Minlend has helped lead St. Francis (NY) to a 19-7 record and #2 seed in the NEC Tournament, which begins on Friday, February 26 with two quarterfinal games. The senior guard is looking to become the third straight NEC player to win the national scoring title, after Long Island’s Charles Jones won back-to-back scoring crowns in 1997 and 1998. Minlend is averaging 24.7 ppg heading into the postseason and ranks second nationally in scoring. A three-time NEC Player of the Week honoree this season, Minlend is also averaging 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.8 assists per game. He recently broke the 27 year old St. Francis (NY) single-season scoring record of 605 points and has since upped his total to 641 points. Minlend recorded 597 points in two years at Davidson College and now has collected 843 in two years at St. Francis (NY) for a combined total of 1,440 career points. In the ten games Minlend has scored 30+ points, the Terriers have compiled a 9-1 record. He joins Robert Jackson (1983-84) as the only Terrier players to win NEC Player of the Year honors. With 19 wins, St. Francis (NY) has recorded its most victories since the 1955-56 Terrier squad went 21-4 and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT Tournament. St. Francis (NY) has never advanced beyond the NEC semifinals in its 17 years as a member of the league.
Bangura, who led a young and promising Monmouth squad to five wins in its last seven games after a notoriously slow start, becomes the second Monmouth player to be honored as Newcomer of the Year, joining Alex Blackwell (1989-90). Bangura, who along with teammate Andre Williams became the first Monmouth players to start every game as a freshman, averaged a team-leading 18.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He leads all NEC freshman in scoring and ranks third overall. He also ranks fourth nationally in scoring among freshman. A three-time Newcomer of the Week winner, Bangura scored 20 or more points on 11 occasions, including a career-high 30 point effort against Mount St. Mary’s on February 4.
Sullivan was named Coach of the Year after guiding his team to the NEC regular season title and a 18-8 overall record in UMBC’s first year as a member of the NEC. The Retrievers opened league play with a NEC record 15 straight victories. UMBC would go on to win 17 league games and shatter Mount St. Mary’s single-season mark of 16 league wins set in 1995-96. Sullivan has brought his team to the forefront of the conference by utilizing a deep bench that sees nine players receive 17+ minutes per contest. The Retrievers have also embraced Sullivan’s defensive concepts and lead the NEC in scoring defense (63.2 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.406) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.282). Sullivan, who was named Big South Coach of the Year last season, is in his fourth season at the Baltimore school.
Of the five players who join Minlend on the all-NEC first team, only Mount St. Mary’s junior Gregory Harris (Washington, D.C./DeMatha Catholic (MD)) and Wagner senior center Frantz Pierre-Louis are repeat honorees, albeit a second team selections in 1997-98 and 1995-96, respectively. Robert Morris junior guard Gene Nabors (Beckley, WV/Woodrow Wilson), Quinnipiac junior guard Nate Pondexter (Washington, D.C./Roosevelt) and UMBC sophomore guard Terence Ward (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Egg Harbor Township) comprise the remainder of the all-NEC first team.
Pierre-Louis, who received one first place vote in the balloting, is the premiere post player in the conference as evidenced by his outstanding numbers. The 6-8 center leads the NEC in rebounds (9.4 rpg) and blocks (3.0 bpg), and ranks second in scoring (19.7 ppg), third in field goal percentage (.558) and sixth in steals (2.2 spg). Pierre-Louis has also tallied a league-high 10 double-doubles and has 33 in his career. A three-time NEC Player of the Week pick, Pierre-Louis reached the 1,000 point milestone on January 9 and has increased his total to 1,253 points.
Harris, a former member of the all-Newcomer team in 1996-97, is a 6-3 sharpshooter who ranks among the top-ten in six NEC categories. The Washington, D.C. native averages 17.3 points and 4.3 assists to rank fourth and fifth, respectively in the conference. His 80.0% free throw shooting ranks fourth in the NEC, while his 2.2 three-pointers per game place him third in the league. Harris reached the 1,000 point plateau on January 7 and now has 1,210 points in his three year career at the Mount.
Nabors has been the key player in Robert Morris’ resurgence this season. After a two year career as a starter at LSU, Nabors transferred back closer to home and became one of the top all-around players in the NEC. The 6-2 guard averages 16.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.0 steals to lead the Colonials in each category. He ranks in the NEC top-five in six statistical categories and is the league leader in steals. Additionally, Nabors is 11th in the nation in steals. Nabors has posted five double-doubles and hit two game winning shots, including a layup to beat St. Francis (NY) on January 28.
Pondexter may be the league’s most gifted all-around athlete, and while he excels as a guard, he is capable of playing nearly every position on the court for Quinnipiac. The native of Washington, D.C. flirted with the league lead in rebounds and assists for much of the season, before settling into second place in each category. Pondexter averaged 14.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season. He posted the NEC’s lone triple-double this season with 14 points, 11 boards and 10 assists against Robert Morris on January 16. Pondexter, who first showcased his talents on an MSG televised event against Wagner by hitting a game-winning shot at the buzzer to cap a 33 point, 11 rebound, six assist performance, helped Quinnipiac to a five game improvement in the school’s first year at the Division I level.
The only sophomore selected, Ward is the straw that stirs the drink on a balanced and talented UMBC squad. Ward, who received one first place vote in the balloting, leads the Retrievers and ranks ninth in the league in scoring with 14.9 ppg. One of the top three-point threats in the NEC, Ward is second in thee-point field goals made with 2.8 per game and fourth in three-point percentage at 40.1%. He also leads the conference in free throw percentage at 88.3 percent. A 6-1 guard, Ward was an all-Rookie selection in the Big South Conference last season.
A much improved Central Connecticut State squad placed two players on the all-NEC second team. Junior guard Rick Mickens (Newington, CT/Newington) is a repeat winner, while senior forward Charron Watson (Waterbury, CT/Crosby) earns accolades for the first time. Joining the two Blue Devils on the second team are Robert Morris senior forward Keith Jones (Youngstown, OH/Rayen), Long Island junior forward Richie Parker (New York, NY/Manhattan Center) and St. Francis (NY) junior forward Angel Santana (Las Palmas, Canary Islands/Artesia (CA)).
Mickens ranks second in the NEC and 16th nationally in steals. The 6-4 guard also leads the Blue Devils in assists (3.7), free throw percentage (.724) and three-pointers (58), while ranking second in scoring (13.9 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.4 rpg). He also ranks in the top-five in the NEC in three-pointers and assist-to-turnover ratio. Mickens became the 23rd player in Central Connecticut State history to reach the 1,000 point mark on January 18 and now has 1,133 points for his career.
Watson missed most of the 1997-98 season with a foot injury, but returned in 1998-99 to lead the Blue Devils in scoring and rank sixth in the conference, contributing 16.4 ppg. The 6-7 forward shows a deft touch around the hoop, converting 51.4 percent of his shots to place seventh in the league. Watson also pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game, fourth in the NEC.
Jones lived up to his potential as a senior and may have been the hottest player in the conference during the second half of the season. Ranking eight in the league, Jones averages 15.0 points, to go along with 5.8 rebounds per game. The Youngstown, OH native is fifth in the NEC in field goal percentage, converting 51.6% of his shots from the floor. Jones has ten 20+ scoring performances and became just the second player in Robert Morris history (along with Myron Walker) to score 1,100 points and grab 600 rebounds. He currently has 1,275 points and 639 rebounds.
Parker is the leading active NEC scorer with 1,355 points in his three years at Long Island. He scored his 1,000th point on November 21 and has gone on to lead the Blackbirds in scoring and rank seventh in the conference with 15.2 ppg. Parker, one of the best open court players in the conference, also paces his team in field goal percentage (49.0%) and rebounds (5.2 rpg).
Santana is arguably the deadliest long range bomber in the conference. He is tenth nationally and leads the league with 3.2 three-pointers made per game. The 6-7 forward, who averages 14.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, broke both the St. Francis single-season and career three-point records this season. With 80 three-pointers on the season, Santana now has accumulated 191 treys for his career as he builds upon his own Terrier career mark. He has eight games this season with five or more three-pointers, including a high of seven against Wagner on December 7 and UMBC on February 16.
Big men are the name of the game on the 1999 NEC all-Newcomer team, starting with Central Connecticut State freshman center Corsley Edwards (Lake Clifton Eastern/Baltimore, MD), who provided a strong inside presence for the Blue Devils. A three-time Newcomer of the Week selection, he also became the first freshman to win Player of the Week honors in nearly six years on December 7th. He averages 12.3 ppg and leads his team in rebounds (7.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (51.4%). Fairleigh Dickinson junior forward Chris Ekwe (Douala, Cameroon/Lycee de Technique) emerged as one of the strongest players in the conference and will continue to improve as he refines his skills. Ekwe leads the NEC by a wide margin in field goal percentage, sinking 62.9 percent of his shots from the floor. He leads his team in rebounding with 6.1 per game, and is second in scoring at 10.9 ppg. Mount St. Mary’s heralded newcomer Melvin Whitaker (Raleigh, NC/Oak Hill Academy (VA)) made an immediate impact after joining the club in December. An intimidating defensive player, Whitaker is third in the league with 47 blocked shots. He also averages 10.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. Quinnipiac freshman center Bill Romano (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfeld) is yet another NEC big man with a promising future. Romano ranks fourth in the NEC in field goal percentage at 51.6% and placed second on the Braves in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.4 rpg). Rounding out the all-Newcomer squad is Monmouth freshman forward Andre Williams (Clayton, NJ/Bishop Eustace). Williams was third on the Hawks in scoring, at 8.8 ppg, and second in rebounding, at 4.7 rpg.