NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kaiyem Cleary, Le Moyne
6’6”, 185 lbs.
Gr., F, Manchester, England/Redemption Christian Academy (NY) (Florida Southern/Florida Southwestern/Ball State
Cleary became the first back-to-back NEC Player of the Week honoree this season after erupting for a program record 43 points in Le Moyne’s 87-74 win over LIU on Saturday. The historic performance broke a 69-year school mark and placed him in elite company, both within the NEC and on a national scale. The 43 points were the most by an #NECMBB player since Bryant’s Charles Pride put up 43 on February 3, 2022 and tied him for 12th on the NEC’s all-time single-game list. Cleary’s output also marked the most points in an DI regulation game this season and ranked him third overall. He became one of ten DI players to reach the 40-point mark in 2023-24 and the 43 points marked the highest single-game output by a player on a reclassifying team since 2015. Cleary is averaging a league-best 22.5 ppg in NEC play and ranks third overall at 16.1 ppg. The Manchester, England native paces the league in both three-point (.432) and free throw accuracy (.844), and ranks seventh in rebounding (5.8) and fourth in made three-pointers (2.1).
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Adam “Budd” Clark, Merrimack
5’10”, 155 lbs.
Fr., G, Philadelphia, PA/West Catholic
Clark collected his fourth NEC Rookie of the Week accolade after sparking Merrimack to a road sweep that kept the Warriors a half-game out of first place. The Philly product averaged 23.0 points. 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals, while shooting 58.1 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from long distance and 100.0 percent from the charity stripe. In Saturday’s 74-55 victory at Saint Francis U, Clark racked up a career-high 30 points in an efficient effort that saw him convert 11-20 shots, including a 2-4 mark from deep, and make all six of his free throws. He added four dimes and four steals. The 30 points were the most scored by an NEC freshman since Bryant’s Adam Grant netted 32 vs. SHU on January 14, 2017. Two days earlier, Clark finished with 16 points on 7-11 shooting in a 60-44 win at Wagner. He leads the NEC and ranks 20th nationally in steals (2.3), and also sits second among NEC freshmen in scoring (11.3) and assists (3.7). Clark’s four weekly rookie honors tied him with Saint Francis U’s Eli Wilborn for the league lead this season.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Kellen Amos (CCSU, Sr, G/F)
Last week: 16.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 56.5 3P%, 50.0 3P%
- Posted his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 boards in CCSU’s win at FDU.
- Hit a season-high four three-pointers, including the go-ahead triple with 51 seconds on the clock to help the first place Blue Devils to a one-point victory over Wagner on Saturday and a weekend sweep. Finished with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists.
- Averaging 11.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 2.8 apg on the season.
Jordan Jones (CCSU, Sr, G)
Last week: 17.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 91.2 FT%
- Scored a team-high 19 points with seven assists in Thursday’s 16-point win at FDU.
- Scored six points in a 9-0 run to end regulation and send Saturday’s game with Wagner to OT. He finished the win with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.
- Committed just two turnovers in 71 minutes and sported a 6.0 A/TO ratio.
- Contributes 13.1 ppg, and holds spots in the NEC top-10 in assists (3.4), FG percentage (.461), FT percentage (.781), 3P percentage (.368), steals (2.0) and A/TO ratio (1.8).
Ansley Almonor (FDU, Jr, F)
Last week: 19.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 bpg, 46.9 FG%
- Recorded his league-leading eighth 20-point outing, dropping a team-high 22 points in the Knights’ 93-91 victory over SHU on Saturday.
- Averaging 21.0 points over his last three games.
- Leads the NEC with 2.9 triples per game. He also ranks second in second in scoring (16.6) and FT% (.824), fifth in 3P percentage (.377) and tenth in rebounding (5.5).
Kaiyem Cleary (LEM, Gr, G)
Last week: 43 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 14-25 FG, 6-10 3P, 9-9 FT
- Set a new school single-game scoring mark, eclipsing the previous mark that had stood since the 1954-55 season.
- His 43 points were the most by an NEC player since Bryant’s Charles Pride dropped 44 at SFU on February 3, 2022 and tied him for 12th on the NEC’s all-time list.
- The 43 points were the third-most in the nation this season and most in a regulation game.
- Leads the conference in 3P (.432) and FT accuracy (.844), and slots third in the NEC in scoring (16.1), seventh in rebounding (5.8) and fourth in made three-pointers (2.1).
Tai Strickland (LIU, Gr, G)
Last week: 26.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 61.3 FG%, 54.5 3P%, 100.0 FT%
- Shattered his career-high with 34 points at Le Moyne on Saturday, making 14-23 from the field and 4-8 from the stripe in a 40-minute effort.
- His 19.0 ppg against NEC competition ranks second in the league.
- Ranks fifth on the loop in scoring (15.2), and seventh in FT percentage (.779) and steals (1.8).
Adam “Budd” Clark (MC, Fr, G)
Last week: 23.0 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.0 spg, 58.1 FG%, 100 FT%
- Scored a career-high 30 points on 11-20 shooting from the field, 2-4 from downtown and 6-6 from the line in MC’s win at SFU on Saturday. He added four assists and four steals.
- The 30 points were the most scored by an NEC freshman since Bryant’s Adam Grant tallied 32 vs. SHU on January 14, 2017.
- Ranks first in the NEC in steals (2.3), and second among NEC freshmen in scoring (11.3) and assists (3.7).
Jordan Derkack (MC, So, G)
Last week: 17.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg
- Registered his second double-double in three games with 15 points and 10 boards in the Warriors’ win at SFU on Saturday.
- Leads NEC with 17.0 ppg, and also ranks in the conference top-10 in rebounding (6.4), assists (3.8), steals (2.1) and FG percentage (.494).
Nico Galette (SHU, Sr, F)
Last week: 16.5 ppg, 15.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 52.2 FG%
- Posted a pair of double-doubles last week.
- Finished with 18 points and a season-high 17 rebounds at FDU on Saturday. The 17 boards were the most for Galette vs. a DI opponent in his career.
- Sits sixth in the NEC in scoring (14.3), fifth in rebounding (6.9) and fourth in steals (2.0).
Eli Wilborn (SFU, Fr, F)
Last week: 16.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 2.0 spg, 48.1 FG%
- Collected his league-leading seventh double-double on Saturday with a career-high tying 19 points and a career-best 16 rebounds.
- Leads all NEC freshmen and ranks in the NEC top-three in rebounding (7.5, second), field goal percentage (.566, third) and blocks (1.8, second).
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK 12
Here’s all you need to know from the 12th week of the 2023-24 season...
>> CLEARY MAKES HISTORY WITH 43 SPOT
After a week that saw Joel (70), KAT (62), Devin (62) and Luka (73) all post video game numbers, the NEC contributed to the scoring spree, courtesy of Le Moyne grad student Kaiyem Cleary (Manchester, England/Redemption Christian Academy (NY) (Florida Southern/Florida Southwestern/Ball State)).
After the NEC Player of the Week broke a 69-year old a program record with 43 points in Le Moyne’s 87-74 win over LIU, we’re going to let the numbers speak for themselves.
- Cleary became the 14th NEC player to score 40+ points in an NEC game over the last quarter century and 22nd overall during the time frame.
40+ Points vs. Conference Opponents (last 25 years)
Antawn Dobie (LIU) 53 vs. SFBK 2/22/03
Quincy McKnight (SHU) 44 vs. BRY 1/14/17
Sam Prescott (MSM) 44 vs. BRY 2/14/13
Charles Pride (BRY) 44 vs. SFU 2/3/22
Kaiyem Cleary (LEM) 43 vs. LIU 1/27/24
Alex Francis (BRY) 43 vs. LIU 2/24/11
Rahsaan Johnson (MU) 43 vs. SFBK 2/4/01
Kyle Vinales (CCSU) 42 vs. WC 2/14/13
James Felton (FDU) 41 vs. LIU 2/23/02
Shane Gibson (SHU) 41 vs. MSM 1/28/12
Rob Monroe (QU) 41 vs. SHU 2/3/05
Tristan Blackwood (CCSU) 40 vs. RMU 2/22/07
Steven Howard (SFBK) 40 vs. UMBC 2/12/00
Rahsaan Johnson (MU) 40 vs. SFBK 3/3/00
40+ Points vs. Non-Conference Opponents (last 25 years)
Maurice Carter (RMU) 42 vs. E. Michigan 11/26/02
Rob Monroe (QU) 41 vs. Longwood 1/2/05
Curtis Cobb (WC) 40 vs. Wesley 11/12/19
Josh Cohen (SFU) 40 vs. Lehigh 11/21/22
Josh Cohen (SFU) 40 vs. Hawaii 12/11/22
Matt Hunter (CCSU) 40 vs. Indiana 12/8/12
Rahsaan Johnson (MU) 40 vs. Princeton 12/8/01
Josh Williams (RMU) 40 vs. Mt. Aloysius 11/14/18
- Cleary’s 43 points tied him for 12th on the NEC single-game scoring list with Marist’s Daryl Powell, LIU’s Carey Scurry, Monmouth’s Rahsaan Johnson and Bryant’s Alex Francis.
- The 43 points were the most in an NEC game since Bryant’s Charles Pride scored 44 against SFU on February 3, 2022.
- It marked the most points scored in a DI regulation game this season and third-most overall behind Denver’s Tommy Bruner (49) and South Dakota’s Kaleb Stewart (44), who rang up their totals in the same game, a 111-110 double overtime affair won by the Pioneers last Friday.
- Cleary became one of ten DI players to reach the 40-point plateau this season.
- The 43 points were the most scored by a player on a reclassifying team since Omaha’s CJ Carter dropped 45 against IUPUI on January 18, 2015.
>> CCSU START IN PERSPECTIVE
First place CCSU is firing on all cylinders this season and it’s 6-1 start ranks among the best in program history during its 27-year history in the NEC.
The 6-1 mark stands as the program’s best start since the 2006-07 campaign, a year that saw the Blue Devils begin the season 14-1 en route to capturing the regular season title with a 16-2 mark. CCSU continued its run that March, winning its third NEC Tournament crown.
Prior to that, the Blue Devils wrapped their landmark 2001-02 season 19-1 in NEC play, dropping only their second game of the year to SFBK. CCSU finished the season with a conference record 27 wins and claimed its second NEC title.
In 1999-00, CCSU won its first 12 conference games before concluding the season 15-3 and securing both the NEC regular season and tournament championships.
>> FLASH (FAB) FIVE
After starting four freshman for 10 straight games, Saint Francis U made it an even five against Sacred Heart on Thursday in Loretto.
Starting an all freshmen lineup for the first time in program history, the Flash Five didn’t miss a beat, defeating the NEC’s most experienced squad, 75-71, to knock SHU out of first place.
It also marked the first time this season that a DI team has started five freshmen. Kentucky and Holy Cross have both started four freshmen in a game.
Locked in a tense battle with the 4-1 Pioneers, it was a pair of freshmen who made key shots down the stretch for the nation’s third youngest team.
Leading by four, Eli Wilborn (Middletown, CT/Middletown (South Kent)) converted a layup with 2:39 to play, and Aaron “Ace” Talbert (Wyandanch, NY/Scotland Campus (PA)) added a layup of his own with under two minutes remaining to extend the advantage to eight points.
While SFU freshmen combined to 49 of the team’s 75 points, it was a sophomore who stole the show.
Miles Webb (Arlington, VA/St. Stephens & St. Agnes) produced the finest game of his young career, netting career-highs in points (19), rebounds (seven), assists (three) and blocks (three) in the win. The 6’8” forward also produced the highlight of the night with a thunderous slam in the first half.
“We have some really selfless kids and I put Miles Webb at the top of that list,” said SFU head coach Rob Krimmel after the game. “He pulls for his teammates and he wants his teammates to do well. Those traits eventually lead to success. As a basketball coach, you want that success to be out on the court. He was he was a big reason we were able to win the game tonight.”
Since Rob Krimmel took over as head coach in 2012-13, the Red Flash are 11-1 overall against the Pioneers at DeGol Arena, and SFU has won the last 11 in Loretto.
>> TAI’S BULL’S EYE AT THE BUZZER
It’s been a minute since we’ve witnessed an NEC buzzer beater.
Enter Tai Strickland (Tampa, FL/St. Petersburg (Wisconsin/Temple/Georgia Southern)).
With the score deadlocked at 60 against Stonehill on Thursday, it was a frantic final 10 seconds.
The Skyhawks had a chance to go ahead, but a layup attempt was blocked by freshman forward Nikola Djapa (Belgrade, Serbia/Hoosac School).
Without calling timeout, Strickland raced the ball up court, and with a defender’s hand in face, pulled up from NBA range and banked it in with 0.2 seconds on the clock.
The win snapped a three-game Shark losing skid.
Strickland finished with 18 points on 5-8 shooting from the floor, 2-3 from outside the arc and 6-6 from the line.
Two days later, Strickland exploded for a career-high 34 points in a setback at Le Moyne. He made 14-23 shots, including 4-8 from deep, and added seven boards and three assists.
He became one of three players to score 30+ points in an NEC game this season and his 34 points marked the third-most by an NEC player in 2023-24.
>> WILBORN’S STANDOUT SHOWING
Saint Francis U freshman forward Eli Wilborn (Middletown, CT/Middletown (South Kent)) had himself a day against Merrimack.
The Middletown, CT native established a new career-high with 16 rebounds, while his 19 points matched his personal best set just eight days earlier against LIU.
How rare are those numbers for a freshman?
Wilborn became the first freshman nationwide this season to finish with at least 19 points, 16 caroms and three rejections in a game. The last freshmen to achieve these thresholds was Marshall’s Micah Handlogten, who put up 19 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks against Coastal Carolina on January 7, 2023.
The 16 boards rank him fourth among D1 freshmen this season and second among all NEC players in 2023-24. His performance also marked the second-highest rebound total by a freshman under head coach Rob Krimmel, trailing only Keith Braxton’s 19 vs. Stony Brook on December 17, 2016.
>> FDU & SHU POINTFEST
In a game that more or less resembled a track meet, FDU staved off a furious Sacred Heart rally to post a 93-91 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday at the Bogota Savings Bank Center.
The win pushed FDU’s record back over .500 and left the teams tied for fourth place with identical 4-3 records.
The 184 combined points were the most in an NEC regulation game since Bryant downed FDU, 105-93, on February 19, 2022.
FDU ended the game averaging 1.28 PPP, while SHU posted 1.25 PPP.
The Knights led 71-50 with just over 10 minutes remaining, but the Pios responded with an 11-0 run in less than two minutes to trim the deficit to ten.
SHU reeled off another 10-0 spurt to cut the lead to 81-79 with 3:40 to play.
A Heru Bligen (Glen Dale, MD/St. Andrew’s Episcopal (Longwood/Garden City CC)) putback at the 1:49 mark pushed FDU’s lead back to 87-80 and the Knights scored their remaining points from the line.
The Pios had one last chance, but a three-quarter court heave at the buzzer was off the mark.
>> SALTER’S MILESTONE
It was a banner day for Le Moyne on Saturday.
In addition to the historic 43-point performance by graduate student guard Kaiyem Cleary (Manchester, England/Redemption Christian Academy (NY) (Florida Southern/Florida Southwestern/Ball State)), marking the Dolphins’ third consecutive win, another noteworthy individual milestone transpired.
Fellow grad student guard Isaiah Salter (Charlotte, NC/Central Cabarrus (AIC/Adelphi) scored his 1,000th career point on a first half three-pointer.
Salter has scored 467 points at Le Moyne after amassing 289 at AIC in 2018-19 and 250 at Adelphi in 2021-22. He enters play this week having accumulated 1,006 career points.
>> CCSU ROAD WARRIORS
Following its 76-60 win at FDU in a nationally televised game at FDU on Thursday, CCSU now boasts a perfect 4-0 record in NEC road games this season.
The 4-0 road start is the best for the program in 23 years.
That stat is impressive in its own right, but it doesn’t tell the full story.
The Blue Devils have won the four road games by an average of 13.5 ppg, winning by at least nine points in each outing.
Jan. 4 - CCSU 74, Stonehill 59
Jan. 13 - CCSU 75, Saint Francis U 61
Jan. 21 - CCSU 72, LIU 63
Jan. 25 - CCSU 76, FDU 60
The last NEC squad to begin the season 4-0 away from home was FDU in 2022-23. The Knights won their first five road games and wrapped the regular season with a 6-2 away mark.
With that said, there have been 19 teams to jump out to a 4-0 road start in league play since the 1997-98 season. CCSU (2001-02) and Robert Morris (2007-08) both finished seasons unbeaten in road games.
Teams With 4-0 Road Starts In NEC Play Since 1997-98
CCSU 4-0 2023-24
FDU 5-0 2022-23
Wagner 6-0 2021-22
Merrimack 5-0 2019-20
Robert Morris 4-0 2017-18
Robert Morris 7-0 2013-14
LIU 4-0 2011-12 (NEC champion)
Robert Morris 6-0 2008-09 (NEC champion)
Robert Morris 9-0 2007-08 (perfect record)
Sacred Heart 7-0 2007-08
Mount St. Mary’s 4-0 2005-06
Monmouth 4-0 2004-05
Monmouth 5-0 2002-03
Wagner 5-0 2002-03 (NEC champion)
CCSU 10-0 2001-02 (perfect season, NEC champion)
SFBK 6-0 2000-01
CCSU 4-0 1999-00 (NEC champion)
Quinnipiac 4-0 1999-00
UMBC 8-0 1998-99
>> MERRIMACK DEFENSIVE DEEP DIVE
Merrimack’s three-game win streak has been punctuated by a trio of lockdown defensive performances.
The Warriors have allowed just 48.7 ppg during the three-game stretch and that’s just the beginning of the story.
Over the three victories against Stonehill, Wagner and Saint Francis U, the Merrimack has posted the following defensive metrics:
- 48.7 ppg allowed
- 32.1 FG%
- 21.7 3PFG%
- 41.4 eFG%
- 0.75 PPP
- 9.3 spg
- 16.3 TO forced/game
- 25.1 TO rate
The last time an NEC team has had a such a prolific defensive stretch in terms of points allowed came in 2020-21, when Wagner yielded 48.7 ppg in a pair of wins over Saint Francis U and one against Mount St. Mary’s.
>> UP NEXT ON NEC-TV
In this week’s NEC-TV matchup, Saint Francis U travels to Brooklyn to take on LIU. The game will air on ESPN+ and will be the first game of the season picked up by SportsNet Pittsburgh. Tipoff is at 4:00 pm with Paul Dottino and Joe DeSantis on the call.
The 13-game men’s TV schedule includes linear telecasts on CBSSN, ESPNU and ESPN2. Seven regular season games are set to air on ESPN+, one of which - FDU at CCSU on February 10 - will be picked up by YES Network.
The NEC semifinals will be carried on YES and ESPN+ on March 9, and the final on ESPN2 on March 12.
>> NEC NUGGETS
CCSU is the lone NEC team that ranks in the top-three of offensive (third) and defensive (second) efficiency in conference play.
FDU junior forward Ansley Almonor (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional (Montvale)) has posted a league-leading eight games of 20+ points and his 16 career 20+ point showings ranks fourth on the program list since 2010 behind former All-NEC players Darian Anderson (24), Jahlil Jenkins (20) and Darnell Edge (19). Almonor, who needs 63 points to reach 1,000 for his career, sank his 150th career three-pointer last week.
Le Moyne is averaging 14.0 made three-pointers over its three-game win streak, while shooting at a 44.2 percent clip from deep during that span. The Dolphins have also recorded 1.28 PPP and a 63.3 eFG% in the three wins.
LIU junior swingman Tana Kopa (Perth, Western Australia/Grace Baptist Academy (Spring Hill)) comes off another strong week that saw him average 16.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg. He shot 48.0 percent from the field and made 7-14 from beyond the arc. Kopa scored a game-high 20 points in LIU’s 63-60 win over Stonehill on Thursday.
After entering Saturday’s game at Saint Francis U with just four points on the season, Merrimack sophomore forward Elliott Black (Washington, D.C./St. Stephens and St. Agnes) played an integral role in the Warriors’ 74-55 win. Black scored a career-high 10 points and also secured a personal-best six caroms. He made 5-6 shots from the floor.
Sacred Heart senior forward Alex Sobel (Setauket, NY/Ward Melville (Middlebury)) continued to add to his prodigious shot-blocking totals last week. Sobel rejected three shots at Saint Francis U on Thursday and five more at FDU on Saturday. He leads the NEC and ranks fourth nationally with 2.9 per game. Sobel has swatted 61 shots this season and needs 28 more to enter the NEC single-season top-10.’
Sacred Heart senior guard Kyle McGee (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary’s of the Assumption (West Chester)) netted a Pioneer career-high 23 points and hit 5-7 shots from three-point land at FDU on Saturday.
Saint Francis U sophomore forward Miles Webb (Arlington, VA/St. Stephens & St. Agnes) comes off the finest week of his young career. He rang up a career-high 19 points on 8-12 shooting in Thursday’s win over Sacred Heart. He also established career-bests in rebounds (seven), assists (three) and steals (three). For the week, he averaged 12.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 bpg and shot 55.6 percent from the floor.
Stonehill freshman forward Todd Brogna (Southborough, MA/Worcester Academy) matched his career-high with 12 points and added a career-best five assists in Thursday’s last second loss at LIU. He made 5-9 shots from the floor.
Wagner junior guard Javier Ezquerra (San Juan, Puerto Rico/IMG Academy) set new career-highs with 22 points and six three-pointers in Saturday’s one-point setback at CCSU. He finished a red-hot 6-9 from downtown. For the week, Ezquerra averaged 12.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.5 apg. He is now shooting 36.4 percent from long range in NEC play.
Wagner sophomore forward Keyontae Lewis (Chesterfield, VA/Lloyd C Bird) comes off his best week of the season. He posted 9.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg and made 60.0 percent of his shot opportunities. His 13 points against CCSU on Saturday was a season-high. He also matched his career-high with 11 rebounds in that same game.
>> NEC ANALYTICS ZONE WITH RYAN PETERS
Each week throughout the 2023-24 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.
Merrimack continued its defensive excellence last week by extending their three-game winning streak with road triumphs at Wagner and Saint Francis U. In those 3 wins, Joe Gallo’s Warriors have given up 0.75 points per possession and forced 49 turnovers. For the season, Merrimack has the eighth best defensive turnover rate in the country at 22.9 percent and they’ve held opponents to the 21st best mark nationally with a two-point field goal defense of 44.5 percent. The Seahawks and Red Flash combined to make just 33 percent of their inside-the-arc takes while failing to fare better from long distance. The teams converted 25.7 percent of their three-point attempts.
Despite their struggles, Stonehill currently ranks third in adjusted defensive efficiency in league play, thanks to the third best effective field goal defense (47.5 percent) and the second best steal rate (12.0 percent). They’ve done it mainly through a zone defense, employing it on 72 percent of their defensive possessions, one of the highest rates in the entire Division I landscape. From a points per possession standpoint, Stonehill’s zone rates above average relative to all of college basketball defenses with a 0.90 ppp mark. Furthermore, Chris Kraus’ zone has turned several Skyhawks into theft artists with Jackson Benigni (East Hampton, CT/Xavier (Hamden Hall Country Day)) (3.8 percent, 80th nationally), Chas Stinson (Charlotte, NC/Liberty Heights) (2.9, 302nd) and Louie Semona (Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier (St. Thomas More (CT))) (2.5 percent, 489th) all placing within the nation’s top 500 in steal rate.
LIU’s Tana Kopa (Perth, Western Australia/Grace Baptist Academy (Spring Hill)) is in the midst of playing the best basketball of his Division I career, logging four straight games with a KenPom offensive rating north of 107. Two of his games - CCSU and Stonehill - led to the KenPom MVP honor as he played all 40 minutes in both. Over his productive stretch, he’s done much of his offensive damage from downtown, making 46.7 percent of his three-point attempts. For the season, Kopa is experiencing something of a “reverse split” in regards to his three-point shot - 40 percent of his off-the-dribble triples have found the bottom of the net, whereas just 28 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers have led to points.
The second half of the Sacred Heart/FDU game certainly wasn’t devoid of excitement, as each team embarked on at least one run of 10-plus points. The Knights extended their lead to a game-high 21 points after engineering a 12-2 run with just over 10 minutes remaining. The Pioneers responded with a 11-0 run - eight of those points from Nico Galette (Rahway, NJ/Rutgers Prep) - before going on a 10-0 run a few minutes later to close the Knights’ gap to two points. In the end, FDU prevailed in the offensive battle but not before Sacred Heart scored 41 points in their final 23 possessions for a pristine 1.78 points per possession (ppp). According to Synergy, both teams combined to score 1.63 ppp on their catch and shoot jumpers for the game.
>> NEC IN NATIONAL LEADERS (TOP-25)
Team Category Rank Value
CCSU Blocks 23rd 5.1
LEM 3P 10th 10.45
MC Steals 12th 9.68
TO Forced 14th 15.86
WC Scoring Defense 9th 62.7
Fewest Turnovers 23rd 9.8
Individual Category Rank Value
Adam “Budd” Clark, MC Steals 20th 2.32
Alex Sobel, SHU Blocks 4th 2.90