NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tanner Thomas, Sacred Heart    
6’6”, 205 lbs.
Jr., F, Springfield, MA/Williston Northampton
Thomas has elevated his game this game this season, playing a pivotal role in Sacred Heart’s 3-2 start. In winning two-of-three last week, the junior forward supplied the Pioneers with 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Thomas, who hit just 12 three-pointers over his first two seasons, has been on fire from beyond the arc. Last week, he splashed 8-13 from downtown, converting at a 61.5 percent clip. Thomas finished the week with a 50/61.5/90 shooting slash line. He hit 4-7 from distance and netted a game-high 21 points in SHU’s 84-77 win at Holy Cross on Tuesday. Four days later, Thomas led all scorers with 19 points, including a 3-4 mark from 3P range, as the Pios rolled to a 59-44 victory over Loyola (MD) as part of the UMBC MTE. On the season, the Springfield, MA native paces SHU with 14.4 ppg, ranks second with 7.2 rpg and has drilled 11-19 (.579) three-point opportunities. 

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Bobby Rosenberger III, Saint Francis U
6’5”, 205 lbs.
Fr., G, Quakertown, PA/Perkiomen School
Rosenberger III delivered a breakthrough performance in Saint Francis U’s clash with Penn State in State College on Tuesday. After a modest start with just four points in his first three outings, the Quakertown, PA product erupted for a game-high 19 points on efficient 7-10 shooting and drained 3-5 shots from long range in 19 minutes off the bench. He added a game-best eight rebounds. Rosenberger poured in 14 in the second half to help the Red Flash outscore the Nittany Lions by two after intermission. He narrowly missed becoming the eighth freshman to reach 20 points in a game under 12th-year head coach Rob Krimmel.
 
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
 
Allan Jeanne-Rose (CCSU, Gr, F)
Last week: 18.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 76.2 FG%

- Made 11-15 shots in a career-high 25-point effort against Manhattan on Sunday
- Shooting as astounding 77.8 percent from the floor this season to ranks first in the NEC
- Ranks first in NEC with 19.0 ppg

Ansley Almonor (FDU, Jr, F)
Last week: 19.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 48.1 FG%, 42.1 3PFG%

- Dropped a game-high 21 points in Wednesday’s 71-70 win over Saint Peter’s, hitting four shots from deep
- Finished week 8-19 from outside the arc and has hit a league-leading 17 3P in five outings
- Leads NEC with 3.4 made three-pointers per game

Ocypher Owens (LEM, Jr, F)
Last week: 15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.7 bpg, 1.0 spg, 54.3 FG%

- Opened a four-game, eight-day California road swing with a game-high 21 points off the bench on 9-14 shooting, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks at San Diego on Friday
- Added team-high 16 points and a pair of rejections at USCB’s Thunderdome on Sunday
- Ranks second in NEC with 1.6 bpg

Devon Savage (MC, Jr, G)
Last week: 20 points, 2 steals, 6-9 3P vs. Ohio State

- Six 3P at Ohio State was one shy of career-high
- Tied for game-scoring honors
- His 2.75 3P per game ranks second in the league
- Shooting 39.3 percent from downtown

Tanner Thomas (SHU, Jr, F)
Last week: 15.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.7 spg, 50.0 FG%, 61.5 3P%, 90.0 FT%

- Scored a game-high 21 points and hit 4-7 from three-point land in an 84-77 win at Holy Cross
- Led all scorers with 19 points, including a 3-4 mark beyond the arc to help boost the Pioneers to a 66-51 victory over Loyola (MD)
- After hitting 12-41 from 3P range last season, he is 11-19 (.579) over the first five games of 2023-24
- NEC Player of the Week

Bobby Rosenberger III (SFU, Fr, G)
Last week: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 7-10 FG, 3-5 3P at Penn State

- After combining four points and one rebounds across his first three outings, he erupted for a game-high 19 points and eight boards in just 19 minutes off the bench against Penn State
 
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK TWO

Here’s all you need to know from the second week of the 2023-24 season...

>> JAMISON CLOSES AS FDU EDGES SAINT PETER’S IN BATTLE OF BRACKET BUSTERS
 
Two teams that captivated the nation in back-to-back years met in Hackensack on Wednesday, and they continued to provide thrills in a game billed as the “Battle of the Bracket Busters.”
 
In FDU’s debut game on YES Network, the Knights built a big league, then survived a late Saint Peter’s rally to win, 71-70, on two DeVante Jamison (Dorchester, MA/Jeremiah E. Burke (St. Thomas Aquinas)) free throws with 2.3 seconds on the clock.
 
The Garden State matchup pitted a Saint Peter’s squad that made a 2022 Elite Eight run with an FDU side coming off a historic 16-over-1 upset over Purdue last March.
 
Playing in front of fired up, packed house at Stratis Arena, the Knights jumped out to a 43-34 lead at the half, hitting 7-13 from downtown in a scorching shooting display.
 
FDU kept the momentum to start the second stanza, eventually extending its lead to as many as 15 points.
 
The Knights staved off a number of mini Saint Peter’s rallies until the visitors made their move in the final five minutes.

Trailing by 13, the Bashir Mason-led Peacocks ran off nine straight points to pull to within four with 2:39 left on the clock.
 
Jamison’s layup gave FDU a five point edge at the 1:21 mark, but Saint Peter’s answered right back on a Michael Houge conventional three-point play.
 
After an empty FDU possession, the Peacocks delivered what appeared to be the fatal blow when Houge drilled a triple from the top of the key with nine seconds to play.
 
Without calling a timeout, Jamison raced down court, drove to his right and was fouled while in the act of shooting, setting the stage for his two clutch free throws.
 
“That’s why you have a fifth year guy on your roster,” said FDU’s first-year head coach Jack Castleberry. “He saved us in several instances tonight. He’s such a huge piece of what we’re looking to accomplish. This is the cool part about where we are. There’s way more excitement than last year. We have a fun product with tough guys laying it all out.”
 
Jamison finished with 11 points, five assists and three steals, and was more than up for the challenge of a spotlight game in just his fourth contest at the DI level after transferring from St. Thomas Aquinas for his grad year.
 
“That’s the moments I live for,” Jamison said. “That’s why I play basketball. I gotta call my mom!”
 
FDU junior forward Ansley Almonor Ansley Almonor (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional (Montvale)) hit four shots from three-point range on his way to a game-high 21 points. Sophomore forward Jo’el Emanuel (Suffern, NY/Suffern) sank 6-7 from the field and finished with 16 points for the Knights.
 
>> CCSU’s JEANNE-ROSE IN CAN’T MISS MODE
 
Talk about a blazing start.
 
CCSU newcomer Allan Jeanne-Rose (Saint Joseph, Martinique/Saint John Paul II (Fairfield)) showed no signs of slowing down following a red-hot debut week from the field.
 
The 6’7” forward shot a scorching 76.2 percent on 16-21 from the field in CCSU’s first two games at URI and Quinnipiac to open the season.
 
Last week was a literal carbon copy.
 
Jeanne-Rose once again drained 16-21 shot attempts over two games, this time in a win over Framingham State and a tight loss to Manhattan. The Fairfield transfer exploded for a career-high 25 points against the Jaspers, hitting 11-15 from the floor.
 
On the year, Jeanne Rose leads the NEC in scoring (19.0), FG percentage (.762), eFG percentage (.806) and true shooting percentage (.785).
 
He ranks seventh nationally in FG%, 15th in eFG% and 19th in TS%.
 
>> FDU DID YOU KNOW?
 
FDU is off to its first 4-1 start since the 2002-03 season.
 
>> SFU TALES FROM THE ROAD
 
Saint Francis U is coming off a four-game road trip to start the season - the longest since the 2003-04 season - with games against UCLA, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Penn State. The four teams went 96-44 in 2022-23 with UCLA and Penn State both participating in the NCAA Tournament at Santa Clara playing in the NIT.
 
The challenging start rivals that of the 2018-19 squad that opened at Buffalo, played Morgan State at home, then travelled to UCLA, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. All of those teams aside from Morgan won at least 20 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
>> SFU’S ROSENBERGER BREAKS OUT
 
Saint Francis U freshman guard Bobby Rosenberger III (Quakertown, PA/Perkiomen School) posted 19 points and eight rebounds in an exceptional showing against Penn State on Tuesday.
 
He finished the game shooting 7-10 from the field, 3-5 from behind the arc and 2-2 from three-point land. The 19 points and eight rebounds marked the most points and rebounds by a SFU player in a game this season. Rosenberger narrowly missed becoming the eighth freshman under head coach Rob Krimmel to reach 20 points in a game, a trick that has been turned 17 times in his 12-year tenure as head coach.
 
“Bobby Rosenberger gave us a huge lift,” said head coach Rob Krimmel after the game. “Young man that actually had struggled through the first three games and he was really hard on himself. One player can impact the flow of the game and I thought he did a really good job coming out in the second half.”
 
>> PUSHING THE PACE
 
FDU (16th), LIU (20th) and Sacred Heart (27th) are ranked in the top-30 nationwide in adjusted tempo with all three teams just under 75 possessions per game.
 
>> SHU’S THOMAS DIALING IT UP FROM DISTANCE
 
Having typically made his living around the hoop and in the mid-range and know for his wide array of jump hooks, Sacred Heart junior forward Tanner Thomas (Springfield, MA/Williston Northampton)  is now setting his sights on evolving into a three-level threat for the Pioneers.
 
As a freshman in 2021-22, Thomas went 0-4 from three-point range in limited minutes.
 
Last season, he finished 12-41 from outside the arc, converting at a 29.3 percent clip.
 
But over the first five games this fall, Thomas has been lights out from deep, hitting 11-19 three-point attempts, a 57.9 success rate.
 
Last week, the Springfield, MA native made 8-13 triples, including 4-7 in SHU’s win at Holy Cross and 3-4 in the Pioneers’ neutral site victory against Loyola (MD).

Thomas leads SHU in scoring at 14.4 ppg and ranks third in the league in three-point accuracy.
 
>> DOLPHINS HANDLE WITH CARE
 
In its first five games as a DI member, featuring matchups against Georgetown, Villanova, San Diego and USCB, Le Moyne has excelled at taking care of the ball.

The Dolphins are averaging just 9.2 turnovers per game and rank first in the conference and 24th nationally with a 6.6 turnover margin.
 
Le Moyne is also first in the NEC in assist/turnover ratio at 1.74.
 
Graduate student guard Mike DePersia (Cherry Hill, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial (IUPUI)) is the current conference leader with a 3.67 A/TO ratio. His 4.4 apg ranks first on the circuit and he has coughed the ball up just six times in 129 minutes over five games.
 
>> COACH KRIM QUOTE OF THE WEEK
 
Saint Francis U head coach and former player Rob Krimmel after the Red Flash competed at Penn State on Tuesday:
 
“As someone who grew up in State College, I’m going to walk out with my head high, and know that we’ve got some good basketball in front of us. It’s a special moment any time you come back to your hometown. I wish I could have played here in my four years as a player, but we weren’t able to. It’s special to be able to come back as a coach not once but twice.”
 
>> THIS & THAT
 
CCSU’s 57-point margin of victory in a 99-42 win over Framingham St. was the second-largest in program history. The Blue Devils limited the Rams to 23.4 percent shooting, the lowest by an opponent since St. Francis Brooklyn shot 23.4 percent on January 6, 2012.
 
CCSU senior swingman Kellen Amos (Houston, TX/St. John XXIII College Prep (Binghamton)), a preseason All-NEC pick, scored his 500th point as a Blue Devil in Sunday’s game vs. Manhattan.
 
FDU has won six straight at home dating back to the 2022-23 regular season finale. The Knights have started 3-0 at home for the second consecutive year.
 
FDU’s 124 points vs. Penn State Schuylkill on Saturday were the most in a game since the Knights dropped 111 on FDU-Florham (11/15/17).
 
FDU junior forward Ansley Almonor (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional (Montvale)) hit his 100th three-pointer as a Knight last week and ended the week with 104 career triples.
 
Le Moyne freshman guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, IN/Southport) averaged 11.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.5 apg and 1.0 spg in two games last week. He recorded 11 points, three rebounds and four assists in a 96-72 loss at UC Santa Barbara on Sunday.
 
LIU redshirt junior guard Terell Strickland (Tampa, FL/St. Petersburg  (JMU)) paced the Sharks with 14.0 ppg on the final two games of its west coast swing. He broke out against UCLA, finishing with 18 points, five assists and a pair steals. Strickland sank 3-4 from downtown and 7-8 from the line. For the week, he shot 62.5 percent from outside the arc, making 5-8 shots.
 
LIU freshman guard Eric Acker (East New York, NY/Eagle Academy for Young Men II) scored 18 points off the bench in a 26-minute stint at UCLA on Wednesday. He made 6-10 from the floor while adding five rebounds and an assist.
 
Merrimack sophomore forward Bryan Etumnu (Sugar Land, TX/Kempner) registered a career-high 11 points on 5-9 shooting at Ohio State on Wednesday. He added four boards and a pair of blocks.
 
Sacred Heart limited Loyola (MD) to 0.72 points per possession in its 66-51 win on Saturday, the best single-game mark for the Pioneers since holding CCSU to 0.67 PPP back on January 14, 2021.
 
Sacred Heart senior guard/forward Nico Galette (Rahway, NJ/Rutgers Prep) is eight points shy of 1,000 for his career.
 
Sacred Heart graduate student guard Joey Reilly (Cromwell, CT/East Catholic) sank his 100th career three-pointer as a Pioneer in Saturday’s win over Loyola (MD).
 
Sacred Heart senior guard Raheem Solomon (Hartford, CT/Sacred Heart (Niagara)) finished with 22 points at UMBC on Friday. It marked the most points he has scored in a SHU uniform against a DI opponent. Solomon made 7-13 shots and was 4-8 from distance.
 
Stonehill sophomore guard Tony Felder (Brockton, MA/Malden Catholic (VMI)), a transfer from VMI, had his best game for the Skyhawks in their outing at Rupp Arena on Friday. He scored a season-high 15 points and dished for four assist against in the program’s first-ever game at #17 Kentucky.
 
Wagner junior guard Melvin Council Jr. (Rochester, NY/University Prep (Monroe College)) has turned the ball over just two times in 119 minutes to begin his career in the Green & White.