2005-06 MEN’SMEN’SMEN’S BASKETBALLBASKETBALLBASKETBALL NN EWSEWS && NN OTESOTES 200 Cottontail Lane, Vantage Court North, Somerset, NJ 08873 Men’s Basketball Contact: Ron Ratner, Associate Commissioner Phone: 732-469-0440/Fax: 732-469-0744 E-Mail: [email protected] Central Connecticut State • Fairleigh Dickinson • Long Island • Monmouth • Mount St. Mary’s Quinnipiac • Robert Morris • Sacred Heart • St. Francis (NY) • St. Francis (PA) • Wagner NEC Men’s Basketball Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Facts & Figures (Week 2 • November 28, 2005) Last Week’s Results School NEC Pct. Overall Pct. Streak Home Away Neutral 1. Quinnipiac 0-0 .000 2-1 .667 W2 1-0 0-0 1-1 Monday, November 21 Saturday, November 26 San Francisco 70, MONMOUTH 66 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 66, Fordham 60 St. Francis (NY) 0-0 .000 2-1 .667 W1 1-0 1-1 0-0 MT. ST. MARY’S 62, Binghamton 53 Vermont 71, WAGNER 67 Wagner 0-0 .000 2-1 .667 L1 2-0 0-1 0-0 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 74, Lock Haven 54 Ohio 77, ST. FRANCIS (PA) 61 Fairleigh Dickinson 0-0 .000 2-2 .500 W1 1-0 0-1 1-1 SACRED HEART 63, Albany 61 Penn State 80, LONG ISLAND 64 Old Dominion 80, MT. ST. MARY’S 57 St. Francis (PA) 0-0 .000 2-3 .400 L1 2-0 0-1 0-2 Tuesday, November 22 FDU 96, Dowling 50 Central Connecticut State 0-0 .000 1-2 .333 L2 1-1 0-1 0-0 Columbia 80, LONG ISLAND 63 ROBERT MORRIS 100, Lock Haven 64 Mount St. Mary's 0-0 .000 1-2 .333 L1 1-0 0-2 0-0 WAGNER 75, American 59 MONMOUTH at Great Alaska Shootout Robert Morris 0-0 .000 1-2 .333 W1 1-0 0-2 0-0 QUINNIPIAC 106, Concordia (NY) 57 Oral Roberts 62, MONMOUTH 54 Florida International 71, CCSU 61 Sacred Heart 0-0 .000 1-2 .333 L1 0-1 1-1 0-0 St. John’s 64, ST. FRANCIS (NY) 50 Monmouth 0-0 .000 1-3 .250 L2 0-0 0-1 1-2 Wednesday, November 23 Long Island 0-0 .000 0-2 .000 L2 0-1 0-1 0-0 Pittsburgh 86, ROBERT MORRIS 59 Top eight teams qualify for NEC Tournament Thursday, November 24 MONMOUTH at Great Alaska Shootout MONMOUTH 80, Southern Illinois 68 Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week Durell Vinson, Wagner Friday, November 25 MONMOUTH at Great Alaska Shootout Jr., C, 6-7, 215 lbs., Vineland, NJ/St. Augustine Prep South Carolina 62, MONMOUTH 56 Vinson, who has taken on a spotlight role in the paint for the Seahawks following the graduation of all-NEC center Harvard 75, SACRED HEART 72 Sean Munson, comes off a career-week that saw him average 17.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and shoot 66.7 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent from the line. In a 75-59 win over American on Tuesday, Vinson Home Team Underlined established new career-highs with 22 points (10-14 FG) and 15 rebounds. He also blocked two shots as Wagner limited the Eagles to 6-29 shooting from the field in the first half in racing out to a 28-15 lead at the break. The Choice Hotels Choice Hotels Vineland, NJ product nearly recorded a second double-double with 13 points (4-7 FG, 5-6 FT) and nine boards in NEC Player of the Week NEC Rookie of the Week a tightly contested 71-67 setback at Vermont on Saturday. Vinson currently leads the NEC with 10.0 rpg and is sixth in scoring (14.7 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage (.609), tenth in free throw percentage (.800) and seventh in Nov. 21 Justin Chiera, CCSU Nov. 21 Cameron Tyler, FDU blocks (1.0 bpg). Nov. 28 Durell Vinson, WC Nov. 28 Whitney Coleman, MU Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week Whitney Coleman, Monmouth Fr., G, 6-2, 180 lbs., Salem, CT/East Lyme (St. Thomas More Prep) Coleman had a productive start to his collegiate career last week, which began thousands of miles from Monmouth’s campus as the Hawks took on San Francisco before heading north to the Great Alaska Shootout. Coleman scored at least eight points in each of the four outings, and averaged 9.5 points and 2.0 rebounds while 2006 NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament shooting 56.0 percent (14-25) from the floor, 62.5 percent (5-8) from three-point territory and 83.3 percent (5- All games at home of higher seed. Teams will be 6) from the line. He netted 11 points in his debut against San Francisco, then came off the bench to contribute reseeded after quarterfinals. eight points, seven boards, two assists and two steals in the Hawks’ 80-68 win over Southern Illinois in the Shootout opener. Coleman earned starts in each of the next two games, tallying 10 points in a 62-56 loss to South Thursday, March 2 Quarterfinals Carolina and nine in a 62-54 setback at the hands of Oral Roberts. Times TBA Sunday, March 5 This Week’s Schedule Semifinals Monday, November 28 Wednesday, November 30 Saturday, December 3 1:00 pm (CN8), SACRED HEART at Yale 7:00 pm MT. ST. MARY’S at La Salle 7:00 pm CCSU at Harvard 2:00 pm 4:00 pm (MSG) CCSU at Binghamton 7:00 pm Columbia at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm Loyola (MD) at MT. ST. MARY’S 2:00 pm Maine at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm ST. FRANCIS (PA) at George Washington 7:30 pm Binghamton at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 2:00 pm Wednesday, March 8 WAGNER at Yale 2:00 pm Championship Tuesday, November 29 Friday, December 2 SACRED HEART at Boston College 7:00 pm 7:30 pm (ESPN2) QUINNIPIAC at FDU 7:00 pm FDU at Canisius 7:00 pm LONG ISLAND at New Hampshire 7:00 pm LONG ISLAND at SMU 7:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at Cornell 7:30 pm ST. FRANCIS (PA) at St. Bonaventure 7:00 pm NEC Website WAGNER at Brown 7:00 pm Rider at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at Pittsburgh 7:30 pm ROBERT MORRIS at Duquesne 7:05 pm For all the latest news, scores, statistics and notes, visit the NEC website at www.northeastconference.org Standings and statistics are updated daily. 2005-06 NEC Men’s Basketball Schedule Schedule Subject To Change. All times are Eastern Standard Time.
Central Connecticut State Fairleigh Dickinson Long Island (1-2, 0-0 NEC) (2-2, 0-0 NEC) (0-2, 0-0 NEC)
Mohegan Sun Classic at CCSU at Guardians Classic (Morgantown, WV) N 22 Columbia L 63-80 N 18 Birmingham Southern W 76-67 N 12 vs. Wofford L 62-73 N 26 at Penn State L 64-80 N 19 Northeastern L 90-94 N 13 Lousiana Monroe W 74-58 N 29 at SMU 7:00 pm N 22 at Florida International L 61-71 N 18 at #24 Maryland L 85-111 D 3 at New Hampshire 7:00 pm N 28 at Binghamton 7:00 pm N 26 Dowling W 96-50 D 10 Hartford 4:00 pm D 3 at Harvard 2:00 pm N 29 QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm D 14 at Harvard 7:00 pm D 5 at St. Bonaventure 7:00 pm D 2 at Canisius 7:00 pm D 22 CCNY 7:00 pm D 9 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm D 5 at Seton Hall 7:30 pm at College of Charleston Classic D 18 La Salle 12:00 pm D 10 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 2:00 pm D 29 vs. Rider 5:30 pm D 22 Binghamton 7:00 pm D 17 Drexel 7:30 pm D 30 vs. Charleston/Longwood 5:30/7:30 pm D 29 at Delaware 7:30 pm D 22 at St. Peter’s 7:00 pm J 5 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm J 7 at LONG ISLAND 4:00 pm D 28 at Louisville 7:00 pm J 7 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 4:00 pm J 9 at SACRED HEART 8:00 pm J 5 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm J 12 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm J 12 MONMOUTH 7:00 pm J 12 at QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm J 14 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm J 14 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 1:00 pm J 14 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 1:00 pm J 18 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm J 19 QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm J 20 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 8:00 pm J 23 at QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm J 21 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm J 23 SACRED HEART 7:00 pm J 26 SACRED HEART 7:00 pm J 26 WAGNER 7:00 pm J 26 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm J 28 WAGNER 7:00 pm J 28 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm J 28 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm F 2 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm F 2 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm F 2 LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm F 4 at SACRED HEART 2:00 pm F 4 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm F 4 at WAGNER 2:00 pm F 9 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm F 10 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm F 6 ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm F 11 MONMOUTH 4:00 pm F 12 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm F 9 at LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm F 13 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm F 16 at WAGNER 7:00 pm F 11 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm F 18 SACRED HEART 4:00 pm F 16 at SACRED HEART 7:30 pm F 16 ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm F 22 LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm F 18 at ESPN Bracket Buster opponent TBA F 18 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 4:00 pm F 25 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 1:00 pm F 20 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm F 22 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm F 27 at QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm F 22 WAGNER 7:00 pm F 24 at WAGNER 7:00 pm NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) F 27 MONMOUTH 7:00 pm F 27 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm M 2 Quarterfinals NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) M 5 Semifinals M 2 Quarterfinals M 2 Quarterfinals M 8 Championship M 5 Semifinals M 5 Semifinals M 8 Championship M 8 Championship NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS
Monmouth Mount St. Mary’s Quinnipiac (1-3, 0-0 NEC) (1-2, 0-0 NEC) (2-1, 0-0 NEC)
N 21 at San Francisco L 66-70 N 18 at Virginia Tech L 62-74 at Columbia Tournament at Great Alaska Shootout (Anchorage, AK) N 21 Binghamton W 62-53 N 18 vs. Troy State L 83-94 (OT) N 24 vs. Southern Illinois W 80-68 N 26 at Old Dominion L 57-80 N 19 vs. New Hampshire W 64-62 N 25 vs. South Carolina L 56-62 N 30 at La Salle 7:00 pm N 22 Concordia W 106-57 N 26 vs. Oral Roberts L 54-62 D 3 Loyola (MD) 2:00 pm N 29 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm D 3 Rider 7:00 pm D 7 at American 7:30 pm D 2 at Cornell 7:30 pm D 6 at St. Peter’s 7:00 pm D 10 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 2:00 pm D 5 Colgate 7:00 pm D 8 at Seton Hall 7:30 pm at San Juan Shootout D 10 ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm D 12 at Lehigh 7:00 pm D 19 vs. Akron 7:00 pm D 19 Dartmouth 7:00 pm D 14 at Princeton 7:30 pm D 20 vs. Mississippi State/Liberty 7/9 pm D 22 at Rhode Island 7:00 pm D 18 SACRED HEART 4:00 pm D21 vs. Clemson/Holy Cross/UT-Chatanooga, PR-Mayaguez TBA D 30 at Connecticut 7:00 pm D 28 at Hartford 7:00 pm D 31 at Penn State 1:00 pm J 5 at WAGNER 7:00 pm D 31 Drexel 4:00 pm J 3 Lafayette 7:00 pm J 7 Brown 4:00 pm J 3 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm J 5 at LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm J 12 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm J 5 ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm J 7 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 4:00 pm J 7 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm J 10 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm J 14 MONMOUTH 4:00 pm J 12 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm J 12 SACRED HEART 7:00 pm J 19 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm J 14 at QUINNIPIAC 4:00 pm J 19 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm J 21 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm J 19 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm J 21 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm J 23 LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm J 21 QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm J 26 at QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm J 26 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm J 26 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm J 28 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm J 28 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 4:00 pm J 28 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm F 2 ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm F 2 SACRED HEART 7:00 pm F 4 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm F 4 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm F 4 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 4:00 pm F 6 at WAGNER 7:00 pm F 9 at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm F 10 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm F 11 at LONG ISLAND 4:00 pm F 11 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm F 12 at ROBERT MORRIS 2:00 pm F 13 WAGNER 7:00 pm F 13 LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm F 18 WAGNER 2:00 pm F 18 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 1:00 pm F 18 MONMOUTH 1:00 pm F 20 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm F 20 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm F 20 QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm F 25 at SACRED HEART 4:00 pm F 25 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm F 25 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm F 27 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm F 27 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm F 27 WAGNER 7:00 pm NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) M 2 Quarterfinals M 2 Quarterfinals M 2 Quarterfinals M 5 Semifinals M 5 Semifinals M 5 Semifinals M 8 Championship M 8 Championship M 8 Championship NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS 2005-06 NEC Men’s Basketball Schedule Schedule Subject To Change. All times are Eastern Standard Time.
Robert Morris Sacred Heart St. Francis (NY) (1-2, 0-0 NEC) (1-2, 0-0 NEC) (2-1, 0-0 NEC)
N 18 at St. Bonaventure L 61-80 N 19 at Rhode Island L 50-56 N 18 Fairfield W 69-64 N 23 at Pittsburgh L 59-86 N 21 at Albany W 63-61 N 22 at St. John’s L 50-64 N 26 Lock Haven W 100-64 N 25 Harvard L 72-75 N 26 at Fordham W 66-60 N 28 Maine 7:30 pm N 28 at Yale 7:00 pm N 29 at Pittsburgh 7:30 pm D 3 at Duquesne 7:05 pm N 30 Columbia 7:00 pm D 3 Binghamton 2:00 pm D 6 at New Hampshire 7:00 pm D 3 at Boston College 7:00 pm D 6 at Lafayette 7:00 pm D 10 at QUINNIPIAC 4:00 pm D 5 Army 7:00 pm D 9 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm D 17 Charleston Southern 7:30 pm D 7 Lehigh 8:00 pm D 18 Hartford 2:00 pm D 22 at Iowa 7:05 pm D 10 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 3:00 pm D 22 Hofstra 7:00 pm D 29 Medaille 7:30 pm D 18 at MONMOUTH 4:00 pm D 30 at Manhattan 7:00 pm J 2 WAGNER 7:30 pm J 2 at Miami (FL) 7:30 pm J 3 MONMOUTH 7:00 pm J 5 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm J 7 WAGNER 4:00 pm J 7 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 4:00 pm J 12 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:30 pm J 9 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 8:00 pm J 12 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm J 14 LONG ISLAND 7:30 pm J 12 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm J 14 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm J 19 at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm J 14 at WAGNER 7:00 pm J 18 LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm J 21 at WAGNER 7:00 pm J 19 ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm J 20 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm J 24 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:30 pm J 21 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 4:00 pm J 23 at WAGNER 7:30 pm J 26 MONMOUTH 7:30 pm J 23 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm J 28 QUINNIPIAC 4:00 pm J 28 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:30 pm J 26 at LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm F 2 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm F 2 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm F 2 at QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm F 4 at QUINNIPIAC 4:00 pm F 4 LONG ISLAND 2:00 pm F 6 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm F 9 WAGNER 7:00 pm F 9 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm F 10 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:30 pm F 11 SACRED HEART 4:00 pm F 11 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 4:00 pm F 12 QUINNIPIAC 2:00 pm F 16 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm F 16 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:30 pm F 16 at LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm F 18 ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm F 18 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 4:00 pm F 18 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 4:00 pm F 21 at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm F 21 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 8:00 pm F 21 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm F 25 QUINNIPIAC 4:00 pm F 25 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm F 25 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:30 pm F 27 at LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) M 2 Quarterfinals NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) M 2 Quarterfinals M 2 Quarterfinals M 5 Semifinals M 5 Semifinals M 8 Championship M 5 Semifinals M 8 Championship M 8 Championship NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS
St. Francis (PA) Wagner (2-3, 0-0 NEC) (2-1, 0-0 NEC)
at Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (at Syracuse) N 19 John Jay W 86-44 N 8 vs. Cornell L 54-75 N 22 American W 75-59 N 9 vs. Bethune-Cookman L 52-63 (OT) N 26 at Vermont L 67-71 N 19 Youngstown State W 71-58 N 29 at Brown 7:00 pm N 21 Lock Haven W 74-54 D 3 at Yale 2:00 pm N 26 at Ohio L 61-77 D 6 Columbia 7:00 pm N 30 at George Washington 7:30 pm D 17 at Rhode Island 2:00 pm D 3 at St. Bonaventure 7:00 pm D 21 at UCLA 7:30 pm D 10 SACRED HEART 3:00 pm D 30 Stony Brook 7:00 pm D 18 at Penn State 2:00 pm J 2 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm D 28 at LaSalle 7:00 pm J 5 QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm J 2 American 7:00 pm J 5 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm J 7 at SACRED HEART 4:00 pm J 7 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm J 14 SACRED HEART 7:00 pm J 10 MOUNT ST. MARY'S 7:00 pm J 19 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm J 12 LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm J 21 ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm J 14 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm J 23 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:30 pm J 19 at WAGNER 7:00 pm J 26 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm J 21 at SACRED HEART 4:00 pm J 28 at LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm J 24 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm F 4 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 2:00 pm J 26 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm F 6 MONMOUTH 7:00 pm J 28 MONMOUTH 7:00 pm F 9 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm F 4 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm F 13 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm F 10 QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm F 16 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm F 12 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm F 18 at QUINNIPIAC 2:00 pm F 16 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm F 22 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm F 18 at LONG ISLAND 4:00 pm F 24 LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm F 21 ROBERT MORRIS 8:00 pm F 27 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm F 25 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 1:00 pm NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) NEC Tournament (all games at higher seed) M 2 Quarterfinals M 2 Quarterfinals M 5 Semifinals M 5 Semifinals M 8 Championship M 8 Championship NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS Newcomer Alert NEC Men’s Basketball Notes: A host of newcomers have already made an impact early on in the 2005-06 campaign, includ- (through games of November 26) ing a terrific five-man class of recruits at Quinnipiac (see list below). Quinnipiac newcomers have accounted for 56.5 percent of the team’s points this season and are shooting a combined Monmouth Finishes Fourth At Great Alaska Shootout 50-95 (52.6 percent) from the floor. Here is a quick look at some of the top performances Monmouth spent its Thanksgiving holiday in Anchorage, Alaska tak- among league newcomers: ing fourth place at the Great Alaska Shootout. The first NEC team to compete in the Shootout, the Hawks opened last Thursday with an 80- Cameron Tyler (G/FDU/Fr.): 11.2 ppg, 4.0 apg, 81.5 FT%, Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the 68 win over a Southern Illinois team that has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four years, Week (9/21) including a second round appearance in 2005, and is ranked #9 in the College Insider Mid-Major poll. John Blackgrove (G/FDU/Jr.): 9.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 54.5 3PFG% Senior guard Tyler Azzarelli (Tampa, FL/H.B. Plant) led Monmouth and was named the Carrs/ Donovin McLendon (G/LIU/Fr.): 8.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg Safeway Player of the Game with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, but suffered a foot Whitney Coleman (G/MU/Fr.): 9.5 ppg, 1.3 spg, 56.0 FG%, 62.5 3PFG%, 83.3 FT%, Choice injury and missed the next two games. In the semifinals on Friday, the Hawks led South Carolina, 42-25, with Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week (9/28) 16 minutes left to play, but the Gamecocks fought their way back with an 18-2 run and pulled out a 62-56 win Sam Aputem (F/MSM/Fr): 11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.9 bpg, 53.8 FG% despite junior forward Dejan Delic’s (Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro/Bridgton Academy) 17 Markus Mitchell (F/MSM/Fr): 5.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg points. Monmouth took on Oral Roberts in the third place game on Saturday, and despite trimming a 16-point Chris Wehye (F/QU/Jr): 12.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 60.0 FG% second half deficit to five on a number of occasions, suffered a 64-56 setback. Junior forward Corey Hallett John Winchester (G/QU/Jr): 10.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 2.0 3PFG/game (Shelburne, Nova Scotia/Shelburne (Central Michigan)) scored a career-high 20 points in the loss. Victor Akinyanju (C/QU/Jr): 9.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 93.3 FG% Adam Gonzalez (G/QU/Jr): 7.0 ppg, 3.0 apg, 53.8 FG% That’s Why You Play The Game Job Casimir (G/QU/Fr): 6.0 ppg, 4.0 apg, 1.000 FT% (12-12) Sacred Heart’s 63-61 road win over Albany may have seemed unlikely to anyone who takes stock in pre- A.J. Jackson (F/RMU/Jr): 16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 spg season coaches polls. The Pioneers were picked to finish 11th in the NEC, while Albany was chosen as the Jeremy Chappell (G/RMU/Fr): 11.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6 3PFG, 50.0 3PFG% preseason favorite to win the American East title. Sacred Heart, which led by 13 points midway through the Tavio Hobson (G/SHU/Jr): 4.0 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.0 spg, 50.0 3PFG% second half and withstood at late charge by the Great Danes, was led by senior center Kibwe Trim (San Jelani Lawrence (F/SFPA/Jr): 8.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 56.7 FG% Juan, Trinidad/St. Mary’s), who established a new career-high with 29 points (10-17 FG, 9-11 FT). Millennium Club To Grow In 2005-06 Close To Perfect For Quinnipiac’s Akinyanju The NEC tipped off the 2005-06 season with two returning players already ensconced in the Quinnipiac junior center Victor Akinyanju (Ardmore, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt (Cecil CC)) re- 1,000-point club, and a host of others set to join the ranks as the season progresses. A total mains nearly perfect from the field after the first three games of his Division I career. After hitting his first 11 of four NEC players reached the 1,000-point plateau a year ago to raise membership to 122 field goal attempts at the Columbia Invitational on November 18-19, Akinyanju missed a layup on his first shot since the league began sponsoring basketball in 1981. Mount St. Mary’s boasts the leading against Concordia (NY) last Tuesday, then sank three in a row to finish with six points off the bench in a 106- returning scorer in the conference in senior guard Landy Thompson (Germantown, 57 victory. The Ardmore, MD native is now 14-15 from the floor this season, a 93.3 percent success rate. MD/Archbishop Spalding), who has amassed 1,356 points. Fairleigh Dickinson senior forward Gordon Klaiber (Greenbelt, MD/National Christian Academy) (1,189 Second Home For Mount points) is the only other returning 1,000-point scorer. Next in line to reach the milestone is When Mount St. Mary’s traveled to Old Dominion on Saturday, it was a homecoming of sorts for the program. Klaiber’s running mate, senior swingman Chad Timberlake (Brooklyn, NY/New Utre- Mount head coach Milan Brown started his coaching career at ODU (1995-97) and grew up in the Hampton, cht) (967). Other players with an opportunity to hit 1,000 this season include Sacred Heart’s VA area. Mountaineer assistant coach Brion Dunlap led Old Dominion to two NCAA Tournament appearances Kibwe Trim (San Juan, Trinidad/St. Mary’s) (805), Long Island’s James Williams and is third all-time at the school in assists. Freshmen forwards Markus Mitchell (Virginia Beach, VA/ (DeSoto, TX/DeSoto) (794), Central Connecticut State’s Justin Chiera (Colonia, NJ/ Salem) and Sam Aputem (Newport News, VA/Woodside), along with assistant coach Tyrone Perry, Colonia) (783), Monmouth’s Chris Kenny (Spring Lake, NJ/CBA) (774) and Mount all played high school basketball in the area as well. St. Mary’s teammates Charles Cook (Upper Marlboro, MD/Bishop McNamara) (762) and Kiel Butler (Temple Hills, MD/Laurinburg Institute) (731). Terriers Bite Fordham St. Francis (NY)’s 66-60 win at Fordham on Saturday was the first for the Terriers over an Atlantic-10 oppo- Enright’s Evolution nent since defeating Duquesne, 64-63, on November 21, 1999. Fordham is coached by former Wagner head St. Francis (PA) junior center J.R. Enright (Burke, NE/Burke) could be one of the coach Dereck Whittenburg. league’s most improved players this season. After averaging 3.6 ppg and 1.7 rpg a year ago after transferring from Nebraska, an assertive and more confident Enright has upped those Wagner’s Winning Act At Spiro numbers to 14.0 ppg (11th in NEC) and 9.0 rpg (second in NEC) after his first five outings Following a 75-59 win over American last Tuesday, Wagner has won six straight at home and now stands at of 2005-06. In a 63-52 loss to Bethune-Cookman on November 9, he exploded for 19 points 57-24 (.703) all-time in the Spiro Sports Center, which opened in 1999. and 17 rebounds, both career-highs in his first-ever double-double performance.
41 Years In The Making For FDU; Quinnipiac’s Most Lopsided DI Win Quotes of the Week The 46-point margin of the victory in Fairleigh Dickinson’s 96-50 triumph over Dowling on Saturday was the Monmouth head coach Dave Calloway, on defeating Southern Illinois in the first round of largest for the program since defeating Hunter College by 60 points (109-49) on February 22, 1964. Like- the Great Alaska Shootout on Thursday: wise, Quinnipiac’s 106-57 win over Concordia on Tuesday was the most decisive triumph for the Bobcats “We've had some great non-conference wins over the years,” said Calloway. “And since moving to Division I in 1998. while Southern Illinois isn't from a power conference, there are only two mid-major programs that have been to the NCAAs four straight years and won games - Southern Seahawks & 70 Illinois and Gonzaga. These guys (Southern Illinois) were in the Sweet 16 a couple of Wagner’s 71-67 setback to Vermont on Saturday marked the first time an opponent has scored 70 or more years ago, they won a game in the NCAA Tournament last year as an at-large (entry). points against the Seahawks in a regulation contest since an 89-70 win over St. Francis (PA) on January 15, They had a big nucleus of their team back so this was a great win from that stand- 2005, a span of 19 games. point. But what's even bigger is the tournament that we're in. We're in the Great Alaska Shootout, one of the top three preseason tournaments in the country. So to go Red Flash Toy Drive out and win your first game, and to be in the semifinals on national TV this early in The St. Francis (PA) men’s and women’s teams will play host to Sacred Heart in their respective NEC openers the year, is a great accomplishment.” on December 10. Both games will be televised, and local U.S. Marines will be on campus for a Toys for Tots drive to collect new and unused toys for needy children. American head coach Jeff Jones, after the Eagles fell to Wagner, 75-59, on Tuesday: “Wagner really grew up, they are physical and tough and we didn't respond to it.” Ironman Azzarelli Goes Down Before sitting out Great Alaska Shootout games against South Carolina and Oral Roberts with a foot injury, Monmouth senior guard Tyler Azzarelli (Tampa, FL/H.B. Plant) was on pace to become the first player FDU To Take Part In Bracket Buster Saturday Fairleigh Dickinson will become the first NEC team to compete in ESPN’s Bracket Buster in the Dave Calloway era to play in every game at the school. Azzarelli had appeared in all 92 games and had strung together 90 consecutive starts. Azzarelli led the Hawks in minutes played in both 2003-04 and 2004-05. Saturday, when the Knights travel to an opponent to be determined on February 18. The actual Bracket Buster pairings - featuring some of the nation’s top mid-major programs - will be announced on January 30. FDU’s opponent will return a home game to the Knights during Road Devils CCSU is in the midst of a five-game road stretch and eight of its next ten away from Detrick Gymnasium. In the the 2006-07 campaign. five games (within an 18-day span), the Blue Devils will travel a total of 2,258 miles to compete at Florida International, Binghamton, Harvard, St. Bonaventure and St. Francis (NY), an average trip of 451.6 miles. Central Connecticut State (1-2, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: Florida International 71, CCSU 61 This Week: at Binghamton (Monday); at Harvard (Saturday) The Blue Devils dropped to 1-2 with a 71-61 setback at Florida International on Tuesday...CCSU held a 41-28 lead with 16:11 left in the second half, but a 33-7 run over the next 10:02 in the half gave FIU a 61-48 edge. The Blue Devils pulled to within four points with 1:06 to play, but the Golden Panthers sealed the game from the line...Senior guard Justin Chiera (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) continued his red-hot start with a team-high 17 points, including five three pointers, and added four assists...Junior Mohegan Sun Classic at CCSU N18 Birmingham Southern W 76-67 forward Jemino Sobers (Scarborough, Ontario/Mother Theresa) scored a career-high 15 points and snared six boards. He hit 7-10 shots from the N19 Northeastern L 90-94 floor...Chiera is hitting a league-best 5.3 three-pointers per game and is shooting a scorching 48.5 percent from beyond the arc (16-33). He also leads the NEC with 20.7 N22 at Florida International L 61-71 ppg, and ranks second in assists (5.3 apg) and third in steals (2.0 spg)...Chiera has netted 16 of CCSU’s 22 three-pointers on the season...After battling injuries and N28 at Binghamton 7:00 pm averaging just 0.7 ppg and 1.0 rpg a year ago, Sobers has lifted those numbers considerably to 10.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Sobers, who ranks third in the NEC in field goal D3 at Harvard 2:00 pm percentage (.609), has posted new career-highs in points in each of the first three games (eight, nine and 15)...CCSU is outrebounding opponents by 4.7 per contest...Junior D5 at St. Bonaventure 7:00 pm D9 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm forward Obie Nwadike (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony’s) leads the team and is third in the NEC with 8.3 rpg, and ranks second on the Blue Devils with 13.7 ppg...Five D18 La Salle 12:00 pm Blue Devil players are averaging in double figures...In the midst of a five-game road swing, CCSU returns to action on Monday at Binghamton, then plays at Harvard on D22 Binhgamton 7:00 pm Saturday. D29 at Delaware 7:30 pm J7 at LONG ISLAND 4:00 pm J9 at SACRED HEART 8:00 pm
Fairleigh Dickinson (2-2, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: FDU 96, Dowling 50 This Week: vs. Quinnipiac (Tuesday); at Canisius (Friday) FDU evened its record at 2-2 with an easy 96-50 win over Division II Dowling on Saturday in Teaneck...Five players scored in double figures for the Knights, including senior forward Gordon Klaiber (Greenbelt, MD/National Christian Academy), who paced the Knights with 17 points in just 22 minutes. He also added six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and five steals...Freshman guard Cameron Tyler (Jamaica, NY/Cardozo (Notre Dame Prep)), in his first game since at Guardians Classic (Morgantown, WV) claiming Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week honors, gave FDU a lift off the bench with 15 points (9-10 FT) and five assists...With Tyler leading the way, FDU reserves N12 vs. Wofford L 62-73 scored 44 points...Also coming off the bench were sophomore forward Eric Hazard (Long Branch, NJ/St. Benedict's), who drilled 2-3 shots from long range N13 Lousiana Monroe W 74-58 N18 at #24 Maryland L 85-111 and scored 12 points, and junior forward Andre Harris (Detroit, MI/Robichaud), who tallied six points and grabbed a career-high 11 boards, including ten in N26 Dowling W 96-50 the first half alone...FDU blocked nine shots in the win and held Dowling to 28.1 percent shooting from the field...The 46-point margin of the victory was the largest for N29 QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm the program since defeating Hunter College by 60 points (109-49) on February 22, 1964...Klaiber tops the Knights with 15.7 ppg and is the NEC leader with 4.0 spg and D2 at Canisius 7:00 pm 2.7 bpg...Tyler is first among NEC freshman and second on the squad with 11.2 ppg, and ranks first on the Knights with 4.0 apg and 81.5 percent shooting from the D5 at Seton Hall 7:30 pm line...Klaiber has boosted his career totals to 1,189 points and 539 boards. He leads all NEC active players in rebounds and is second in scoring...Senior guard Chad D10 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 2:00 pm D17 Drexel 7:30 pm Timberlake (Brooklyn, NY/New Utrecht) needs 33 more points to become the 26th player in FDU history and 123rd in NEC annals to reach 1,000 in his D22 at St. Peter’s 7:00 pm career...The Knights open NEC play at home on Tuesday against Quinnipiac, then visit Canisius on Friday. FDU is 12-4 all-time against Quinnipiac. D28 at Louisville 7:00 pm J5 ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm
Long Island (0-2, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: Columbia 80, Long Island 63; Penn State 80, Long Island 64 This Week: at SMU (Tuesday); at New Hampshire (Saturday) Long Island became the final NEC team to open its season last Tuesday, falling at home to Columbia, 80-63. On Saturday, the Blackbirds lost at Penn State, 80-64...LIU trailed Columbia, 54-48, with 10:52 to play when the Lions went on a 19-6 run over the next eight minutes to pull away...Junior guard James Williams (DeSoto, TX/ DeSoto) and sophomore guard Randy Jones (West Palm Beach, FL/Notre Dame Prep (MA)) led the Blackbirds with 13 points apiece, while sophomore N22 Columbia L 63-80 forward Paska Morkeliunas (Kaunas, Lithuania/Roanoke (VA) Catholic) added 12 points and five rebounds in a reserve role...It was a similar story against N26 at Penn State L 64-80 N29 at SMU 7:00 pm Penn State, as the Nittany Lions nursed a 44-40 lead with 14:33 remaining, before utilizing an 8-0 spurt to take over the game...In just his second career game, freshman D3 at New Hampshire 7:00 pm guard Donovin McLendon (Miami, FL/Notre Dame Prep (MA)) scored 15 points and pulled down five boards in a 22-minute stint off the bench against Penn D10 Hartford 4:00 pm State...LIU hit 11 three-pointers vs. the Nittany Lions...The Blackbirds had problems on the glass, losing the battle of the boards to both Columbia (42-25) and Penn State D14 at Harvard 7:00 pm (41-26)...Only five fouls were called against the Nittany Lions on Saturday...LIU has three scorers in double figures: Williams (10.5 ppg), Jones (10.5 ppg) and D22 CCNY 7:00 pm sophomore forward Kellen Allen (Mansfield, TX/Summit) (10.0 ppg)...The home opener against Columbia was scheduled to be played at Long Island’s brand at College of Charleston Classic D29 vs. Rider 5:30 pm new $40 million Athletic, Recreation & Wellness Center, but with ongoing construction at the facility, upcoming games will continue to be played at the Schwartz Center...Long D30 vs. Charleston/Longwood 5:30/7:30 pm Island competes at SMU on Tuesday and New Hampshire on Saturday. J5 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm J7 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 4:00 pm J12 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm
Monmouth (1-3, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: San Francisco 70, Monmouth 66; Monmouth 80, S. Illinois 68; S. Carolina 62, Monmouth 56; Oral Roberts 62, Monmouth 54 This Week: vs. Rider (Saturday)
Monmouth finished in fourth place at the Great Alaska Shootout last week, posted a 1-2 record in the eight-team tournament. The Hawks knocked off Southern Illinois in the opener on Thursday, 80-68, then fell to South Carolina in a semifinal game televised on ESPN2, 62-56, and Oral Roberts in the third place game, 62-54. On the way to Alaska, Monmouth made a stop to play San Francisco on Monday, dropping a 70-66 decision...Southern Illinois is ranked #9 in the College Insider Mid-Major poll and has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the four years, including a second round appearance in 2005...Senior guard Tyler Azzarelli (Tampa, FL/ N21 at San Francisco L 66-70 H.B. Plant) led Monmouth and was named the Carrs/Safeway Player of the Game with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals against the Salukis, but at Great Alaska Shootout (Anchorage, AK) suffered a foot injury and missed the first two contests of his career against South Carolina and Oral Roberts...The Hawks led South Carolina, 42-25, with 16 minutes N24 vs. Southern Illinois W 80-68 left to play, but the Gamecocks fought their way back with an 18-2 run and pulled out a 62-56 win despite junior forward Dejan Delic’s (Belgrade, Serbia- N25 vs. South Carolina L 56-62 Montenegro/Bridgton Academy) 17 points...Junior forward Corey Hallett (Shelburne, Nova Scotia/Shelburne (Central Michigan)) scored a career- N26 vs. Oral Roberts L 54-62 high 20 points and sparked a late rally against Oral Roberts that came up just short...Delic scored 18 of his career-high 25 points in the second half and hit 5-10 from D3 Rider 7:00 pm three-point range against San Francisco...The Hawks drained 8-17 shots from long distance in the second half against the Dons, but sank just 6-14 shots from the line D6 at St. Peter’s 7:00 pm for the game, including missing the front end of a one-and-one trailing by one with 25 seconds to play...Freshman guard Whitney Coleman ( Salem, CT/East Lyme D8 at Seton Hall 7:30 pm (St. Thomas More Prep)) had a productive trip to begin his collegiate career, averaging 9.5 points and 2.0 rebounds to win Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week D12 at Lehigh 7:00 pm honors. Coleman, who scored at least eight points in each outing, is shooting 56.0 percent from the floor, 62.5 percent from three-point territory (5-8) and 83.3 percent D14 at Princeton 7:30 pm from the line (5-6)...Another freshman, Mike Shipman (Middletown, DE/Middletown) had seven assists against Oral Roberts...Delic leads the team with 15.2 D18 SACRED HEART 4:00 pm ppg...Azzarelli is six assists (251) shy of eighth place (Jason Krayl, 257) and three steals (142) shy of fifth place (Dwayne Byfield, 144) on Monmouth’s career list...The D28 at Hartford 7:00 pm South Carolina game was the Hawks’ first non-NEC championship game to be televised on ESPN or ESPN2...Monmouth was the first team in NEC history to participate D31 Drexel 4:00 pm in the Great Alaska Shootout...The Hawks have a week to rest upon their return to New Jersey before taking on Rider in their home opener on Saturday. Mount St. Mary’s (1-2, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: Mt. St. Mary’s 62, Binghamton 53; Old Dominion 80, Mt. St. Mary’s 57 This Week: at La Salle (Wednesday); vs. Loyola (MD) (Saturday) The Mount split a pair of games this week, handing Binghamton a 62-53 setback in its home opener on Monday before losing at Old Dominion, 80-57, on Saturday...Freshman guard Joey Butler (Fort Washington, MD/Massanutten Academy (VA)), senior guard Landy Thompson (Germantown, MD/Archbishop Spald- ing) and junior guard Mychal Kearse (Charlotte, NC/Providence Day) each scored 10 points to lead a balanced attack in the win over Binghamton...The Mount N18 at Virginia Tech L 62-74 N21 Binghamton W 62-53 is now 2-1 in home openers under head coach Milan Brown and is 8-3 over its past 11 home openers...Kearse had a good week for the Mount, averaging 11.5 points, N26 at Old Dominion L 57-80 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game...The Old Dominion contest was a homecoming of sorts in a variety of ways for Mount St. Mary’s. Head coach Milan N30 at La Salle 7:00 pm Brown started his coaching career at ODU (1995-97) and grew up in the Hampton, VA area. Mountaineer assistant coach Brion Dunlap led Old Dominion to two NCAA D3 Loyola (MD) 2:00 pm Tournament appearances and is third all-time at the school in assists. Freshmen forwards Markus Mitchell (Virginia Beach, VA/Salem) and Sam Atupem D7 at American 7:30 pm (Newport News, VA/Woodside), along with assistant coach Tyrone Perry, all played high school basketball in the area as well...Atupem, who averaged 10.0 ppg, 4.0 D10 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 2:00 pm at San Juan Shootout rpg and 2.0 bpg last week, leads the Mount with six blocks this season. Last year, the Mount was led by Jason Loughry’s (Odenton, MD/Archbishop Spalding) D19 vs. Akron 7:00 pm 10 rejections for the entire season...Kearse, a 6-4 guard, leads the team and ranks fourth in the NEC with 7.3 rpg...Junior forward Gus Durr (Pasadena, MD/ D20 vs. Mississippi State/Liberty 7/9 pm Archbishop Spalding) made his first appearance of the year after preseason back surgery, chipping in with five points at Old Dominion...Old Dominion is ranked D21 vs. Clemson/H. Cross/UT-Chatanooga, PR-Mayaguez #2 in the College Insider Mid-Major preseason poll...Mount St. Mary’s has outscored opponents in the second half, 107-100, but has amassed a 33-point first half deficit D31 at Penn State 1:00 pm (107-74)...The Mountaineers visit LaSalle on Wednesday before hosting longtime rival Loyola (MD) on Saturday. J3 Lafayette 7:00 pm
Quinnipiac (2-1, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: Quinnipiac 106, Concordia (NY) 57 This Week: at Fairleigh Dickinson (Tuesday); at Cornell (Friday) Quinnipiac upped its record to 2-1 with a 106-57 win over Division II Concordia (NY) on Tuesday...The 106 points scored by the Bobcats is the most scored by a Quinnipiac team since posting 110 in a victory over UMass-Dartmouth on December 10, 1992. It was also the largest margin of victory (49) by the Bobcats since moving to Division I...In total, 12 different Quinnipiac players scored against Concordia, including five in double figures, with sophomore center Karl Anderson (Chester, at Columbia Tournament NY/Don Bosco Prep) recording game-highs with 18 points (6-7 FG, 6-6 FT) and nine boards in just 18 minutes of play...Junior forward Chris Wehye (Brooklyn, N18 vs. Troy State L 83-94 (OT) NY/Cecil CC), the Bobcats’ leading scorer with 12.7 ppg, tallied 16 points on 8-12 shooting, while freshman guard Job Casimir (Stamford, CT/The Dublin N19 vs. New Hampshire W 64-62 N22 Concordia (NY) W 106-57 School) and junior guard Dale Meinbresse (Upper St. Clair, PA/Upper St. Clair) added 12 apiece. Senior guard Craig Benson (Hamden, CT/Hamden) N29 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm also hit double-digits with 11 points...Junior center Victor Akinyanju (Ardmore, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt (Cecil CC)) missed his first field goal attempt of the D2 at Cornell 7:30 pm season on Tuesday after hitting his first 11 shots at the Columbia Invitational on November 18-19. He is now 14-15 from the floor this season, an NEC-high 93.3 percent D5 Colgate 7:00 pm success rate...Seven Quinnipiac players are averaging at least 7.0 ppg this season, five of whom are hitting at least 54 percent of their field goal attempts...The Bobcats shot D10 ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm 58.1 percent from the field and hit 11-21 (.524) from three-point range vs. Concordia...Casimir is 12-12 from the charity stripe, while Anderson is 14-15 (.933). The D19 Dartmouth 7:00 pm D22 at Rhode Island 7:00 pm duo rank one-two in the NEC in the category...Quinnipiac has won 12 of its last 13 home openers and is 43-12 all-time in home openers...The Bobcats return to action D30 at Connecticut 7:00 pm on Tuesday at defending NEC champion Fairleigh Dickinson in the first league game of the 2005-06 season. Quinnipiac then heads to Cornell on Friday. J5 at WAGNER 7:00 pm J7 Brown 4:00 pm Robert Morris (1-2, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: Pittsburgh 86, Robert Morris 59; Robert Morris 100, Lock Haven 64 This Week: vs. Maine (Monday); at Duquesne (Saturday) Robert Morris closed out its two-game road trip to open the 2005-06 campaign with an 86-59 loss at Pittsburgh on Wednesday before moving to 26-4 all-time in home openers with a 100-64 win over Division II Lock Haven on Saturday...The Colonials trailed Pittsburgh, 41-40, with less than 18 minutes to play, but Carl Krauser took over for the Panthers, scoring 14 of the game's next 19 points to push Pittsburgh to a 57-43 advantage...Junior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, PA/Monessen), a transfer from East Tennessee State, made his Colonial debut against Pitt and led Robert Morris with 13 points and five rebounds, then posted his first career double- N18 at St. Bonaventure L 61-80 double with 20 points and 12 boards in the win over the Bald Eagles. On the week, Jackson averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds...Sophomore guard Tony Lee N23 at Pittsburgh L 59-86 (Boston, MA/Charlestown) also made his season debut against Pitt and finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Lee compiled 15 points, seven N26 Lock Haven W 100-64 rebounds, a career-high nine assists and four steals against Lock Haven...Sophomore guard Cori Boston (Boston, MA/Charlestown), relegated to RMU's top N28 Maine 7:30 pm option off the bench after the return of Jackson, continued his good start to the 2005-06 season by averaging 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in two games last week. Boston D3 at Duquesne 7:05 pm scored 10 points against Pitt and added 12 points and a career-high tying six boards vs. Lock Haven...One area Boston has made a huge leap from his freshman season D6 at New Hampshire 7:00 pm is at the free-throw line, as he leads RMU in the early going with an 83.3 shooting percentage (10-12) after converting just three of 12 opportunities last year...Boston D10 at QUINNIPIAC 4:00 pm is also the only Colonial to score in double figures in each of RMU's first three games...Freshman guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, OH/Northwest) averaged D17 Charleston Southern 7:30 pm 12.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg in last week, both as a member of the starting lineup. Chappell scored nine points and four boards at Pitt, then contributed 16 points and five D22 at Iowa 7:05 pm rebounds vs. Lock Haven while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 45.5 percent (5-11) from three-point range...Junior guard Derek Coleman (Dorchester, D29 Medaille 7:30 pm MA/Charlestown) averaged 9.5 ppg, 6.0 apg and 2.0 rpg, hitting double figures for the first time on the season with 10 points vs. the Panthers while establishing a career- J2 WAGNER 7:30 pm high in assists with eight dimes...Coleman leads the NEC with 6.0 assists per game...Robert Morris hit the century mark for the second straight year in its home opener J5 at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm with its 100-64 victory over Lock Haven. A year ago, the Colonials downed Thiel, 107-47, in its first home outing. It also marked the 11th time in their first 30 years of J12 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:30 pm Division I hoops that the Colonials have scored at least 100 in a game...Robert Morris hosts Maine on Monday, before traveling to crosstown rival Duquesne on Saturday. Sacred Heart (1-2, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: Sacred Heart 63, Albany 61; Harvard 75, Sacred Heart 72 This Week: at Yale (Monday); vs. Columbia (Wednesday); at Boston College (Saturday)
The Pioneers picked up notable road victory on Monday with a 63-61 win over Albany, the preseason favorite in the America East. Sacred Heart then fell to unbeaten Harvard in its home opener on Saturday, 75-72...Senior center Kibwe Trim (San Juan, Trinidad/St. Mary's) dominated the game against Albany with a career- high 29 points (10-17 FG, 9-11 FT) and five rebounds. With the score tied at 61-61, Trim hit two free throws with 16.5 seconds to play, then deflected a pass out of bounds N19 at Rhode Island L 50-56 as time expired. On the week, he averaged 21.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg and shot 55.6 percent from the floor...Junior guard Jarrid Frye (Maspeth, NY/Mt. Luther) had a terrific N21 at Albany W 63-61 week, averaging 15.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 blocks. He scored a game and career-high 23 points (9-15 FG) against Harvard, and had eight points, N25 Harvard L 72-75 N28 at Yale 7:00 pm 10 rebounds and seven assists vs. Albany...Sacred Heart outrebounded Albany, 38-26...Trim leads the Pioneers and ranks second in the NEC with 18.3 ppg. Frye is the N30 Columbia 7:00 pm only other player averaging in double figures with 14.3 ppg...Sophomore forward Brice Brooks (Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap) paces Sacred Heart in D3 at Boston College 7:00 pm rebounding with 7.3 per outing, the fourth best mark in the conference...After hitting just one of his first 12 attempts from three-point range, sophomore forward Luke D5 Army 7:00 pm Granato (Rocky Hill, CT/Northwest Catholic) has converted four of his last eight...Junior forward Joey Henley (Kent, WA/Kentride), a preseason all-NEC D7 Lehigh 8:00 pm selection, is out with an injury suffered during football season and did not play...After playing Harvard on Saturday, the Pioneers will take on two more Ivy League D10 at ST. FRANCIS (PA) 3:00 pm D18 at MONMOUTH 4:00 pm opponents this week, visiting Yale on Monday and welcoming Columbia on Wednesday. The Pioneers are 3-12 all-time against the Ivy League...Sacred Heart also travels J2 at Miami (FL) 7:30 pm to #10 Boston College on Saturday. The Pioneers are 0-9 against ranked opponents since elevating the program to Division I, but gave the Eagles a scare two seasons J7 WAGNER 4:00 pm ago, missing two shots at the basket in the final 30 seconds of a two-point defeat. J9 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 8:00 pm St. Francis (NY) (2-1, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: St. John’s 64, St. Francis (NY) 50; St. Francis (NY) 66, Fordham 60 This Week: at Pittsburgh (Tuesday); vs. Binghamton (Saturday) The Terriers split two inter-borough games last week, falling at St. John’s, 64-50, on Tuesday, before bouncing back with a 66-60 triumph at Fordham on Saturday...With the score tied at 53 all with 4:53 to play against Fordham, junior swingman Allan Sheppard (New York, NY/A. Phillip Randolph) keyed a decisive 9-0 run over the next 4:28 with seven points...Senior guard Christian Brown (New York, NY/Rice) scored a game-high 24 points in the win over the Rams. He hit 8-13 shots N18 Fairfield W 69-64 N22 at St. John’s L 50-64 from the floor, including 4-6 from long range. Brown also tied for team-high honors against St. John’s with 11 points off the bench...St. Francis held Fordham to 35.7 N26 at Fordham W 66-60 percent shooting from the field...Sheppard was the only other Terrier in double figures in either game. He hit for 19 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds N29 at Pittsburgh 7:30 pm against Fordham, and added 11 vs. St. John’s...Freshman forward John Gooden (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes) contributed in the win over Fordham with two D3 Binghamton 2:00 pm points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks...Brown leads the Terriers with 14.7 ppg, with Sheppard right behind with 14.3 ppg...Brown has drilled 7-13 shots D6 at Lafayette 7:00 pm (.538) from three-point territory, good for fourth in the NEC...The Fordham victory was the first for St. Francis over an Atlantic-10 rival since the Terriers defeated D9 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 7:00 pm D18 Hartford 2:00 pm Duquesne, 64-63, on November 21, 1999. The Rams are coached by former Wagner head coach Dereck Whittenburg...The Terriers travel to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, D22 Hofstra 7:00 pm then host Binghamton on Saturday. D30 at Manhattan 7:00 pm J3 MONMOUTH 7:00 pm J7 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 4:00 pm J12 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm
St. Francis (PA) (2-3, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: St. Francis (PA) 74, Lock Haven 54; Ohio 77, St. Francis (PA) 61 This Week: at George Washington (Wednesday); at St. Bonaventure (Saturday) The Red Flash went 1-1 last week with a 74-54 conquest of Division II Lock Haven on Monday, followed by a 77-61 defeat at Ohio on Saturday...Senior guard Rahsaan Benton (Cleveland Heights, OH/St. Ignatius) had a big week in a sixth man role, twice earning game scoring honors with 21 points in each contest. He drilled 11-21 shots from outside the arc, including 6-11 against defending MAC champion Ohio in a return to his home state...Junior center J.R. Enright (Burke, NE/Burke) at Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (at Syracuse) continues to be a consistent force in the paint for St. Francis. He averaged 12.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg last week...The Red Flash outrebounded Lock Haven by 17 and Ohio N8 vs. Cornell L 54-75 by six...Junior forwards Jelani Lawrence (Richmond, VA/Blue Ridge) and Winston Robinson (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) nearly recorded double- N9 vs. Bethune-Cookman L 52-63 (OT) N19 Youngstown State W 71-58 doubles vs. Lock Haven. Lawrence amassed 10 points and nine rebounds, while Robinson recorded nine points and 10 caroms...Freshman forward T.J. Lundy N21 Lock Haven W 74-54 (Tobyhanna, PA/Pocono Mountain West) contributed seven points and two steals in 11 minutes against Ohio...Another freshman, Marquis Ford (St. N26 at Ohio L 61-77 Petersburg, FL/St. Petersburg), came off the bench to tally five points and four assists vs. the Bobcats on Saturday, three days after he had six points and three assists N30 at George Washington 7:30 pm against Lock Haven...Benton leads the NEC with 19 three-pointers and is third in the conference with 16.6 ppg...Benton now has 779 career points, and is 221 shy of D3 at St. Bonaventure 7:00 pm becoming the 38th 1,000-point scorer in school history...Enright is 11th in the conference in scoring with 14.0 ppg and second in rebounding with 9.0 rpg...Lawrence D10 SACRED HEART 3:00 pm D18 at Penn State 2:00 pm is second in the NEC with 2.4 bpg...Robinson averaged 10.0 rebounds last week and is sixth in the league with 6.8 rpg...The Red Flash will have their work cut out for D28 at LaSalle 7:00 pm them on Wednesday at #21 George Washington. St. Francis concludes a three-game road stretch at St. Bonaventure on Saturday. J2 American 7:00 pm J5 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm
Wagner (2-1, 0-0 NEC) Last Week: Wagner 75, American 59; Vermont 71, Wagner 67 This Week: at Brown (Tuesday); at Yale (Saturday) Wagner split two games last week, winning at home against American on Tuesday, 75-59, before coming up just short in a 71-67 setback at Vermont on Saturday... The American win gave the Seahawks their first 2-0 start since the 2000-01 season and just the third 2-0 start in the last 14 years...Wagner has won six straight at home and now stands at 57-24 (.703) all-time in the Spiro Sports Center...Junior center Durell Vinson (Vineland, NJ/St. Augustine Prep), the Choice Hotels NEC Player N19 John Jay W 86-44 of the Week, has emerged as a force in the paint after posting career-highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds against American and 13 points and nine rebounds at Vermont. N22 American W 75-59 On the week, he averaged 17.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg and shot 66.7 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent from the line...Dating back to last season, Vinson has now N26 at Vermont L 67-71 scored in double figures in seven of the last nine games...A high school teammate of Vinson, sophomore guard Mark Porter (Atlantic City, NJ/St. Augustine’s N29 at Brown 7:00 pm Prep) also had a big week as well with 22 points vs American (12-15 FT) and a team-high 16 points at Vermont. For the week, he shot 17-20 from the foul line and has D3 at Yale 2:00 pm made 13 straight...Junior forward Matt Vitale (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund’s Prep) had a pair of double digit games off the bench (11.5 ppg) and shot 6-8 (.750) D6 Columbia 7:00 pm D17 at Rhode Island 2:00 pm from three-point range last week, including a 4-5 performance from downtown against Vermont...Vinson leads the NEC with 10.0 rpg and is sixth in scoring (14.7 ppg), D21 at UCLA 7:30 pm fifth in field goal percentage (.609), tenth in free throw percentage (.800) and seventh in blocks (1.0 bpg)...Porter is also sixth on the circuit with 14.7 ppg, and is fourth D30 Stony Brook 7:00 pm in assists (4.3 apg), third in steals (2.0 spg) and sixth in free throw shooting (.850)...After shooting just .631 from the line last year, the Seahawks are converting free J2 at ROBERT MORRIS 7:30 pm throws at a 79.3 percent clip thus far in 2005-06...Wagner’s 27 rebounds at Vermont are the lowest total for the team in Mike Deane’s three seasons (62 games) as head J5 QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm coach...The 71 points given up to the Catamounts mark the first time a Wagner opponent has scored over 70 in a regulation contest since an 89-70 win over St. Francis J7 at SACRED HEART 4:00 pm (PA) on January 15, 2005, a span of 19 games...American shot just 37.5 percent from the floor vs. the Seahawks...Wagner resumes its three game road swing - its longest J14 SACRED HEART 7:00 pm of the season - on Wednesday at Brown, then travels to Yale on Saturday. NEC Men’s Basketball 2006 NEC Basketball Tournament Facts/Figures Schedule
NEC In RPI Rankings College Insider Mid-Major Poll 2006 NEC (to begin later this month) (December 22) Men’s Basketball Tournament School Rank Change School Record all games to be held at home of higher seed teams will be reseeded following quarterfinals CCSU TBA Gonzaga (31) 7-2 Fairleigh Dickinson 2. Creighton 7-0 Long Island 3. East Tennessee State 7-2 Thursday, March 2 Sunday, March 5 Wednesday, March 8 Monmouth 4. Wichita State 7-2 Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship Mount St. Mary’s 5. Southern Illinois 7-1 Times TBA 1:00 pm (CN8) 7:30 pm (ESPN2) Quinnipiac The Northeast Conference began a year-long 6. College of Charleston 6-1 4:00 pm (MSG) Robert Morris celebration of its 25th Anniversary in Septem- 7. Illinois-Chicago 9-2 Sacred Heart ber with the unveiling of its Silver Anniversary St. Francis (NY) logo8. and Utah the State announcement of promotions, 5-1 9. Murray State 8-1 St. Francis (PA) web-based activities and flashbacks through- 2006 NEC Tournament Men’s Championship Bracket Wagner out10. the Bradley 2005-06 campaign as the league 7-3 pays tribute to its history. March 2 March 5 March 8 NEC TBA (#1 vs. #8) Highest Remaining Seed
TBA Close Games Double-Doubles TBA Lowest Remaining Seed (five points or less) (top-10) (#2 vs. #7)
Teams will 7:30 PM School Rec. Player Total be reseeded for semifinals (ESPN2) NCAA Central Connecticut State 0-1 Andrea Crosariol, FDU 1 Tournament TBA J.R. Enright, SFPA 1 Automatic Bid Fairleigh Dickinson 0-0 (#3 vs. #6) 2nd Highest Remaining Seed Long Island 0-0 A.J. Jackson, RMU 1 Monmouth 0-1 Kevin Jolley, QU 1 TBA Durell Vinson, WC 1 TBA 3rd Highest Remaining Seed Mount St. Mary’s 0-0 (#4 vs. #5) Quinnipiac 1-0 Robert Morris 0-0 Sacred Heart 1-1 St. Francis (NY) 1-0 St. Francis (PA) 0-0 NEC Men’s Basketball Wagner 0-1 vs. the competition NEC vs...
NEC Coaching Records America East 3-1 Mid-American 0-1 ACC 0-2 Mid-Con 0-1 Year Conf. Games Overall Record Atlantic Sun 0-0 MEAC 0-1 Missouri Valley 1-0 Coach (School) Hired Rec. Pct. Rec. Pct. Atlantic 10 1-2 Big East 0-2 Mountain West 0-0 Tom Green (FDU) 1984 230-150 .605 360-282 .561 Big Sky 0-0 NAIA 0-0 Dave Calloway (MU) 1998 85-57 .599 112-110 .505 Big South 1-0 Ohio Valley 0-0 Howie Dickenman (CCSU) 1997 88-60 .595 139-124 .529 Big Ten 0-1 Pac 10 0-0 Mike Deane (WC) 2003 20-16 .556 371-254 .594 Big-12 0-0 Patriot 1-0 Mark Schmidt (RMU) 2001 39-35 .527 51-67 .432 Big West 0-0 SEC 0-1 Bobby Jones (SFPA) 1999 51-61 .455 69-102 .404 Colonial 0-2 Southern 0-1 Southland 1-0 Joe DeSantis (QU) 1998 52-80 .394 94-158 .373 Conference USA 0-0 Division II 4-0 SWAC 0-0 Milan Brown (MSM) 2003 13-23 .361 18-41 .305 Division III 1-0 Sun Belt 0-2 Jim Ferry (LIU) 2002 21-33 .339 135-74 .646 Horizon 1-0 WCC 0-1 Dave Bike (SHU) 1999 32-80 .286 417-372 .529 Independent 0-0 WAC 0-0 Brian Nash (SFNY) 2005 0-0 .000 2-1 .667 Ivy 0-3 Overall 15-21 MAAC 1-0 NEC Past Champions NEC Men’s Basketball 2005 Fairleigh Dickinson 1997 Long Island 1989 Robert Morris Streaks vs. NEC Opponents 2004 Monmouth 1996 Monmouth 1988 FDU 2003 Wagner 1995 Mount St. Mary's 1987 Marist 2002 Central Connecticut St. 1994 Rider 1986 Marist Winner Loser Streak Winner Loser Streak 2001 Monmouth 1993 Rider 1985 Fairleigh Dickinson FDU Long Island 7 FDU Mount St. Mary’s 4 CCSU Long Island 6 Monmouth CCSU 4 2000 Central Connecticut St. 1992 Robert Morris 1984 Long Island Monmouth Robert Morris 5 Monmouth St. Francis (NY) 4 1999 Mount St. Mary’s 1991 St. Francis (PA) St. Francis (NY) Sacred Heart 5 Mount St. Mary’s Sacred Heart 4 1998 Fairleigh Dickinson 1990 Robert Morris Wagner CCSU 5 Robert Morris Sacred Heart 4 NEC Men’s Basketball 2005-06 NEC Basketball Preseason Poll/All-Conference Teams Composite Schedule Of Men’s Television Broadcasts
Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll The Northeast Conference will televise 18 men’s basketball games in 2005- 06 as part of an extensive regional network package. The league will reach 1. Fairleigh Dickinson (8) 7. Quinnipiac the largest coverage area in its history this year with multiple games slated 2. Monmouth (1) 8. Mount St. Mary’s to air on Madison Square Garden Network, Fox Sports-New York, Fox Sports- Wagner 9. St. Francis (PA) Pittsburgh, CN8, Comcast SportsNet and Fox College Sports this coming 4. Long Island (1) 10. Robert Morris season. The 2005-06 package, which guarantees each men’s team two 5. Central Connecticut State 11. Sacred Heart appearances, includes 11 prime time contests and two NEC Tournament St. Francis (NY) games. In total, over 50 million homes will be able to view NEC basketball this season.
Northeast Conference Preseason All-Conference Team Date Matchup Carrier Time Nov. 22 Columbia at LIU FSN-NY, FCS-Atlantic 7:00 pm Name School Pos. Class Dec. 9 CCSU at St. Francis (NY) MSG, FCS-Atlantic, Cox 7:00 pm Joey Henley Sacred Heart F Jr Dec. 10 Sacred Heart at St. Francis (PA) WWCP, CV-Norwalk 3:00 pm Gordon Klaiber Fairleigh Dickinson F Jr Jan. 14 FDU at CCSU CN8 1:00 pm Landy Thompson Mount St. Mary’s G Jr Jan. 20 St. Francis (NY) at FDU FSN-NY, FCS-Atlantic 7:00 pm Chad Timberlake Fairleigh Dickinson G Sr Jan. 23 LIU at Quinnipiac MSG, FCS-Atlantic 7:00 pm James Williams Long Island G Jr Jan. 24 St. Francis (PA) at Robert Morris FSN-Pitt, FCS-Atlantic 7:30 pm Feb. 6 Monmouth at Wagner MSG, FCS-Atlantic 7:00 pm NEC Men’s Basketball Feb. 9 Mt. St. Mary’s at Sacred Heart Comcast SportsNet, CV-Norwalk 7:00 pm Foreign Born Players Feb. 12 Quinnipiac at Robert Morris CN8 2:00 pm Feb. 16 FDU at Sacred Heart MSG, FCS-Atlantic 7:30 pm Name School Cl Hometown, Country Feb. 18 Wagner at Quinnipiac MSG, FCS-Atlantic 2:00 pm Alex Nunner Monmouth Fr Leibnitz, Austria Feb. 18 Monmouth at Mt. St. Mary’s CN8 (men only),WJAL 1:00 pm Nicola Traykov St. Francis (NY) So Sofia, Bulgaria Feb. 20 FDU at Monmouth MSG, FCS-Atlantic 7:00 pm Tristan Blackwood CCSU So Toronto, Ontario, Canada Feb. 21 Robert Morris at St. Francis (PA) FSN-Pitt, FCS-Atlantic 8:00 pm Jemino Sobers CCSU Jr Scarborough, Ontaio, Canada Feb. 24 LIU at Wagner FSN-NY, FCS-Atlantic 7:00 pm Eugene Kotorobai Long Island Jr Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada Feb. 25 St. Francis (PA) at CCSU CN8, WWCP 1:00 pm Tyrone Mattison Long Island Fr Toronto, Ontario, Canada Mar. 5 Men’s Tournament semifinal CN8 1:00 pm Corey Hallett Monmouth Jr Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada Mar. 5 Men’s Tournament semifinal MSG, FCS-Atlantic 4:00 pm Colson Senat Robert Morris So Montreal, Quebec, Canada Esa Maki-Tulokas Long Island Jr Forrsa, Finland Carrier Region Sami Pekkola St. Francis (NY) So Lahti, Finland MSG MSG Network Three states in NY metro area Andrea Crosariol FDU Jr Abano T., Italy FSN-New York Fox Sports Net-New York Three states in NY metro area Deki Delic Monmouth Jr Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro FSN-Pittsburgh Fox Sports Net-Pittsburgh Western PA, portions of West Virginia Kibwe Trim Sacred Heart Sr San Juan, Trinindad FCS-Atlantic Fox College Sports-Atlantic Eastern U.S. Network on digital cable systems CN8 CN8, The Comcast Network Eight states from Maine to Maryland 13 players representing seven countries. Comcast SportsNet Comcast SportsNet-Mid Atlantic Portions of five states, plus Washington D.C. Cox Cox Cable Connecticut & Rhode Island NEC Men’s Basketball WWCP WWCP-Fox 8 Local Fox affiliate in western PA, MD, WV 2004-05 Standings WJAL WJAL-Family TV 68 Local affiliate in MD, PA, VA, WV CV-Norwalk Cablevision of Norwalk Fairfield County, CT School NEC Pct. Overall Pct. 1. Monmouth* 14-4 .778 16-13 .552 2. Fairleigh Dickinson*^ 13-5 .722 20-13 .606 NEC Men’s Basketball Broadcast Team 3. Robert Morris* 11-7 .611 14-15 .483 4. St. Francis (PA)* 10-8 .556 15-13 .536 Dave Popkin Play-By-Play 6th year Long Island* 10-8 .556 14-15 .483 Tim Capstraw Color 7th year Wagner* 10-8 .556 13-17 .433 Terry O’Connor Color 4th year 7. St. Francis (NY)* 9-9 .500 13-15 .464 Paul Dottino Play-By-Play, Sideline 7th year 8. Central Connecticut State* 8-10 .444 12-16 .429 9. Quinnipiac 6-12 .333 10-17 .370 Amy Lundy Sideline 4th year 10. Mount St. Mary's 5-13 .278 7-20 .259 Pam Roecker Color 4th year 11. Sacred Heart 3-15 .167 4-23 .148 Kevin Connors Play-By-Play, Sideline 1st year
* NEC Tournament participants ^ NEC Tournament champion FDU’s Klaiber Scales NEC Recordbook NEC Men’s Basketball A two-time first team all-NEC selection, Fairleigh Dickinson senior forward Gordon NCAA Statistics Klaiber (Greenbelt, MD/National Christian Academy) will look to put a stamp on his career in 2005-06 as he attempts to lead the Knights to back-to-back conference championships. He enters the season as the NEC’s leading active re- NEC In NCAA Statistics bounder and second-leading scorer and currently has recorded 1,189 points and (Top-30 - to begin in December) 539 boards in his career. He is just the ninth player in FDU history to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds and is on pace to become just the 23rd player in NEC Ind. Category Rank Player School Statistics annals to reach 1,500 points and 500 rebounds and ninth player to hit 1,500 points and 750 rebounds. Scoring 30th Maurice Bailey Sacred Heart 19.8 ppg
NEC Preseason Poll Team Category Rank School Statistics With three returning starters, including preseason all-NEC picks Gordon Klaiber 3PFG Made 4th St. Francis (NY) 9.6/game (Greenbelt, MD/National Christian Academy) and Chad Timberlake (Brooklyn, NY/New Utrecht), defending tournament champion Fairleigh Dick- Ind. Game Highs Rank Player School Statistics inson has been chosen as the 2005-06 NEC men’s basketball preseason favorite, Rebounds 1st Nigel Wyatte Wagner 21 vs. Quinnipiac (2/2/04) according to a vote of the league’s head coaches taken prior to the league’s 25th anniversary season. Looking to become the first league team since Rider in 1993 Team Game Highs Rank School Statistics and 1994 to repeat as NEC champion, Fairleigh Dickinson earned nine of a possible ten first place votes from league head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their FT% 13th Monmouth .941 (16-17) vs. UMKC (12/13/03) own team. Monmouth, last year’s NEC regular season champion, finished tied for second in the poll with Wagner, which reached the 2005 NEC title game. The Seahawks received one first place Knights Rule Garden State vote, as did Long Island, which was picked fourth. CCSU and St. Francis (NY) finished tied for fifth in the poll, Fairleigh Dickinson not only stood tall as NEC champion last season, but also carried the banner followed by Quinnipiac, Mount St. Mary’s, St. Francis (PA), Robert Morris and Sacred Heart. for the entire state of New Jersey. The Knights were the only one of the seven Division I teams (FDU, Monmouth, Princeton, Rider, Rutgers, St. Peter’s and Seton Hall) in the Garden State to 1. Fairleigh Dickinson (9) qualify for the postseason in 2004-05. FDU also finished as the only 20-win team in the state. 2. Monmouth Wagner (1) Red Hot Red Flash Shooters 4. Long Island (1) In 2004-05, St. Francis (PA) nearly became the first team in NEC history to lead the conference 5. Central Connecticut St. in all three team shooting categories. The Red Flash led the circuit in field goal percentage (.474) St. Francis (NY) and three-point field goal percentage (.388), and despite finishing 27th nationally in free throw 7. Quinnipiac percentage (.737), finished second behind Monmouth (.771) in the league. St. Francis (PA)’s 8. Mount St. Mary’s 47.4 percent success rate from the floor was the highest in the NEC since Monmouth hit 47.7 9. St. Francis (PA) percent in 1996-97, and the 38.8 percent mark from beyond the arc was the best in the con- 10. Robert Morris ference since Robert Morris drained 39.2 percent, also in 1996-97. 11. Sacred Heart The Comforts Of Home Preseason All-NEC Team Over the last three seasons (2002-05), St. Francis (PA), Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth and Three returning all-stars from a year ago landed a spot on the 2005-06 NEC Preseason All-Conference team St. Francis (NY) were the league’s most dominant programs on their respective home courts. as voted by league head coaches. Fairleigh Dickinson senior forward Gordon Klaiber (Greenbelt, St. Francis (PA) led the pack with a 30-7 mark (.811) since the start of the 2002-03 season. MD/National Christian Academy) is a two-time first team selection, while Long Island junior guard Fairleigh Dickinson, the defending NEC champion, is right on St. Francis (PA)’s tail with a 33-8 James Williams (DeSoto, TX/DeSoto) and Sacred Heart junior forward Joey Henley (Kent, WA/ (.805) record at the Rothman Center during the same time frame. St. Francis (NY) went 24-9 Kentride) were both picked to the second team in 2004-05. Joining them on the preseason team were (.727) over the last three years, while Monmouth stood at 28-11 (.718), including a 15-game Mount St. Mary’s senior guard Landy Thompson (Germantown, MD/Archbishop Spalding) and win streak that was snapped last December. St. Francis (PA) was also a league-best 21-3 (.875) Fairleigh Dickinson senior guard Chad Timberlake (Brooklyn, NY/New Utrecht). at home the last two seasons, while Monmouth is 22-5 (.815) and Fairleigh Dickinson were 22- 6 (.786). St. Francis (NY) has traditionally been the NEC’s toughest team at home, having amassed Long Island To Debut New Athletic Facility; Construction Continues At Quinnipiac a 71-22 (.763) record at the Pope Center since 1997-98. After spending 42 years playing in the Schwartz Athletic Center - formerly known as the world famous Brooklyn Paramount Theater - Long Island moves into its new digs this winter. The $40 million, 100,000 Long Island Wins NEC’s Most Improved Award square-foot Athletic, Recreation & Wellness Center is the largest building project in the campus’ 78-year Long Island was the big winner in the Most Improved sweepstakes a year ago, going from eight history, the centerpiece of which will be a 3,000-seat basketball arena. Long Island will debut the facility for wins in 2003-04 to 14 wins in 2004-05. The Blackbirds’ six-game improvement was the biggest the public on January 5th, when the Blackbirds host Mount St. Mary’s in their NEC opener. year-to-year jump for the program since a 12-game leap from nine victories in 1995-96 to 21 in 1996-97. Below are the greatest improvements in the NEC from one season to the next over Long Island is not the only NEC school with a new athletic facility in the works. Quinnipiac broke ground on the last five years: its new Athletic Center a year ago, and is slated to open the building in January, 2007. The new Athletic Center will consist of a 157,000-square-foot facility containing a basketball arena and a hockey arena joined by a NEC Most Improved Teams From 2000-05 common lobby area for concession stands and ticket sales. +13 CCSU 2001-02 14 wins to 27 wins +11 Fairleigh Dickinson 2002-03 4 wins to 15 wins Hi-Five For Monmouth +9 Monmouth 2000-01 12 wins to 21 wins Monmouth’s 91 wins over the last five seasons (2000-05) is not only the best in the NEC, but also a program- +8 St. Francis (PA) 2002-03 6 wins to 14 wins high for a five-year period. The previous best at the school was 87 victories from 1987-88 to 1991-92. The +8 Mount St. Mary’s 2002-03 3 wins to 11 wins league record for a five-year stretch is held by Fairleigh Dickinson, which went 102-47 from 1984-89. The +8 Quinnipiac 2001-02 6 wins to 14 wins Knights are the only NEC program in league history to average 20 wins over a five-year span. Top Returning Scoring Duos Crashing The Party The NEC will feature three schools with duos that combined to score at least 25.0 ppg last Below is a look at each of the 11 NEC school’s success rate in reaching the conference tournament over the season. Topping the list is the FDU tandem of Gordon Klaiber and Chad Timberlake. The duo, last five years. led by Klaiber’s 16.0 ppg, combined for 29.1 points per contest in 2004-05. School Player PPG Player PPG Total PPG Qualified For NEC Tournament • Last Five Years (2001-05) FDU Gordon Klaiber 16.0 Chad Timberlake 13.1 29.1 All 5 Years: CCSU, Monmouth, St. Francis (NY), Wagner MSM Landy Thompson 14.4 Charles Cook 12.2 26.6 4 Years: Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner LIU James Williams 16.3 Randy Jones 9.4 25.7 3 Years: Long Island, Robert Morris, St. Francis (PA) 2 Years: Quinnipiac Ball Hawks 1 Year: Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart (ineligible one year) Utilizing its trademark matchup-zone, Monmouth perennially ranks among the league leaders in scoring defense. In fact, Monmouth has led the NEC in the category in 12 of the last 17 years, including the last three in a row and five out of the last six. In 2004-05, the Hawks were once again the NEC’s stingiest defensive unit, allowing a mere 63.2 ppg, the seventh best single-season mark in league history. Mount’s Thompson Climbs NEC Scoring Chart With 1,321 career points in his first three seasons, Mount St. Mary’s senior guard Landy Thomp- son (Germantown, MD/Archbishop Spalding) is the NEC’s leading active scorer entering play in 2005-06. If Thompson were to average 16.7 points over the course of a 27-game regular season, he would vault from 62nd place on the NEC career chart all the way into the top-ten. As a junior, Thompson averaged 14.4 ppg to lead the Mount in scoring for a third consecutive season.
Consistency Lands St. Francis (NY) In NEC Recordbook St. Francis (NY) has finished at or above .500 in NEC play eight straight seasons, the longest active streak in the conference and tied with Fairleigh Dickinson (1981-89) and Marist (1982-90) for the longest stretch in league history. The Terriers finished 9-9 against conference competition in 2004- 05 and qualified for the NEC Tournament for the 15th consecutive season (second to FDU’s league record 18 from 1984-01).