Click Here For PDF Release
Click Here For Preseason All-NEC Men's Team Release
Newark, NJ -- With its sights firmly set on capturing the program's first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) men's basketball title, Sacred Heart has been upgraded from contender to frontrunner.
Sporting a seasoned and skilled roster, the Pioneers were the clear 2023-24 NEC preseason favorite in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches. SHU, which earned preseason No. 1 status for the first time in 16 years, claimed seven first place votes.
|
2023-24 NEC Men’s Basketball
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Sacred Heart (7)
2. CCSU (1)
3. FDU (1)
4. Merrimack
5. Wagner
6. Stonehill
7. LIU
8. Saint Francis U
9. Le Moyne
First place votes in parentheses |
CCSU and FDU took second and third, respectively, in the poll, with each earning one first place nod. Defending NEC regular season and tournament champion Merrimack finished fourth in the rankings, while Wagner was slotted fifth, one spot ahead of Stonehill. LIU, Saint Francis U and NEC newcomer Le Moyne rounded out the nine-team field in that order.
The annual preseason poll was announced during NEC Basketball Media Day, which was webcast from the Prudential Center and broadcast on NEC Front Row and ESPN+.
Conducted annually, NEC coaches have only managed to correctly forecast the eventual league champion three times in the last 24 years, but got it right last season, picking Merrimack to win it all. Over the last 36 years, their predictions have been accurate on only five occasions, or just 14 percent of the time.
The 2023-24 conference season begins on January 4 with the nine teams playing a 16-game traditional round-robin schedule.
The eight-team NEC Tournament is scheduled for March 6 (quarterfinals), 9 (semifinals) & 12 (championship), with each game hosted by the higher seed.
After careful consideration and in response to feedback from the membership, the NEC Presidents' Council unanimously voted to eliminate access restrictions to NEC championships during an institution's transition to DI. As a result, current reclassifying institutions Le Moyne and Stonehill will be immediately eligible to compete in the NEC postseason starting in the 2023-24 academic year. This decision aimed to improve the student-athlete experience and bolster recruitment and retention efforts. By taking this proactive approach, the NEC is committed to prioritizing the mental health, welfare and opportunities of its student-athletes throughout the conference.
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 as per current policy. In instances where two reclassifying members reach an NEC final in men's and women's basketball, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball, the NEC will stage an "AQ Qualifier" game between the two non-advancing semifinal teams. This will serve as a decisive game to determine the team that will secure the NEC's spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Sacred Heart
Predicted NEC Finish: 1st
2022-23 Overall Record: 16-17
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 8-8/Tie-5th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/3
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
Returning Players to Watch:
Nico Galette (Sr, G, 6’6”, 210 lbs.): 15.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 spg, 36 3PFG
Joey Reilly (Gr, G, 6’0”, 170 lbs.): 11.8 ppg, 2.2 apg, 38.9 3PFG%, 63 3PFG
Three Sentence Preview:
There's a buzz building around the Sacred Heart men's basketball program and Pioneer fans have every reason to be optimistic with a deep, experienced squad taking on a new role as the team to beat in the NEC. The roster includes a pair of NEC all-stars and preseason All-NEC selections in crunch time showstopper
Nico Galette (Rahway, NJ/Rutgers Prep), a senior forward, and sharpshooting graduate student guard
Joey Reilly (Cromwell, CT/East Catholic (Holy Cross)). Now in his 11th year, head coach Anthony Latina will a wealth of talent at his disposal with - 80 percent of the team's scoring is back in the fold - and he strategically mined the portal to land talented senior transfer
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary's of the Assumption), a combo guard out of DII West Chester, and bruising big man
Alex Sobel (Setauket, NY/Ward Melville), the 2022-23 NCAA DIII Player of the Year from Middlebury.
Analytically Speaking:
- The Pioneers engineered a noteworthy defensive turnaround against league opponents last season, improving their adjusted defensive efficiency by an impressive 9.7 points per 100 possessions from 109.9 in 2021-22 to 100.2 last season. The fourth best mark in league play was achieved despite a middling block rate of 8.1 percent (fifth in NEC, 173rd nationally), yet the offseason addition of graduate senior Alex Sobel should improve Sacred Heart’s rim protection. Last season at Middlebury College in Vermont, Sobel registered the second most blocks in Division III basketball with 101 rejections and the second most blocks per game at 3.88.
- From a points per possession standpoint, no Sacred Heart player was more productive than guard Joey Reilly last season . According to Synergy, Reilly scored 1.05 points per possession, buoyed by a 38.9 percent success rate from deep. While Reilly was solid on catch-and-shoot 3s with a 35.3 percent mark, he rated in the 97th percentile of Division 1 on his off-the-dribble shot attempts. Reilly impressively made 53.8 percent of non-rhythm 3s, while also draining an elite 48.9 percent of his dribble jumper 2s.
- Despite dealing with nagging injuries throughout the 2023 conference season, senior Nico Galette emerged as an above average defender according to various metrics last season. Not only did Galette post career highs in block rate (3.1%, 354th in D1), steal rate (2.9%, 212th in D1) and fouls committed per 40 minutes (2.4), but he also rated as the league’s best isolation defender based on Synergy’s data. Opponents who tried to score in isolation against Galette scored just 0.17 points per possession (99th percentile) and committed a turnover on 22.2% of those possessions. That’s a significant jump up from Galette’s defensive numbers in isolation the previous year, where opponents scored 1.00 ppp on him and committed a turnover just 5.0% of the time.
CCSU
Predicted NEC Finish: 2nd
2022-23 Overall Record: 10-22
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 7-9/Tie-7th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/4
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
Returning Players to Watch:
Kellen Amos (Sr, G/F, 6'7", 190 lbs.): 14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 63 3PFG
Jay Rodgers (Sr, G, 6'3", 185 lbs.): 9.1 ppg, 2.3 apg, 35 3PFG
Three Sentence Preview:
While CCSU is far from a one-man show, there's no denying that bouncy senior swingman
Kellen Amos (Houston, TX/St. John XXIII College Prep (Binghamton)) is a headline act who has the ability to lead a rising Blue Devil squad back to NEC upper echelon status after the program secured it's highest preseason poll ranking in two decades. The All-NEC second teamer and preseason All-Conference honoree ranked in the NEC top-10 in scoring (14.8), made three-pointers (63) and dunks (39) last season, while generating a burgeoning chemistry with senior
Jay Rodgers (Pickerington, OH/Cochise College) and junior
Davonte Sweatman (Boston, MA/Lawrence Academy), a pair of skilled combo guards. Looking to bolster his frontcourt, third year head coach Pat Sellers added 6'7"
Allan Jeanne-Rose (Saint Joseph, Martinique/Saint John Paul II (Fairfield)), an impact transfer who averaged double digits for Fairfield last season.
Analytically Speaking:
- Pat Sellers did well to improve the Blue Devils’ offensive proficiency in his second season. CCSU posted an adjusted KenPom offensive efficiency of 97.4 points per 100 possessions, the program’s best mark since the Blue Devils achieved the same offensive efficiency for the 2013-14 campaign. In particular, the Blue Devils last season thrived at protecting the basketball (17.9 percent turnover rate, 154th in D1) and were more adept at sharing the rock (52.1 A/FGM, 137th in D1). When CCSU scored more than 1.00 point per possession, they posted a 7-7 record, compared to a 3-15 record when they failed to hit that threshold.
- Another positive aspect of Sellers’ offense last season was its ability to produce in transition. While they had the 321st best tempo nationally (64.2 possessions per game) according to KenPom, the Blue Devils capitalized on their up-tempo opportunities with a 58.3 percent effective field goal percentage in transition situations. Of note, the Blue Devils turned it over on just 12 percent of those possessions while sinking 63.1 percent of their 2s. The graduate additions of Jordan Jones from Coker University and Allan Jeanne-Rose from Fairfield should continue to bolster CCSU’s efficiency when running the floor - Jones posted a 60.3 percent eFG last season in transition while Jeanne-Rose was at 55.2 percent. That pairs well with the transition efficient trio of Kellen Amos (61.4 percent eFG in transition), Davonte Sweatman (61.4 percent eFG) and Jay Rodgers (62.5 percent eFG).
- Speaking of the talented Amos, the senior excelled in getting buckets off of cuts per Synergy. Last season Amos made 30 of 39 shots (76.9 percent) off a cut, registering in the top 94th percentile of all of Division I basketball. While Amos was lethal on cutting and receiving passes toward the basket, opposing defenders had to respect the wing’s range from deep as well. If he was left open off a catch-and-shoot 3, Amos made 36.2 percent of those takes in the 2022-23 campaign.
FDU
Predicted NEC Finish: 3rd
2022-23 Overall Record: 21-15
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 10-6/Tie-2nd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
Returning Players to Watch:
Ansley Almonor (Jr, F, 6-7, 219 lbs.): 13.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 75 3PFG, 86.1 FG%
Joe Munden Jr. (Sr, G, 6-3, 199 lbs.): 10.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 47.3 FG%
Three Sentence Preview:
FDU's Cinderella postseason run last season was truly magical in every sense, marked by its historic 16-over-1 NCAA Tournament victory against Purdue, an indelible moment that will forever be woven into the fabric of both conference and program history. While NEC all-stars Demetre Roberts and Grant Singleton graduated, the Knights' talented core remained intact for first-year head coach Jack Castleberry, who was promoted to the top spot in the spring and ready to capitalize on the program's newfound momentum. With a roster boasting a number of potential All-Conference candidates, FDU will rely on All-NEC third-team junior forward and long range shooting specialist
Ansley Almonor (Spring Valley, NY/Our Savior Lutheran), to lead a deep rotation that includes senior guard
Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, NY/Monsignor Scanlan) and classmate
Sean Moore (Columbus, OH/Reynoldsburg (St. Thomas Aquinas)), who rose to the occasion under the bright lights of March, drilling a clutch three-pointer with a minute to play to help seal the win and cap a 17-point effort against the Boilermakers.
Analytically Speaking:
- Knights head coach Jack Castleberry seems poised to continue FDU’s offensive system that was perfected last year. Castleberry is well aware that the Knights led the NEC in adjusted offensive efficiency (106.7), offensive turnover rate (16.4 percent) and effective field goal percentage in transition (61.7 percent) for the 2022-23 season. Of the returnees from a squad that won a pair of NCAA Tournament games, Joe Munden, Cameron Tweedy, Ansley Almonor, Sean Moore and Heru Bligen all posted above average KenPom offensive ratings for the Knights last season.
- Despite experiencing two “Kill Shots” from Purdue in two separate 11-0 runs during its Round of 64 game in the NCAA Tournament, FDU still found a way to slay the Boilermakers. The Knights overcame a minimum win probability of 1.4 percent at the start of the game and were a 2.1 percent favorite after Purdue concluded its second 11-0 spurt to go up 47-41 midway through the second half. For the remainder of the game, FDU limited Purdue to 11 points in their final 17 possessions while holding All-American Zach Edey to just one more field goal. Bart Torvik assigned the Knights a Game Score of 96 - the program’s best mark since March 6, 2019 in a victory over Wagner - in their massive tournament upset.
- Rebounding guru Cameron Tweedy had a terrific four weeks to conclude the 2022-23 season, finishing with an elite offensive rebounding rate of 16.2 percent. Not only was it impossible to keep the then-sophomore off the offensive glass, he also made the most of those opportunities, registering a 75.0 percent field goal percentage as well as scoring 1.32 points per possession in those situations. His seemingly out-of-nowhere 13-point, 9-rebound performance in 15 minutes at the NEC Tournament finals was elevated by scoring nine points off of putbacks due to five offensive rebounds.
Merrimack
Predicted NEC Finish: 4th
2022-23 Overall Record: 18-16
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 12-4/1st
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
Returning Players to Watch:
Jordan Derkack (So, G, 6-5, 205 lbs.): 7.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.1 spg
Devon Savage (Jr, G, 6-4, 190 lbs.): 6.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 60 3PFG, 38.0 3PFG%
Three Sentence Preview:
Merrimack proved to be the nation's hottest team down the stretch last season, earning 11 straight wins to close out its final year of NCAA reclassification, culminating with a 67-66 come-from-behind win over FDU in the NEC title tilt at Lawler Arena. The program's second NEC regular season crown and first NEC Tournament championship was built on the team's signature swarming zone defense that ranked first in the nation in turnover and steal percentage, as the Warriors only allowed two conference opponents to reach 70 points and held 11 under 60 points. Sporting a nice blend of youth and experience, eighth year head coach Joe Gallo returns a talented backcourt that includes 2022-23 All-NEC Rookie team member
Jordan Derkack (Colonia, NY/Colonia), a springy 6'5" guard, and junior sniper
Devon Savage (Washington, DC/Riverdale Baptist (JMU)), who shot a league-best 48.1 percent from outside the arc during league play, along with part-time starters
Jordan McKoy (Westwood, NJ/Dwight-Englewood) and
Jaylen Stinson (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Wood (JMU)).
Analytically Speaking:
- Do-everything guard Jordan Derkack was an analytics dream as a freshman, finishing nationally ranked in the following KenPom categories: assist rate (25.4 percent, 178th in D1), steal rate (5.6 percent, 6th in D1) and FT rate (60.2 percent FTA/FGA, 43rd in D1). He also registered the team’s second best defensive rebounding rate in league play (15.1 percent) behind Jordan Minor, the NEC Co-Player of the Year. In all, Merrimack won 12-of-14 games when Derkack posted an above average KenPom offensive game rating north of 100.0. The Warriors were 6-14 when Derkack did not hit that threshold.
- Joe Gallo’s zone defense was nothing short of outstanding in 2022-23, with the Warriors posting the best adjusted defensive efficiency in league play (88.2 points per 100 possessions) in KenPom’s history dating all the way back to the 1998-1999 season. In 2,644 possessions logged on Synergy, Merrimack registered in the 98th percentile of college basketball with a 0.797 points allowed per possession mark, thanks to the nation’s best turnover rate at 26.0 percent. The turnover rate barely bested Merrimack’s previous high water mark of generating a turnover on 25.9 percent of the opponent’s possessions in Gallo’s first Division I season during the 2019-20 campaign.
- No one avoided the mid-range area on offense better than Merrimack last season as the Warriors only attempted 13 percent of their shots as two-point jumpers, the fifth lowest rate in Division 1 according to Hoop-Math. Moreover, Merrimack attempted the most 3s relative to their total field goals in the NEC, firing up 3s on 44.0 percent of their shot attempts. Devon Savage (86.4 percent 3PA/FGA) was the most prolific long-distance shot taker of Gallo’s group.
Wagner
Predicted NEC Finish: 5th
2022-23 Overall Record: 15-13
2023-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 8-8/Tie-5th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 6/7
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
Returning Players to Watch:
Rahmir Moore (Sr, G, 6-3, 205 lbs.): 8.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg
Javier Ezquerra (Jr, G, 6-1, 175 lbs.): 7.1 ppg, 3.0 apg, 42 3PFG
Three Sentence Preview:
A perennial force in the NEC in recent years, Wagner looks to build upon a promising first season under the guidance of Donald Copeland, who spent the offseason bolstering his roster with players well-suited for his defensive-minded, team-first philosophy. Tough-as-nails senior guard and mid-range maestro
Rahmir Moore (Philadelphia, PA/RISE Prep (Ontario) (Saint Joseph's)) returns in the backcourt with junior point guard
Javier Ezquerra (San Juan, Puerto Rico/IMG Academy), who elevated his game and led the Seahawks in assists and three-pointers, while junior
Rob Taylor II (Brooklyn, NY/St. Marks) and sophomore
Keyontae Lewis (Chesterfield, VA/Lloyd C Bird) both shot well over 50 percent from the floor and give Wagner some muscle up front. Copeland reinforced his backcourt with a pair of key additions, landing versatile wing
Di'Andre Howell-South (Paterson, NJ/Immaculate Conception (SFBK)) from St. Francis Brooklyn and dynamic combo guard
Zae Blake (Washington, D.C./Hargrave Military Academy (Green Bay)) from Green Bay.
Analytically Speaking:
- Even though rookie center Keyontae Lewis didn’t meet the 40 percent playing time threshold required to make KenPom’s leaderboards, there was a lot to like from his analytical profile in year one. Had he been eligible through playing time - Lewis played 36 percent of Wagner’s minutes as a freshman - the bruiser down low would have nearly cracked the nation’s top-100 in offensive rebounding rate after grabbing 11.8 percent of Wagner’s misses off the glass as a freshman. Furthermore, his defensive block rate of 6.8 percent would have placed him among college basketball’s top-75 in that category. Wagner, in fact, was 9-3 in games where Lewis registered at least one block in a game and 4-1 when he registered one block and at least two offensive rebounds.
- Speaking of rebounding, Wagner was one of three Division I teams last season to finish in the country’s top-40 in offensive rebounding rate and defensive rebounding rate. The Seahawks finished 21st by grabbing an offensive rebound on 34.4 percent of its misses, while they were 36th in securing a defensive rebound on 75.2 percent of its opponents misses. Purdue and San Jose State were the other two programs to achieve such a feat in the 2022-23 season.
- Rahmir Moore emerged as a mid-range assassin in his first season at Grymes Hill. The then junior forward made 65.5 percent of his jumpers up to 17 feet, while sinking 42.1 percent of his takes from 17 feet to the 3-point line. The short jumpers production bested all NEC players by a significant margin, with Moore’s 1.31 ppp well ahead of the second place finisher Heru Bligen (1.12) and third place finisher Demetre Roberts (1.03) for FDU. Moore was second in long jumpers, losing out only to SFBK's Josiah Harris (0.96 versus 0.84).
Stonehill
Predicted NEC Finish: 6th
2022-23 Overall Record: 14-17
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 10-6/Tie-2nd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/7
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
Returning Players to Watch:
Max Zegarowski (Gr, F, 6'8", 205 lbs.): 12.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 70 3PFG, 41.9 3PFG%
Thatcher Stone (Sr., G, 6'6", 200 lbs.): 5.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg. 17 3PFG
Three Sentence Preview:
While Stonehill's second place finish in its maiden DI voyage may have caught some followers by surprise, the Skyhawks were well-positioned to make a splash in their NEC debut, thanks to a roster brimming with seasoned talent under the guidance NEC Coach of the Year Chis Kraus. The team's calling cards were it's defense - Stonehill led the NEC in defensive field goal percentage in league play - and it's ability to close out close games, finishing 5-2 in outings decided by five points or less. Though NEC all-stars Andrew Sims and Isaiah Burnett graduated, the Skyhawks retained an All-NEC performer in graduate student forward
Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, MA/The Tilton School (NH) (Lynn, Frankin Pierce)), a long range bomber who shot nearly 42 percent from three-point range, and added VMI transfer
Tony Felder (Brockton, MA/Malden Catholic (VMI)), who averaged 10.5 ppg as a freshman.
Analytically Speaking:
- You would be hard pressed to find anyone returning to the Northeast Conference with a more efficient shot profile than Max Zegarowski, a mainstay at the 4 or 5 for Chris Kraus’ Stonehill squad. Per Synergy metrics, Zegarowski rated as “excellent” in several shotmaking categories such as transition (66.3 percent eFG), against man defense (53.6 percent eFG), against zone defense (70.5 percent eFG) and against a pressing defense (75.0 percent eFG). As difficult as it was to contain the stretch power forward through the entirety of the possession, opponents also struggled containing Zegarowski when he took a shot in the last four seconds of the shot clock. In those situations, the now graduate senior posted a 73.1 percent effective field goal percentage.
- Incoming transfer Tony Felder offers Stonehill a ready-to-contribute point guard after a productive season at VMI as a collegiate novice. His 95 assists led the team and produced the fourth-highest assist rate (22.9 percent) in Southern Conference play. Of Felder’s assists, 72.6 percent of those led to a made 3-pointer, per Hoop-Math. Given Zegarowski’s catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage of 41.6 percent last season, it appears the duo could click on the offensive end.
- It was Stonehill’s defense in its first year against NEC competition that fueled the program’s noteworthy 10-6 finish in league play. Kraus’ group led the conference in effective field goal defense in transition with a mark of 50.5 percent, which was also the 71st best rate in Division 1. Opponents shot just 29.9 percent from 3 and 48.9 percent near the rim in up-tempo situations.
LIU
Predicted NEC Finish: 7th
2022-23 Overall Record: 3-26
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 1-15/9th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 4/12
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
Returning Players to Watch:
Andre Washington (Jr,. G, 5'11", 178 lbs.): 11.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg
R.J. Greene (So, G, 6'5", 210 lbs.): 9.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.7 apg
Three Sentence Preview:
It marked the dawn of a new era at LIU last year with the introduction of Rod Strickland as head coach, and after enduring a challenging 2022-23 campaign, the former NBA all-star has orchestrated a major overhaul of his roster ahead of the 2023-24 season. Strickland added nine new faces, including his sons Tai and Terell, a pair of guards who transferred in from Georgia Southern and James Madison, respectively, to help fortify a backcourt that includes versatile NEC All-Rookie honoree
R.J. Greene (Bronx, NY/Iona Prep) and rising junior shooting guard
Andre Washington (Staten Island, NY/Williston North Hampton), the team's leading returning scorer who erupted for 37 points against Saint Francis U last February. In addition, long, lanky sophomore forward
C.J. Delancy (Jonesboro, AR/Valley View) is a rim-runner who gives LIU a shot-blocking presence on the other end of the floor and could be poised for a breakout season.
Analytically Speaking:
- Graduate guard Tai Strickland is expected to upgrade the Sharks' offensive attack in various ways, but perhaps the most notable is with the pick-and-roll. Last season, LIU posted an effective field goal rate of 38.1 percent in shot attempts out of pick-and-roll situations, whereas Strickland made half of his takes (16-of-32, 50.0 percent) as a pick-and-roll ball handler at Georgia Southern last season. Tai’s younger brother Terell Strickland - another transfer who has joined his father Rod at LIU - has also shown flashes as a productive pick-and-roll initiator. Terell converted 32-of-49 shots (65.3 percent) out of the pick-and-roll in three seasons at James Madison.
- Last season marked the third straight year where the Sharks finished in the nation’s top-10 with respect to tempo. Per KenPom, LIU exactly matched their tempo output from the prior 2021-22 season, racing out to average 72.6 possessions per game. In both seasons, the Sharks finished sixth in the country in pace.
- Junior transfer Tana Kopa joins the roster after torching Division 2 defenses from deep. The former Spring Hill College standout made 42.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s last season, and was nearly as effective on his off-the-dribble long distance takes, converting 37.1 percent of those. The majority of Kopa’s field goal profile consisted of jump shots, yet the 6-6 wing still made 40 of his 60 shot attempts at the rim, according to Synergy. In all, Kopa impressively scored 1.06 points per possession as a sophomore.
Saint Francis U
Predicted NEC Finish: 8th
2022-23 Overall Record: 13-18
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 9-7/4th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/11
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4
Returning Players to Watch:
Cam Gregory (So, G, 6'5", 165 lbs.): 5.1 ppg, 2.6 apg, 19 3PFG
Wisler Sanon (So, G, 6'4", 190 lbs.): 3.2 ppg, 50.8 FG%, 46.2 3PFG%
Three Sentence Preview:
With the dean of NEC head coaches Rob Krimmel at the helm of the Saint Francis U program, one thing is for certain: regardless of the team’s roster turnover from year-to-year, it's impossible to dismiss the Red Flash as a potential NEC contender. After losing a pair of NEC all-stars, Krimmel is set to incorporate 13 fresh faces into the mix for a proud SFU program that has posted top-four conference finishes in five of the last seven years and reached three NEC finals during that time. The Red Flash will sport a pair of emerging stars coming off promising freshman campaigns in
Cam Gregory (Accokeek, MD/The Steward School (VA)), a versatile guard who received an NEC Rookie of the Week accolade last December, and
Wisler Sanon II (Sicklerville, NJ/Paul VI), an energetic presence in the backcourt who boasted an impressive 51/46/88 slash line while playing a key role off the bench.
Analytically Speaking:
- Even though KenPom hasn’t yet reset its website for the 2023-24 season, Saint Francis U in all likelihood will have one of the youngest rosters in the country per the site's “experience” metric. With no upperclassman on scholarship for the upcoming year, the Red Flash currently have seven freshmen and five sophomores on scholarship. It will be the youngest team in Rob Krimmel’s 12 seasons at the helm, and the least experienced since SFU was 345th in KenPom’s experience metric in the 2016-17 season. That team, led by freshman Keith Braxton and sophomores Jamaal King, Josh Nebo and Isiah Blackmon, stunned the conference by going 11-7 in league play before advancing to the NEC Tournament finals in March.
- It may have been a small sample size as Saint Francis U's backup center, yet the work Gestin Liberis did in the low block was impressive as a freshman. Liberis made 79 percent of his buckets near the rim against Division I competition, according to Bart Torvik. His upside scoring the basketball as a low post presence was illustrated in a late season victory over LIU, where the now sophomore collected 10 points in 11 minutes on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. All four of his makes came at the rim.
- One major reason for why the Red Flash posted the second best adjusted offensive efficiency in league play (106.0) last season was the team’s penchant to make shots from deep. Per Synergy, Saint Francis U rated as “excellent” in the catch-and-shoot metric, sinking an impressive 37.1 percent of its rhythm 3s. Krimmel’s players were even more potent when left open, sinking 42.4 percent of their unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts, ranking them in the 93rd percentile in all of Division 1. Of the returners players, sophomore Winsler Sanon II was the most proficient at shooting 3s off a pass with a 45.0 percent mark.
Le Moyne
Predicted NEC Finish: 9th
2022-23 Overall Record: 15-15
2022-23 NEC Record/NE10 Finish: 11-9/Tie-5th in NE10
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
Players to Watch:
Isaiah Slater (Gr, G, 6'0", 160 lbs.): 11.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 65 3PFG, 40.4 3PFG%
Luke Sutherland (Gr, F, 6'7", 220 lbs.): 11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 35 3PFG
Three Sentence Preview:
The NEC welcomes a Le Moyne program that enjoyed a rich history of success at the DII level, including five NCAA Tournament appearances over the last decade, highlighted by a quarterfinal appearance in 2017-18. Fifth-year head coach Nate Champion has assembled a slew of veteran talent for his team's initial NEC foray, including seven DI transfers, and also brings back his two leading scorers from a year ago. Graduate student guard
Isaiah Salter (Charlotte, NC/Central Cabarrus) is a proven commodity, having paced the Dolphins in point production (11.7 ppg) while drilling 65 shots from beyond the arc at a 40.4 percent clip, and he's joined by graduate forward
Luke Sutherland (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee (Siena/Bryant)), who contributed 11.2 ppg and is back in the NEC after stints at Bryant and Siena.
Analytically Speaking:
- Graduate guard Isaiah Salter should have no trouble competing at the Division I level after a dominant 2022-23 season at Le Moyne. The 6-0 guard impressively posted a 55.8 percent effective field goal percentage, 20.6 percent assist rate, 15.8 percent turnover rate and a 1.64 assist-to-turnover ratio while leading all Dolphin players in scoring. In particular, opponents really struggled to contain Salter in transition as evident from his 1.35 points per possession mark (90th percentile) in those situations. The next most efficient play type for the guard was from dribble handouts - he posted a 1.27 ppp thanks to a 52.4 percent success rate on 3s off a handoff.
- According to Synergy, the Dolphins excelled in isolation plays during the 2022-23 season, their last in the NE10 conference. The team as a whole posted an effective field goal percentage of 48.3 percent and a miniscule turnover rate of 8.0 percent when locked up in one-on-one battles in the half court. Of the players on Le Moyne’s 2023-24 roster, Luke Sutherland (1.71 ppp) proved to be the most efficient in those situations.
- In addition to being productive in isolation situations, Le Moyne acquitted themselves well during the 2022-23 season with respect to jump shooting. Per Synergy, the Dolphins rated as excellent in the long mid-range game after sinking 41.2 percent of their shots from 17 feet to the 3-point line. That placed them in the 84th percentile, whereas their 34.2 percent success rate from 3 landed them in the 63rd percentile in D2 basketball.
NEC Preseason Coaches Poll History (last 36 years)
Year Preseason Favorite NEC Tournament Champion
(actual regular season finish) (preseason selection)
2022-23 Merrimack (1st) Merrimack (1st)
2021-22 Wagner (1st) Bryant (2nd)
2020-21 FDU (8th) Mount St. Mary’s (tied 3rd)
2019-20 LIU (tie 5th) Robert Morris (5th)
2018-19 Saint Francis U (1st) FDU (2nd)
2017-18 Saint Francis U (tie 2nd) LIU (6th)
2016-17 FDU (tie 5th) Mount St. Mary's (4th)
2015-16 Mount St. Mary’s (5th) FDU (9th)
2014-15 St. Francis Brooklyn (1st) Robert Morris (3rd)
2013-14 Wagner (2nd) Mount St. Mary's (6th)
2012-13 LIU (3rd) LIU (1st)
2011-12 LIU (1st) LIU (1st)
2010-11 Quinnipiac (2nd) LIU (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 FDU (1st) Monmouth (2nd)
2004-05 Monmouth (1st) FDU (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 (1st) FDU (2nd)
1996-97 Monmouth (3rd) LIU (4th)
1995-96 Monmouth/Rider (tie 2nd/4th) Monmouth (tie 1st)
1994-95 Rider (1st) Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)
1993-94 FDU (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 FDU (6th) Robert Morris (3rd)
1988-89 Monmouth (3rd) Robert Morris (5th)
1987-88 *Marist (tie 1st) FDU (2nd)
* Marist was ineligible for the NEC Tournament in 1987-88
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 43rd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout five 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 (#34) and Syracuse (#85). 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, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, 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.