Piscataway, NJ -- Central Connecticut State senior guard Rick Mickens (Newington, CT/Newington) was chosen as the 1999-2000 Northeast Conference Player of the Year in a vote by league head coaches. The versatile Blue Devil became a double winner in the postseason award balloting, winning the inaugural NEC Defensive Player of the Year award as well. Wagner freshman forward Jermaine Hall (Dublin, GA/Dublin) was named NEC Rookie of the Year, while Central Connecticut State’s Howie Dickenman was a runaway selection as NEC Coach of the Year. The awards were presented at the NEC pre-tournament banquet held at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, the site of the 2000 Northeast Conference Basketball Tournament.

Mickens’ stellar all-around play was one of the key factors in Central Connecticut State’s breakthrough season in 1999-2000. The Blue Devils enter the NEC Tournament as the #1 seed after racing through the regular season with a 15-3 conference mark. A two-time second team all-NEC selection, Mickens displayed significant improvement in his game and played the role of senior leader this season with great success. The native of Newington, Connecticut is averaging 17.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.5 steals, while shooting 41.0 percent from three-point range. He ranks second in the NEC in scoring, third in three-point field-goals made and fourth in three-point percentage. Mickens is also third on the NEC’s active scoring list with 1,562 points. On the defensive side of the ball, Mickens leads the conference and is ranked second nationally in steals, using his long arms and uncanny defensive instincts to disrupt opposing offenses.

Hall is the key component of a young Wagner team that should be ready to challenge for a spot in the upper echelon of the NEC next season. He becomes the third Wagner player to earn NEC Rookie of the Year honors, joining Ryan Reed (1995-96) and Miladin Mutavdzic (1991-92). Hall, who teamed with fellow first year players Dedrick Dye and Hassan Wilkerson to help make Wagner the most potent offensive team in the league, averaged 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 54.4 percent from the field. He leads NEC freshman in all three categories and ranks sixth overall in scoring and seventh in field-goal percentage. A three-time NEC Rookie of the Week, his season-high 37 point effort came against Mount St. Mary’s on January 22.

Dickenman was named Coach of the Year after completing the transformation of Central Connecticut State from NEC doormat in 1997-98, to NEC contender in 1998-99 to the NEC’s top program in 1999-00. The Blue Devils’ 22 wins is the highest total in the program’s 14 year Division I history and most since the 1983-84 team won 26 games. Dickenman also engineered a 15 game winning streak over the middle portion of the season, the longest streak in school history since the 1963-64 squad won 25 straight. After the Blue Devils posted the nation’s second biggest turnaround last season (15 games), Central Connecticut State finished the 1999-00 campaign as the NEC regular season champion with a 15-3 record and earned the top seed in the postseason tournament.

Four of the five players who join Mickens on the all-NEC first team are repeat honorees, including three first team all-stars. Robert Morris senior guard Gene Nabors (Beckley, WV/Woodrow Wilson), Quinnipiac senior guard Nate Pondexter (Washington, D.C./Roosevelt) and UMBC junior guard Terence Ward (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Egg Harbor Township) were all first team all-NEC selections in 1998-99. St. Francis (NY) senior forward Angel Santana (Las Palmas, Canary Islands/Artesia (CA)), a second team pick in 1998-99, and teammate Steven Howard (Watertown, NY/Watertown) comprise the remainder of the all-NEC first team.

Nabors is the straw that stirs the drink for a dangerous Robert Morris team. After transferring from LSU after his sophomore season, Nabors emerged as one of the top players in the NEC last year and has taken his game to a new level in 1999-00. Nabors leads the NEC in scoring, averaging 18.3 ppg, and also contributes 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals. A native of Beckley, West Virginia, Nabors is second in the league in steals, and seventh in free-throw percentage and made three-point shots. A two-time NEC Player of the Week, Nabors ended the regular season on fire, averaging 24.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists over his last nine games, including a career-high 34 point effort against Monmouth on February 5.

Pondexter’s amazing versatility on the court never ceases to amaze NEC players, coaches and fans alike. Pondexter, who hails from Washington, D.C., averaged 16.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.1 steals, while shooting 40.8 percent from three-point range. He ranks in the NEC top-ten in five categories, including scoring (eighth), rebounding (tenth), assists (second), steals (fifth) and three-point percentage (fifth). Blessed with great court vision, Pondexter ended his two year career at Quinnipiac in style, delivering a signature 33 point, seven rebound, eight assist and seven steal performance in his final game against Wagner on February 26.

Ward’s reputation as one of the league’s top three-point marksman is certainly well deserved. The junior guard leads UMBC and ranks ninth in the NEC in scoring with 15.8 ppg. He also is second in free-throw percentage at 84.3 percent and fourth in made three-pointers with 2.5 per game. A native of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, Ward recorded a career-high 33 points against Wagner on February 17.

Another player who has made a living from beyond-the-arc is Santana. The most decorated three-point shooter in St. Francis (NY) history, Santana tops the NEC and is ranked third nationally in made three-pointers with 3.5 per game. His 97 treys this season broke his own St. Francis (NY) single-season mark and places him fifth on the all-time NEC single-season list. Hailing from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Santana ranks second on the Terriers and fifth in the conference with 16.7 ppg. He has hit four or more treys in a game on 14 different occasions this season.

Rounding out the all-NEC first team is Howard, a pure scorer who more than filled the void left by the graduation of 1998-99 NEC Player of the Year, Ray Minlend. One of the top penetrators in the league, Howard has a knack for finding the hoop. Howard paces St. Francis (NY) and is third in the league in scoring, averaging 17.5 ppg. He pulls down 4.1 rebounds per game and has also drained 49 three-point shots. A two-time NEC Player of the Week, Howard exploded for an NEC season-high 40 points against UMBC on February 12 in a game televised on MSG Network.

The accolades continue to roll in for Central Connecticut State, which places two more players on the all-NEC second team. Sophomore center Corsley Edwards (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton Eastern) is joined by junior forward John Tice (Bayville, NJ/Central Regional). Joining the two Blue Devils as second team all-stars are Mount St. Mary’s senior guard Gregory Harris (Washington, D.C./DeMatha Catholic (MD)), a three-time honoree, Fairleigh Dickinson junior forward Chris Ekwe (Douala, Cameroon/Lycee de Technique) and Monmouth sophomore guard Rahsaan Johnson (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga).

Harris is about to conclude a star-studded career at the Mount that reached its pinnacle last season when he was selected first team all-NEC and was named Most Valuable Player of the NEC Tournament after leading Mount St. Mary’s to the NEC championship. He was also a second team all-star in 1997-98 and an NEC all-newcomer pick in 1996-97. Forced to carry the Mountaineers in 1999-00, Harris has responded with 16.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3.9 apg. He ranks seventh in the conference in scoring, fourth in free-throw percentage (81.3 percent), eighth in assists and tenth in three-pointers made (2.0/game). Harris is the NEC’s leading active scorer with 1,709 points, a mark that places him seventh on the Mount career list and 13th on the all-time NEC list.

Edwards is one of the top interior players in the NEC, and is an anchor of one of the NEC’s top rated defenses. Edwards averages 12.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting nearly 50.0 percent from the field. An all-newcomer selection in 1998-99, Edwards stands third in the NEC in blocks and sixth in rebounding. He has tallied ten double-doubles, the second highest total in the NEC this season.

Tice’s impact on Central Connecticut State after transferring from Fairfield cannot be underestimated. Driven by a blue collar work ethic, Tice is rightfully perceived as one of the NEC’s best players in the clutch. He averages 14.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 2.3 apg and ranks tenth in the NEC in scoring. He also went to the line 128 times - the second highest total in the conference this season - draining 75.8 % of his free-throw attempts.

Ekwe is a bruising physical specimen who has made some remarkable refinements in his game this season. After being chosen to the NEC all-Newcomer team in 1998-99, Ekwe has been the driving force behind Fairleigh Dickinson’s resurgence during the second half of the season. Ekwe leads the Knights with 13.6 ppg and 7.9 rpg, and is hitting 55.1 percent of his shots from the floor. He is fourth in the NEC in rebounding and sixth in field-goal percentage.

Johnson is one of the brightest young talents to hit the NEC in recent memory, as evidenced by Monmouth’s turnaround in 1999-00. As Monmouth improved its win total from five in 1998-99 to 12 this season, Johnson was the spark, averaging 16.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists - all team-highs. Johnson flirted with the NEC scoring lead for much of the season before ending the regular season ranked fourth in the category. An explosive scorer who is one of the league’s best creators off the dribble, Johnson led Monmouth in scoring in 19 of 27 games after transferring from Allegany CC.

The future of the NEC is represented in the 1999-2000 NEC all-Rookie team, led by two selections from Wagner. Joining NEC Rookie of the Year Hall is freshman guard Dedrick Dye (Clinton, TN/Clinton). Dye is one of the league’s most exciting young players, providing the Seahawks with a tremendous spark off the bench. Twice selected NEC Rookie of the Week, Dye averaged 10.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals. He leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.34) and is sixth in steals and 11th in assists. He tied a Wagner record with seven three-pointers against UMBC on February 17. Long Island sophomore guard Antawn Dobie (Corona, NY/Msgr. McClancy) and UMBC freshman guard Justin Wilson (Brooklyn, NY/Archbishop Molloy) are a pair of New York point guards with all the tools to be stars in the NEC. Dobie finished the 1999-00 season averaging 13.4 points, 4.3 assists and 2.2 steals to lead the Blackbirds in all three categories. A four-time NEC Rookie of the Week, he became the first Long Island sophomore to lead the team in scoring in eight years. Wilson was a three-time NEC Rookie of the Week honoree who averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 assists in his first year on the team. Wilson leads all NEC freshman in assists and set a new UMBC single-season assist mark for freshman with 119. Fairleigh Dickinson sophomore forward Morlaye Bangoura (Abidjan, Ivory Coast/Loko) is a slender slasher who made great strides in his game as the season progressed. Bangoura averages 7.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and upped those numbers to 11.0 ppg and 4.1 rpg in February as the Knights made their run to the #2 seed in the NEC Tournament. Rounding out the NEC all-Rookie team is Monmouth freshman center Kevin Owens (Haddonfield, NJ/Camden Catholic). One of the most promising young big men to hit the NEC in years, Owens displays a wide assortment of post moves and should continue to improve as he adds more bulk to his 6-10 frame. Owens averages 8.4 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Hawks, and leads the team with 33 blocks.