. He is also 15 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
Sacred Heart (27) and LIU (38) are playing fast. Both teams rank in the top-40 nationally in adjusted tempo. FDU (90) also cracks the top-100.
Sacred Heart senior guard Joey Reilly (Cromwell, CT/East Catholic) is second in the NEC in effective FG percentage (.653), and ranks fourth in the field goal percentage (.494) and sixth in three-point accuracy (.413). Those numbers are up from last year when he posted a .517 eFG percentage, .398 FG percentage and .385 mark from downtown.
St. Francis Brooklyn senior guard Rob Higgins (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) tallied 13.5 ppg and 3.0 spg last week. He hit 6-12 from the floor in a 13-point outing in the Terriers’ 68-50 win over Hartford.
Stonehill graduate student guard Shamir Johnson (Waterbury, CT/The Taft School) shows no signs of slowing down from three-point land. Last week, he hit 3-5 against Rider to push his season percentage to .545, which ranks second in the conference. He has shot 50 percent or better from distance in 7-of-12 outings.
Stonehill dropped from first to fifth in the nation in free throw percentage at 81.1 percent.
Stonehill graduate student forward Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape Regional) has scored in double-digits in 16 straight games dating back to last season.