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For Immediate Release March 3, 2020

Saint Francis U’s Tabbed NEC Men’s Player of the Year

Somerset, NJ -- March has arrived so it’s time to honor the best-of-the-best in Northeast Conference (NEC) men’s basketball from the 2019-20 season.

And no one has done it better than Saint Francis U redshirt senior guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte), who was tabbed the NEC Player of the Year in a vote conducted by the league’s head coaches.

NEC Rookie of the Year honors were awarded to Bryant freshman guard Michael Green III (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy).

NEC newcomer Merrimack took home a pair major awards. Senior forward Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony) was named the unanimous NEC Defensive Player of the Year, while Joe Gallo was also a unanimous pick as the Jim Phelan Coach of the Year after leading the Warriors to the NEC regular season title.

Mount St. Mary’s sophomore guard Damian Chong Qui (Baltimore, MD/McDonogh) claimed NEC Most Improved Player ac- colades.

The honorees were announced this afternoon as a prelude to the 2020 NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, which begins on Wednesday with quarterfinal play at four campus sites.

There may not be a better story in the league than Blackmon, who made it back-to-back NEC Player of the Year honors for the Red Flash following ’s selection last season. Twice felled with season-ending knee injuries, Blackmon - who was an All-NEC third teamer in 2016-17 - saved his best for last, elevating his game to a new level as a senior in helping lead SFU to 20 wins and the #2 seed in the NEC Tournament. How unique is his skill set? The Charlotte, NC native is the league’s best long distance marksman and one of the finest leapers as well with a highlight reel above the rim aspect to his game. Blackmon was the NEC’s leading scorer during conference play (21.6) and ranks second overall (19.2). He leads the circuit and is 13th nationally in three-pointer accuracy at 42.8 percent, and also ranks first in offensive rating (122.5), fourth in made-three point- ers (2.85) and steals (1.7) per game and fifth in effective percentage (.558). Throw in 5.4 rpg and you have a portrait of a complete player at the top of his game. The two-time NEC Player of the Week is the only player in the nation this season and one of five over the last decade (two of the others are D’Angelo Russell and Markelle Fultz) to average at least 19 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 spg while shooting at least 40 percent from outside the arc. Entering the week with 1,561 points, 508 boards and 207 triples, Blackmon is just the third player in NEC history with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 200 three-pointers in his career, joining the Mount’s Gregory Harris and RMU’s . He is the third NEC Player of the Year in SFU history, joining Braxton and NEC Hall of Famer (1990-91). (2019-20 NEC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Release; 1-of-4)

Bryant University • Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • LIU Brooklyn Mount St. Mary’s University • Robert Morris University • Sacred Heart University St. Francis Brooklyn • Saint Francis University • Wagner College There were no shortage of outstanding rookies in Smithfield this season, with Green III moving to the head of the class. Bryant became the first team in conference history to have three different players earn NEC Rookie of the Week honors on multiple occasions, with Green earning two of the Bulldogs’ nine honors. A quintessential New York City guard, he took over as the starting spot at the point in February and delivered, helping lead Bryant to a 5-4 record in his nine starts and a spot in the NEC Tournament. Combining pinpoint passing, creative playmaking and undefendable playground style moves, Green paces NEC freshman with 3.2 apg and ranks second with 9.2 ppg. Over a five-game stretch in mid-February, he raised his profile by averaging 17.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 4.4 apg, highlighted by a 23-point, five-, six- effort in a key win at St. Francis Brooklyn. Green is the third NEC Rookie of the Year in Bryant history, joining all-time great Alex Francis (2010-11) and Marcel Pettway (2015-16).

Hayes came to the NEC with a big-time reputation as a ball hawk and on-the-ball defender, and did not disappoint in his transi- tion to the DI ranks. The heart of Merrimack’s strangling zone defense, the cat-quick guard used his wingspan and uncanny timing and anticipation skills to lead the nation in steals for a third straight season. His 3.9 steals per game is the highest by an NEC player since St. Francis Brooklyn’s Jim Paguaga swiped 4.3 per game in 1985-86, and his 121 steals ranks third in single- season league history. And that’s just the start of it. The Paterson, NJ native leads the country in percentage (6.5) by a wide margin on a team that ranks in the NCAA top-five in steals and turnover margin, and has registered five or more swipes in a game nine times on the year. And for his crowning achievement, Hayes recently broke a 17-year record in becoming the NCAA career steals leader at any level. He concluded the regular season with an astounding 457 steals over his four years, which translates to 3.63 per outing over a 127-game career.

Chong Qui began his Mount career a year ago as a walk-on and heads into his junior season in 2020-21 as a full-fledged star after earning third team All-NEC accolades. After overcoming the odds to claim a starting spot as a freshman, Chong Qui was awarded a scholarship in the offseason and took his game to another level this winter. Using his diminutive 5’8’ frame to his advantage, the Baltimore product’s game fuses intangible qualities like toughness and leadership with quickness, court vision, smart decision making, a reliable jump shot and finishing ability around the rim. Chong Qui improved his numbers across the board from his freshman season, lifting his scoring average from 6.8 to 12.0, his rebounding from 2.8 to 3.9 and his assists from 3.7 to 3.8 per game. He also raised his three-point accuracy from 27.0 percent to 36.4 percent. Chong Qui currently ranks second in the NEC in rate (51.9), and fourth in the NEC in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.97). He is the second Mount player to earn NEC MIP honors, joining Lamar Trice (2010-11).

It’s been nothing short of a magic carpet ride for Gallo and Merrimack in their first year in the NEC. Picked to finish last in the league’s preseason poll wasn’t surprising, but the Warriors’ ascension to the NEC regular season championship certainly was, as it became a national story in the process with everyone from ESPN to Forbes to the Washington Post singing the praises of the fledgling DI program. Merrimack announced itself in a big way with a win over Northwestern in just its second game and never looked back. The Warriors won nine straight at one point to take over first place in the NEC and never relinquished the spot on its way to a 20-victory season. The Warriors set an NCAA wins record for a first year reclassifying program and became the first school to win a conference regular season title in its initial DI campaign. Gallo, a former assistant at Robert Morris who earned an NEC ring back in 2015, is the orchestrator of Merrimack’s morphing zone defense that has become the program’s calling card and ranks with the nation’s best. The Warriors lead the NEC in scoring defense (60.2), three-point defense (.302), steals (9.94), turnovers forced (17.4) and turnover margin (5.58), and rank nationally in the latter three cat- egories. Gallo has now won 81 games over the first four years at the helm of his alma mater.

AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS

Saint Francis U senior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) became just the second four- time All-NEC honoree in league history, joining NEC Hall of Famer Chris McGuthrie, who starred at the Mount from 1992-96. Braxton collected first team honors in each of the last three years and was the 2018-19 NEC Player of the Year and 2016-17 NEC Rookie of the Year. He recently became the first player in conference annals to reach 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, and is the NEC’s all-time leader in combined points (2,003) and rebounds (1,129) with 3,132 over his four years. Brax- ton ranks second on the league’s career rebounding list, just 30 behind all-time leader and is seventh in scoring.

Saint Francis U boasted two All-NEC first team all-stars for the third straight year with NEC Player of the YearIsaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) and classmate Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) being honored. The Red Flash are the first program to accomplish this feat since Robert Morris sported a pair of first team honorees in three successive seasons from 1989-92.

(2019-20 NEC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Release; 2-of-4) LIU redshirt senior guard/forward Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) and Bryant senior guard Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) were both named All-NEC for the third time. Clark made it two straight first team honors follow- ing his selection to the third team in 2017-18. Grant was tabbed to the second team following a pair of third team accolades. Clark recently cracked 2,000 career points and ranks eighth on the NEC’s all-time scoring list (2,002) and Grant is third in career three-pointers made (303).

Student-athletes who also repeated as NEC all-stars included Sacred Heart junior forward E.J. Anosike (East Orange, NJ/ Paramus Catholic (St. Thomas More)), who elevated from the third team to the second team, along with LIU redshirt junior forward Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass)) and Robert Morris redshirt senior guard Josh Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)), both of whom jumped from the third team to the second team. NEC Player of the Year Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) was a third team award winner in 2016-17 for Saint Francis U before going down with a season-ending knee injury the following year.

With freshman guards Michael Green III (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) and Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Tai- wan/St. Andrew’s (RI)) both honored, Bryant placed two players on the NEC All-Rookie team for the second time. Marcel Pettway and Nisre Zouzoua were named to the All-Rookie squad back in 2015-16.

Making the jump from the NEC All-Rookie squad last year to the All-Conference team in 2019-20 was Sacred Heart sophomore guard Koreem Ozier (Racine, WI/Scotland Campus Sports), who was named to the third team.

A pair of underclassman earned All-NEC accolades. Mount St. Mary’s sophomore guard Damian Chong Qui (Baltimore, MD/ McDonogh) and Sacred Heart sophomore guard Koreem Ozier (Racine, WI/Scotland Campus Sports) were both named to the third team.

Robert Morris, which will enter the NEC Tournament as the #1 seed, collected a pair of second team plaudits. Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)) joined newcomer AJ Bramah (San Leandro, CA/San Leandro (Sheridan)), a junior forward. Williams is second in the NEC in three-pointers made (3.13) and fourth in three-point accuracy (.418), while Bramah is third in double-doubles (eight) and fourth in rebounding (8.3).

Fairleigh Dickinson and St. Francis Brooklyn also have two players represented on All-NEC teams. Junior guard Jahlil Jen- kins (Ranson, WV/Virginia Academy) was chosen to the second team and senior forward Kaleb Bishop (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony) to the third team for the Knights. Senior forward Deniz Celen (Ankara, Turkey/özel gürçag okullari (Fairfield, Har- cum)) and junior guard Chauncey Hawkins (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional) were honored as All-NEC third teamers.

Anosike ranks in the NCAA top-20 in four categories. He’s sixth in rebounding (11.6), seventh in double-doubles (17) and offensive rebounding (4.1), and 15th in defensive rebounding (7.6). His career rebounding trajectory is rather impressive, go- ing from 3.9 rpg as a freshman to 8.1 ppg as a sophomore to a league-leading 11.6 rpg as a junior. With 734 career boards, Anosike is on track to become the sixth player in NEC history to reach 1,000 for his career.

LIU has landed at least one player on the All-NEC first team in each of the last five seasons and 11 of the last 12 years.

About The Northeast Conference Now in its 39th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 11 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Boston (#9), Pittsburgh (#24), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 23 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www. northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.

(2019-20 NEC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Release; 3-of-4) 2019-20 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Award Winners

Player of the Year Isaiah Blackmon Saint Francis U G 6-1 170 R-Sr Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte

Rookie of the Year Michael Green III Bryant G 5-11 155 Fr Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy

Defensive Player of the Year Juvaris Hayes Merrimack G 6-0 195 Sr Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony

Most Improved Player Damian Chong Qui Mount St. Mary’s G 5-8 145 So Baltimore, MD/McDonogh

Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Joe Gallo Merrimack

2019-20 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball First Team All-Conference

Name School Pos Ht Wt Yr Hometown/High School (Previous School) E.J. Anosike Sacred Heart F 6-6 245 Jr East Orange, NJ/Paramus Catholic (St. Thomas More) Isaiah Blackmon Saint Francis U G 6-1 170 R-Sr Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte Keith Braxton Saint Francis U G 6-5 210 Sr Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School) Raiquan Clark LIU G/F 6-6 195 R-Sr New Haven, CT/Hillhouse Juvaris Hayes Merrimack G 6-0 195 Sr Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony

2019-20 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Second Team All-Conference

Name School Pos Ht Wt Yr Hometown/High School (Previous School) AJ Bramah Robert Morris F 6-7 185 Jr San Leandro, CA/San Leandro (Sheridan) Ty Flowers LIU F 6-9 200 R-Jr Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass) Adam Grant Bryant G 6-1 180 Sr Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School Jahlil Jenkins Fairleigh Dickinson G 6-0 160 Jr Ranson, WV/Virginia Academy Josh Williams Robert Morris G 6-2 195 R-Sr Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)

2019-20 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Third Team All-Conference

Name School Pos Ht Wt Yr Hometown/High School (Previous School) Kaleb Bishop Fairleigh Dickinson F 6-8 210 Sr Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony Deniz Celen St. Francis Brooklyn F 6-8 235 Sr Ankara, Turkey/özel gürçag okullari (Fairfield, Harcum) Damian Chong Qui Mount St. Mary’s G 5-8 145 So Baltimore, MD/McDonogh Chauncey Hawkins St. Francis Brooklyn G 5-8 165 Jr Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional Koreem Ozier Sacred Heart G 6-1 180 So Racine, WI/Scotland Campus Sports

2019-20 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball All-Rookie Team

Name School Pos Ht Wt Yr Hometown/High School (Previous School) Myles Baker CCSU G 6-2 170 Fr Chicago, IL/Whitney Young Devon Dunn Fairleigh Dickinson G 6-1 175 Fr Washington, D.C./St. John’s College Michael Green III Bryant G 5-11 155 Fr Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy Benson Lin Bryant G 6-4 180 Fr New Taipei City, Taiwan/St. Andrew’s (R.I.) Rob Higgins St. Francis Brooklyn G 6-1 175 Fr Middletown, NJ/Middletown North

(2019-20 NEC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Release; 4-of-4)