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NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow's Office Player of the Week: Malachi Davis, LIU
NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow's Office Rookie of the Week: Hermann Koffi, STO
Previous NEC Releases: January 14 | January 7 | December 30 | December 23 | December 16 | December 9 | December 2 | November 25 | November 18 | November 11 | Preseason Poll Release
 
NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Malachi Davis, LIU
R-Jr., G, 6-4, 172 lbs.
Toronto, ON/Central Tech (Tallahassee CC/Lake Land College/Arizona St.))
Davis claimed his second consecutive NEC Player of the Week honor - and third this season - after powering first-place LIU to another sweep that kept the Sharks unbeaten in conference play with a 6-0 mark. Davis supplied LIU with 23.0 points, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game, and shot 40.0 percent from three-point territory. The Toronto native came up huge down the stretch in Saturday’s 64-51 win over Saint Francis U, scoring his team’s final 10 points. He knocked down back-to-back triples and then completed an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:01 remaining. On Monday, Davis helped force overtime against Mercyhurst with a three-pointer and two late free throws. In OT, he dished out three assists and buried a shot from deep with 1:22 on the clock to close out the 72-63 victory. Davis ranks second in the NEC in scoring at 17.9 ppg and has upped his production to 20.2 ppg vs. league opponents. He has posted eight games of 20+ points on the season.

NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Hermann Koffi, Stonehill
Fr., G, 6-4, 200 lbs.
Quebec City, Quebec/Polyvalente de Thetford Mines
Koffi earned his third NEC Rookie of the Week honor in the last four weeks after taking on a starring role for the Skyhawks in a 73-72 setback at Le Moyne on Monday. Koffi matched his career-high with 18 points on 6-13 shooting from the floor and a 4-9 mark from outside the arc. Trailing by 19 points with just over seven minutes to play, Koffi buried a pair of three-pointers to spark a 20-0 run that gave the Skyhawks their first lead of the second half with 1:55 left to play. Then, down two, the Quebec City native drained a clutch go-ahead three with nine seconds on the clock. Koffi scored nine of his team-best 18 points in the final 3:14. He paces all conference freshmen in scoring with 10.3 ppg and is averaging 14.0 ppg against NEC rivals.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
 
Jayden Brown (CCSU, Sr, F/C)
Last week: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 6-11 FG at FDU
 
- Scored 11 of his 16 in the second half and led CCSU in scoring in its win at FDU on Saturday that improved CCSU to 3-0 on the road in NEC play.
- After making 11-47 (.234) shots from three-point range over his first three seasons, Brown is 23-64 (.359) from downtown this season.
 
Abdul Momoh (CCSU, Sr, F)
Last week: 12 points, 10 rebounds, 6-9 FG at FDU
 
- Posted his second double-double of the season in Saturday’s 71-60 win at FDU.
- Ranks eighth in the NEC with 5.6 rpg.
 
Jalen Forrest (CSU, Jr, G)
Last week: 20.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 53.6 FG%, 45.5 3P%
 
- Scored a season-high 24 points on 7-11 shooting and hit 4-5 from long range in Saturday’s 88-72 win over Le Moyne. He added eight boards and three assists.
- Leads the Cougars with 10.0 ppg.
 
Jo’el Emanuel (FDU, Jr, F)
Last week: 17.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 80.0 FG%

- Rang up a game-high 22 points to spark FDU in its 58-48 victory at Chicago State on Monday. He hit 7-9 from the field - throwing down three slams - and 8-9 at the stripe.
- Has provided FDU with 19.5 ppg and 7.8 rpg over his last four outings.
 
Robby Carmody (LEM, Gr, G)
Last week: 18.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 50.0 FG%, 63.6 3P%
 
- Tallied a season-high 20 points on just eight shots in Le Moyne’s 73-72 triumph over Stonehill. He made 3-4 from beyond the arc and 9-10 from the line.
- Ranks seventh in the NEC in three-point accuracy at 39.3 percent.
 
AJ Dancler (LEM, So, G)
Last week: 19.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 7.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 50.0 FG%, 46.2 3P%
 
- Dancler’s hot stretch continued in Le Moyne’s split last week. He registered 19 points, seven rebounds, a career-high nine assists and two steals in an outstanding all-around effort as the Dolphins’ edged Stonehill on Monday.
- Produced double-digit points totals in seven of his last eight games to raise his season average from 6.9 ppg to 10.7 ppg.
- Averaging 15.4 ppg in conference play to rank fifth in the league.
 
Malachi Davis (LIU, R-Jr, G)
Last week: 23.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, 2.5 spg, 40.0 3P%
 
- Dropped a game-high 23 points in both ends of LIU’s sweep.
- Scored the last 10 points of the game in the Sharks’ win over SFU on Saturday.
- The 3x NEC Player of the Week ranks second in the circuit in scoring at 17.9 ppg and is putting up 20.2 ppg vs. league opponents.
 
Jamal Fuller (LIU, Sr, F)
Last week: 15.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 bpg, 50.0 3P%
 
- Recorded his second double-double of the year in Monday’s OT win over Mercyhurst, finishing with 20 points and a career-high 12 boards. He also added a career-best four three-pointers and four blocks.
- Averaging 14.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg and is shooting 43.4 percent from deep in NEC play.
- Ranks sixth in the NEC with 6.0 rpg.
 
Aidan Reichert (MU, Sr, F)
Last week: 18.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 spg, 52.4 FG%, 87.5 FT%
 
- Matched his season-high with 22 points to lead the Lakers to a 69-65 victory at Wagner on Saturday. He also pulled down a game-best eight boards.
- Sits fifth in the NEC in scoring at 12.6 ppg.
 
Hermann Koffi (STO, Fr. G)
Last week: 18 points, 2 assists, 6-13 FG, 4-9 3P at Le Moyne
 
- Sparked Stonehill’s comeback from a 19-point deficit that fell just short in a 73-72 setback at Le Moyne on Monday. Scored nine of his team-high 18 points in the final 3:14, including a go-ahead three-pointer with nine seconds to play.
- The 3x NEC Rookie of the Week paces all conference freshmen in scoring at 10.3 ppg and is supplying the Skyhawks 14.0 ppg vs. league rivals..
 
Zaire Williams (WC, Sr, G)
Last week: 15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 spg
 
- Hit the game-winner on a tough runner with 1.9 seconds left in OT to give Wagner a 70-68 double overtime win over Mercyhurst on Monday.
- Contributing 16.4 ppg against NEC opposition and 12.9 ppg overall, both team-highs.
- Has reached double-digits in seven straight games.
 
#NECMBB BY THE NUMBERS
 
0 - The number of NEC games decided by 20 or more points: 0. The NEC stands alone as the only conference in the nation without a single “blowout” game.

0 - In the league’s history, there have been 0 instances of an NEC team starting 6-0 and finishing lower than second in the regular season standings.

10 - With 10 wins this season, LIU has already equaled its win total from the previous two seasons combined.

78.0 - Mercyhurst is shooting 78.0 percent from the free throw line this season, which leads the NEC and ranks 22nd nationally. The NEC single-season record for FT accuracy is 78.2 percent, set by CCSU in 2018-19.

#NECMBB FAST BREAK

CCSU
With Saturday’s win at FDU, CCSU secured its seventh road victory of the season, which is tied for second in the nation.

Chicago St.
The Cougars averaged 12.0 steals per game last week and lead the NEC with 8.8 swipes per contest in league play.

FDU
Graduate student forward Bismark Nsiah is the NEC co-leader in both rebounding (8.0) and assists (5.0) in conference play.

Le Moyne
Le Moyne leads the NEC with eight individual double-doubles this season (Owens - 4, Koroma - 3, Fouts - 1). No other team has more than five.

LIU
Freshman forward Shadrak Lasu snared a career-high 12 rebounds in LIU’s win vs. Mercyhurst on Monday. He paces the NEC with 6.9 rpg.

Mercyhurst
Aidan Reichert (18.5), Jeff Planutis (15.0), Bernie Blunt III (11.5) and Shemar Rathan-Mayes (10.5) combined to score all but five of Mercyhurst’s 132 points last week.

Saint Francis U
Junior guard Chris Moncrief came off the bench to score 13 points at Wagner on Monday, his highest career-point total against a DI opponent. He added four rebounds and three assists.

Stonehill
After averaging 4.7 points through his first nine games of the season, sophomore guard Louie Semona has boosted his production to 15.4 ppg over the last 11 contests. His 10.6 ppg on the year ranks third on the Skyhawks.

Wagner
Wagner senior forward Keyontae Lewis posted his first double-double of the season and third of his career, finishing with 10 points and a career-high tying 12 rebounds in Monday’s double overtime win over SFU.
   
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB

Here’s all you need to know from the 11th week of the 2024-25 season...
 
>> AND THEN THERE WAS (STILL) ONE
 
With three weeks of NEC competition in the books, one team still has its perfect record intact.
 
By virtue of its home wins over Saint Francis U (64-51) and Mercyhurst (72-63 in OT), LIU has opened up a 2.5-game lead on the pack and is off to a 6-0 start, its best since opening the 2011-12 season with eight straight victories. That season, LIU finished 16-2 and won the second of its record three straight NEC Tournament titles.
 
It’s also the best NEC opening since Wagner won its first 11 conference games of the 2021-22 campaign.
 
How rare is a 6-0 start in league play historically?
 
There have been 13 teams in NEC history to start the year 6-0 or better in NEC action, including LIU this season.
 
Of the 12 teams that opened 6-0 prior to this season, seven went on to win the NEC regular season title and five captured the NEC Tournament crown.
 
The most recent NEC team to commence the season 6-0 and clinch the regular season championship was Robert Morris in 2013-14.
 
As for the last squad to start 6-0 and win the tournament title, that honor goes to the 2011-12 LIU squad.
 
Every team that has started 6-0 has finished no lower than second in the NEC standings.
 
NEC Teams That Have Started 6-0 Since 1997-98
 
2024-25
LIU             6-0 start   ???? regular season finish
 
2021-22
WC              11-0        2nd
 
2013-14
RMU             7-0         1st
 
2012-13
BRY             6-0         Tie 2nd
 
2011-12
LIU             8-0         1st          NEC Champion
 
2004-05
MU              7-0         1st
 
1999-00
CCSU            12-0        1st          NEC Champion
 
1998-99
UMBC            15-0*       1st          *NEC record for best start
 
1996-97
FDU             6-0         2nd
 
1995-96
Marist          8-0         Tie 2nd
Monmouth        7-0         Tie 2nd       NEC Champion
 
1990-91
SFU             6-0         Tie 1st       NEC Champion
 
1982-83
RMU             6-0         1st NEC       NEC Champion
                        
>> COUGARS FIND THEIR OFFENSIVE GROOVE
 
Following a sluggish start offensively in NEC play, Chicago State entered Saturday’s game with Le Moyne aiming for a breakout offensive effort.
 
The Cougars delivered in a big way.
 
After averaging just 51.7 points in its first three conference outings, the Cougars exploded for a season-high 88 points in an 88-72 victory over Le Moyne to pocket its first-ever NEC home win.
 
The 88 points marked the program’s highest total against a DI opponent since posting an 89-81 win over SIU-Edwardsville on December 4, 2019.
 
CSU averaged 1.22 PPP, shot 54.7 percent from field and hit 57.9 percent from three-point range, where they drained 11-19 shots on the afternoon. All three marked season-highs.
 
Five Cougars reached double-digits, highlighted by a career effort from junior guard Jalen Forrest (Decatur, GA/Greenforest-McCalep Christian (Presbyterian)). Forrest erupted for a season-high 24 points on 7-11 shooting and a 4-5 mark from downtown. He added eight boards and three assists.
 
>> MALACHI DAVIS TAKEOVER
 
Only a select few players have the ability to consistently carry a team to victory in crunch time.
 
LIU’s Malachi Davis (Toronto, ON/Central Tech (Tallahassee CC/Lake Land College/Arizona St.)) is most certainly one of them.
 
In the Sharks’ second game of the season, Davis scored 13 straight points over the final four minutes to turn a two point lead into a 70-60 victory at Stonehill.
 
One week later, LIU turned to their redshirt junior guard to close out SFU.
 
Leading by nine with under four minutes to play, Davis scored the last ten points of the game for the Sharks. He buried a pair of NBA range three-point, then sealed the deal on a conventional three-point play with 2:01 remaining in a 64-51 victory that pushed LIU’s record to 5-0 in league play.
 
Two days later, with the game still on the line in OT, Davis drilled a dagger three-pointer with 1:22 remaining to help ice a 72-63 victory over Mercyhurst and keep the Sharks unbeaten.
 
The three-time NEC Player of the Week ranks second in the NEC in scoring at 17.9 ppg, and has been even better in NEC play, raising that average to 20.2 ppg.
 
He is averaging 11.8 points in the second half of NEC games, and 33 of his 46 points last week came after intermission.
 
>> NEC TERRIFIC TRIOS
 
Each year around this time, it’s become customary on these pages to pay tribute to the top scoring duos across the conference.
 
However, in a year with balance scoring across the conference, this is the year of the triple threat, with multiple teams sporting a trio of players who rank among the NEC’s top point producers.
 
Led by NEC leading scorer Terrence Brown (Minneapolis, MN/Columbia Heights), FDU is the lone NEC squad with three players combining to average at least 40.0 ppg.
 

                 
>> LIU DEFENSIVE STRETCH
 
Over the first six games of the conference season, opponents appear to be trapped in the jaws of LIU’s swarming defense.
 
The Sharks’s defensive metrics over the first three weeks have put them in good company historically.
 
LIU has now held its first six NEC opponents to 63 points or less, the longest such streak for the program since a six-game streak way back in 1969-70.
 
The Sharks also became the first NEC team to hold league rivals to 63 or fewer points in six straight contests since Merrimack put together a seven-game streak during the 2022-23 season.
 
The Sharks have held their NEC rivals to just 54.5 ppg, limiting opponents to 36.6 percent shooting from the floor and an ice-cold 24.6 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Since 1997-98, the NEC single-season mark for defensive field goal percentage against conference competition was set by Wagner in 2013-14. That year, the Green & White limited opponents to just 38.0 percent shooting from the field.
 
The NEC record for three-point percentage defense in conference play was set by Wagner in 2011-12, when Seahawk opponents shot just 27.0 percent from beyond the arc.
 
LIU has also limited NEC teams to 0.87 PPP and .417 defensive eFG percentage. During the KenPom era (1996-present), the NEC record for defensive efficiency was set by Merrimack in 2022-23 when they held opponents to 0.88 PPP. The defensive eFG percentage mark of .419 was established by St. Francis Brooklyn in 1997-98.
 
>> STOKES’ LEGACY LIVES ON
 
In Saint Francis U’s next home game, the authors of the recently released children’s book Stokes: The Brief Career of the NBA’s First Black Superstar will be in attendance, and the first 50 children 12 and under will receive a free copy of the book.
 
In addition, the last page of the book, which features an illustration of Maurice Stokes with several influential NBA players, will be part of a fan giveaway.
.
Stokes, an SFU alum, led the Red Flash a fourth place finished in the 1955 NIT, earning the MVP honors and was a 1955 second- team All-America selection. A first-round draft choice of the then Rochester Royals, he was the 1956 NBA Rookie of the Year and a three-time NBA All-Star selection until a fall in a game in March of 1958 changed his life forever. Diagnosed with encephalitis, Maurice remained bedridden over a 12-year period. However, he never surrendered to his illness and he touched countless lived with his ever-present optimism and love of life.
 
He was a 2004 NBA Hall of Fame inductee.
 
>> MARCH (TIEBREAKER) MADNESS?
 
Teams ranked second through ninth in the NEC standings are separated by just 1 1/2 games!
 
>> HOME COOKING UPDATE
 
Home teams rebounded to go 5-3 last week, but are still just 10-14 (.417) this season in NEC action.
 
>> CRANFORD & THE 50/40/90 CHASE
 
There are very few clubs as exclusive as the 50-40-90 Club in hoops.
 
It requires a player to shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the line, while meeting minimum thresholds to qualify as a league leader in each category.
 
In NBA, WNBA, and NBA G League history, only 11 players have recorded a 50–40–90 season, with nine in the NBA and one each in the WNBA and the NBA G League. The most recent player to achieve a 50–40–90 season was Kevin Durant in 2022–23. Steve Nash (three times), Durant (twice) and Larry Bird (twice) are the only players to post multiple 50/40/90 seasons.
 
Since 1980, just 17 DI collegians finished at 50/40/90 and reached minimum thresholds (at lest 3.0 FG made/game, 2.0 FT made/game, 1.0 3P made/game and at least half of team games played). Salim Stoudamire (Arizona), Matt Kennedy (Charleston Southern), Matt Hildebrand (Liberty) and Jack Ferguson (Colgate) all recorded 50–50–90 seasons.
 
The closest an NEC player has come to meeting all three benchmarks came back in 1990-91 when NEC Player of the Year Mike Iuzzolino shot 54.2 percent from the floor, a scorching 52.8 percent from downtown and 88.5 percent from the stripe for Saint Francis U.
 
This season, SFU freshman guard Juan Cranford, Jr. (Dayton, OH/Wayne) has kicked off his career on a shooting spree and is currently hovering near the coveted 50/40/90 mark with six weeks left in the regular season.
 
Cranford has been incredibly efficient, having hit 50.4 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from outside the arc and 91.7 percent from the stripe over his first 20 games.
 
Cranford, who ranks second among NEC freshmen with 9.6 ppg, has posted a 60.7 effective field goal percentage and 63.9 true shooting percentage.
 
>> NEC BIG SHOT
 
This week’s NEC Big Shot honors go to Wagner senior guard Zaire Williams (Brooklyn, NY/Eagle Academy (NY)).
 
After hitting the game-tying free throw to force a second overtime in Monday’s game against visiting Saint Francis U, Williams would go one step further in the second extra session.
 
The Brooklyn native drilled a go-ahead triple with 1:15 to play then found the ball in his hands on the final possession with the score tied at 68.
 
With the clock winding down, Williams drove to his right, bodying his way to the hoop for a pullup that kissed off glass with 1.9 seconds remaining to give Wagner the 70-68 victory.
 
>> COMEBACK MEETS HEARTBREAK AS LE MOYNE SURVIVES STONEHILL’S LATE CHARGE
 
If you checked out early during Monday’s Le Moyne-Stonehill game on NEC Front Row, you missed out.
 
While the Dolphins appeared to be cruising to victory late in the second half, the Skyhawks had other plans.
 
Trailing 64-45 with seven minutes to play, Le Moyne had a 99 percent win probability per KenPom. But Stonehill stormed back, reeling off 20 straight points over the next five minutes, capped by a Todd Brogna (Southborough, MA/Worcester Academy) layup with 1:55 to play that gave the Skyhawks their first lead of the half.
 
After Le Moyne regained the lead, Stonehill freshman guard Hermann Koffi (Quebec City, Quebec/Polyvalente de Thetford Mines) knocked down a clutch three-pointer with nine seconds to play to give the Skyhawks a 72-71 lead. It was Koffi’s third triple in the final three minutes of the game.
 
The win probability shifted to 80 percent for Stonehill, but it was not to be.
 
Le Moyne’s Robby Carmody (Mars, PA/Mars Area (Notre Dame/Mercer)) was fouled with four seconds remaining, calmly sank both free throws, and the Dolphins escaped with a 73-72 victory.

>> NEC ANALYTICS ZONE (via Ryan Peters, NEC Overtime! Blog contributor)

Le Moyne’s AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, IN/Southport) has now posted three straight games of scoring at least 1.00 point per possession. His latest 19-point, 9-assist, 7-rebound effort in a victory over Stonehill earned him the KenPom MVP designation of the game for the third time this season, with the Dolphins winning every time this has occurred. Currently, Dancler leads all NEC players in assist rate (35.1 percent), is second in 3-point field goal percentage (44.0 percent) and fifth in KenPom offensive rating (117.5) in conference play. 

The major culprit to LIU’s 6-0 NEC start has been Rod Strickland’s defense. To no one’s surprise, the Sharks have the best defensive efficiency in league play and are forcing opponents to shoot just 24.8 percent from behind the arc, while allowing an offensive rebound only 22.7 percent of the time, the best mark in the conference. LIU has also generated a steal on 13 percent of their NEC opponents possessions and were able to record 10 thefts in their overtime victory over Mercyhurst on Monday. LIU is now 9-3, and 6-0 in the NEC, when holding an opponent to under 1.00 points per possession in a contest.

Wagner’s Zaire Williams (Brooklyn, NY/Eagle Academy (NY)) is atop the NEC leaderboard as the conference’s most efficient player in transition, scoring 1.417 points per possession when creating in the open floor. The high number is due to Williams’ field goal percentage of 67 percent as well as his miniscule turnover percentage of 8.3 percent. For the season, Williams has made 14-of-17 shots inside the arc when in transition, while draining 6-of-13 from deep. His impact on the defensive end should not be understated as well, as the senior is posting the third best steal rate (4.3 percent) in league play. Seahawk head coach Donald Copeland rightly called Williams “a two-way player” after Wagner was victorious in a double OT marathon against Saint Francis. 

The most prolific NEC player in isolation so far has been Mercyhurst’s Aidan Reichert (Jackson Center, OH/Jackson Center). The crafty senior is posting a 70 percent shooting percentage in those situations, and has been adept in guiding Gary Manchel’s offensive attack. Reichard is posting the best KenPom offensive rating on the team at 107.7, and despite a high usage rate, has a turnover rate of under 10.5 percent, the 230th best mark among all Division I players. In addition to his efficiency in transition, Reichert has been efficient in a variety of ways as evident in pick-and-roll situations (1.33 PPP), offensive putbacks (1.29 PPP) and in spotting up (1.02 PPP).