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Bridgewater, NJ -- A returning all-star from Northeast Conference (NEC) co-favorite CCSU headlines the 2024-25 Preseason All-NEC Men’s Basketball team.
 
The announcement of the team, along with the preseason coaches’ poll, was made today during the NEC Men’s Basketball Media Day broadcast, which streamed exclusively on ESPN+.
 
CCSU senior guard Jordan Jones (Florence, SC/Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate School (Coker)), a 2023-24 All-NEC second team honoree, was joined on the preseason squad by FDU junior forward Jo’el Emanuel (Suffern, NY/Suffern), Le Moyne fifth year guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, VA/Oak Hill Academy (Towson)) and a pair of NEC newcomers: LIU redshirt junior guard Malachi Davis (Toronto, ON/Central Tech (Tallahassee CC/Lake Land College/Arizona State)) and Mercyhurst graduate forward Jeff Planutis (Hazleton, PA/Hazleton).
 
Jones emerged as an elite combo guard and lockdown on-ball defender in his first year with CCSU, helping spark the Blue Devils to their first NEC regular-season title in 17 years. The All-Conference second team award winner’s breakout moment came last December when he drilled the game-winning three-pointer to snap UMass Lowell’s 20-game home win streak. Once league play hit, the energetic 6-footer from Florence, SC showcased his deep shooting range, the ability to score from any spot on the floor, play with pace in transition and create open shots for teammates. He scored a career-high 33 points in a win over Sacred Heart and finished the season ranked tenth in the NEC in scoring with 13.1 ppg, while placing fifth in assists (3.7), fourth in steals (1.8) and eighth in free throw percentage (.748). Jones also knocked down 36 three-pointers.
 
A key reserve for FDU during its memorable 2023 NCAA run, Emanuel seamlessly slid into a starting role as a sophomore last season and may shoulder an even heavier load this season. A high-octane slasher and explosive leaper whose rim-rattling dunks have made him a regular on both NEC and national highlight reels, Emanuel served notice as one of the league’s most improved players. The 6’6” forward out of Suffern, NY averaged 10.6 ppg on 45.3 percent shooting, threw down 22 slams and and ranked second in the league in free throw rate. He added 5.2 rpg and was the fourth-leading offensive rebounder in the NEC.
 
Jones Jr. is tailor-made for Le Moyne’s gunslinging three-point attack, which not only led the NEC but also ranked among the nation’s top-20 teams with nearly 10 made triples per game. The fifth-year catch-and-shoot specialist drained 40 shots from downtown at a 40.9 percent clip to rank second in the conference. He was even more lethal in league play, leading the NEC with a 48.1 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc. Jones, a Richmond, VA native, averaged 8.5 ppg last season and finished the year strong, averaging 15.3 points per game over his final four outings while hitting 12-of-19 shots from deep.
 
Davis, a crafty 6’4” combo guard and one of 12 LIU additions, projects to be one of the top NEC newcomers after a stint at Arizona State, where he saw action in seven games last season. The Toronto, Ontario native, who scored over 1,200 points in junior college, averaged 17.1 ppg on 50.5 percent shooting from the floor and drilled 51 shots from long range while enrolled at Tallahassee Community College in 2022-23.
 
Mercyhurst will lean on Planutis to help shepherd the Lakers into the DI era following back-to-back PSAC West first team selections. The lanky 6’6’ forward enters the NEC as a proven scorer and elite marksman from distance, cable of stretching defenses with his deep shooting range. A career 39.7 percent shooter from beyond the arc, Planutis has racked up 164 three-pointers and tallied 1,377 points over his four seasons in Erie. Last season, he paced the Lakers with 17.4 ppg, highlighted by a 39-point outburst in a win over Kutztown.
 
2024-25 NEC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team    
          
Name                School          Pos.  Ht.   Wt.   Cl.   Hometown/High School

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 44th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#8). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#87). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, 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.