Northeast Conference 2003-04 Season Recap
Coming into the season, the conference race looked wide open. I said in the conference preview that any one of five teams could take the title. The Monmouth Hawks were one of those teams and, thanks in large part to the conference’s stingiest scoring defense and a perfect record at home, won the regular season title. Two of the other favorites, the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils and the Quinnipiac Bobcats, stumbled badly. The Blue Devils found themselves near the bottom of the conference heading into February but used a 7-3 month to get to .500 in conference and secure one of the final two berths to the conference tournament. Despite an immensely talented squad, the Bobcats struggled to find a rhythm all year and avoided a last place finish only by winning on the last day of the season.
The St. Francis (NY) Terriers and Fairleigh Dickinson Knights each returned only two starters and weren’t expected to contend, but each found major contributions from unexpected sources. John Quintana followed up his all rookie team selection by leading the Terriers in scoring at 15.2 ppg and Mike Wilson stepped up to lead the league in three pointers made. Headed into the last weekend of play, they had a chance to win the regular season title outright but lost to Monmouth and had to settle for a share of the crown. For the Knights, Gordon Klaiber came from nowhere to finish in the top ten of the NEC in points, rebounds and blocks. He more than doubled his scoring average and grabbed almost twice as many boards. They settled for third place in the conference and lost a heartbreaker in the semifinals of the NEC tournament.
Headed into the last week, it looked like the eight teams for the NEC tournament were set. Sacred Heart needed to win just one of their last two games or hope that Mount St. Mary’s would lose one of their final three games to clinch the eighth seed. Naturally, the week started with a head-to-head match-up between the two schools which Mount St. Mary’s won 85-75. The Mountaineers then beat Wagner which set up a tense final day of the regular season. Sacred Heart would lose to Wagner 100-93 on that final day which meant that a Mount St. Mary’s win would give them the berth; problem being that game would be against conference champ Monmouth. But that Mountaineers were up to the task and they finished their improbable run into the eighth seed by beating Monmouth 68-62.
Postseason Play
The NEC tournament went according to plan with one notable exception, seventh seed Central Connecticut State made a run all the way to the finals. In the quarterfinals, the Blue Devils upended St. Francis NY 81-68 in a game where all five of their starters reached double figures. In the semifinals, the Blue Devils trailed Fairleigh Dickinson for almost the entire second half. Brandon Edwards hit two free throws to put the Knights up three with just three seconds to go but Justin Chiera hit a 30 foot buzzer beater to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Halfway through overtime, Chiera hit another shot that gave the Blue Devils the lead for good and a trip to the finals. On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Monmouth cruised into the finals by holding Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris to under 35 percent shooting. In the final, Monmouth’s stingy defense prevailed and Tyler Azzarelli scored a career-high nineteen points as the Hawks earned a berth in the NCAA tournament with a 67-55 victory.
Looking for their first NCAA tournament win in three tries, the 15th seeded Hawks drew Mississippi State in the first round. Monmouth also carried the burden of the NEC failure in the tournament; the conference had won only one game in its 24 year history and that was a play-in game back in 1983. The Hawks held their own in the first fifteen minutes of the game, making 60 percent of their shots including seven of ten from long range to trail by only four. But the Hawk’s defense was no match for Mississippi State’s superior athletic ability and the Bulldogs pushed the lead to twelve at the break. The lead was stretched to 21 early in the second half and any thoughts of an upset went down the drain. Mississippi State ultimately won 85-52; Dwayne Byfield scored twelve points and was the only Hawk in double figures.
Hoopville’s NEC Hardware
Most Valuable Player
Ron Robinson – Senior Forward Central Connecticut State
First Team All-NEC
Ron Robinson – Senior Forward – Central Connecticut State
Gordon Klaiber – Sophomore Forward – Fairleigh Dickinson
Rashaun Banjo – Senior Forward – Quinnipiac
Blake Hamilton – Junior Forward – Monmouth
Landy Thompson – Sophomore Guard – Mount St. Mary’s
Second Team All-NEC
Aaron Thomas – Senior Forward – Robert Morris
Maurice Bailey – Senior Guard – Sacred Heart
Darshan Luckey – Sophomore Guard – St. Francis PA
Nigel Wyatte – Senior Forward – Wagner
John Quintana – Sophomore Guard – St. Francis NY
NEC Coach of the Year
Ron Ganulin – St. Francis NY
NEC Rookie of the Year
James Williams – Freshman Guard – Long Island
NEC All-Rookie Team
James Williams – Freshman Guard – Long Island
Obie Nwadike – Freshman Forward – Central Connecticut State
Joey Henley – Freshman Forward – Sacred Heart
Esa Maki-Tulokas – Freshman Forward – Long Island
Mychal Kearse – Freshman Guard – Mount St. Mary’s
Season Recaps
Monmouth Hawks (21-12, 12-6 NEC)
Team MVP: Blake Hamilton, team’s leading scorer and rebounder
Top Scorer: Hamilton 16.2 ppg
Top Rebounder: Hamilton 6.4 rpg
Most Assists: Dwayne Byfield 2.06 apg
Starters Leaving: Jason Krayl, Brian Boxler
Key Returnees:
Blake Hamilton (junior forward, 1st team All-NEC)
Dwayne Byfield (junior guard, 12.3 ppg)
Corey Hallett (sophomore forward, sat out most of last year after transferring from Central Michigan, member of Canadian Under 20 national team)
Monmouth loses only two starters from their NCAA tournament team. Center Brian Boxler’s spot should be filled nicely by Corey Hallett who sat out last season after transferring from Central Michigan. Hallett is spending the summer playing for Team Canada in Under 21 national tournaments. Blake Hamilton and Dwayne Byfield are one of the top returning scoring duos in the NEC.
St. Francis NY Terriers (15-13, 12-6 NEC)
Team MVP: John Quintana, team’s leading scorer
Top Scorer: Quintana 15.2 ppg
Top Rebounder: Eric Thompson 6.0 rpg
Most Assists: Tony Cavalieri 5.79 apg
Starters Leaving: Mike Wilson, Eric Thompson
Key Returnees:
John Quintana (sophomore guard, 2nd team All-NEC)
Tony Cavalieri (junior guard, NEC assist leader)
Devon Neckles (junior forward, team’s second leading rebounder)
With Quintana and Cavalieri, the Terriers return arguably the league’s best backcourt. If another post player can step up and pair with Devon Neckles, St. Francis should repeat their top four conference finish.
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (17-12, 11-7 NEC)
Team MVP: Gordon Klaiber, team leader in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots
Top Scorer: Klaiber 16.5 ppg
Top Rebounder: Klaiber 6.4 rpg
Most Assists: Marcus Whitaker 5.55 apg
Starters Leaving: Marcus Whitaker, Brandon Edwards
Key Returnees:
Gordon Klaiber (sophomore forward, 1st team All-NEC)
Chad Timberlake (sophomore guard, 11.5 ppg)
Tamien Trent (junior guard, 12.0 ppg)
Fairleigh Dickinson returns the top three scorers from the team that almost made the NEC championship game. The Knights will be one of the favorites to reach the title game next season if someone steps up to replace Marcus Whitaker who was fourth in the conference in assists.
Robert Morris Colonials (14-15, 10-8 NEC)
Team MVP: Aaron Thomas, league leader in three point shooting, team leader in rebounds, third on team in scoring
Top Scorer: Chaz McCrommon 17.0 ppg
Top Rebounder: Thomas 6.9 rpg
Most Assists: Maurice Carter 3.20 apg
Starters leaving: Aaron Thomas, Chaz McCrommon, Bobby Davenport
Key Returnees:
Maurice Carter (junior guard, second leading scorer)
Mark Anderson (junior forward, 8.6 ppg)
With two of the top three scorers leaving, the Colonials will have a tough time repeating a top four finish. McCrommon and Thomas averaged more then 38 minutes per game so young players without much experience will have to play key minutes.
St. Francis PA Red Flash (13-15, 10-8 NEC)
Team MVP: Darshan Luckey, team’s leading scorer
Top Scorer: Luckey 17.6 ppg
Top Rebounder: Osborne 6.6 rpg
Most Assists: Erick Wills 2.67 apg
Starters leaving: Erick Wills, Carl Ulmer
Key Returnees:
Darshan Luckey (sophomore guard, leading scorer)
Joey Goodson (junior guard, 6.4 ppg)
Jason Osbourne (junior forward, 12.1 ppg and 6.6 rpg)
The core returns from a team that finished tied for fourth in the NEC. Like Fairleigh Dickinson, finding a reliable point guard to replace Erick Wills will go a long way in determining whether the Red Flash can duplicate that performance next season.
Wagner Seahawks (13-16, 10-8 NEC)
Team MVP: Nigel Wyatte, only NEC player to average a double-double, league leader in boards, team leader in points and blocks
Top Scorer: Wyatte 13.7 ppg
Top Rebounder: Wyatte 10.4 rpg
Most Assists: Courtnet Pritchard 5.68 apg
Starters leaving: Doug Viegas, Teoine Carroll, Courtney Pritchard, Nigel Wyatte
Key Returnees:
Sean Munson (junior forward, 9.1 ppg and 8.6 rpg)
Jamal Webb (freshman guard, 6.0 ppg)
No team loses more than the Seahawks. Four starters depart from a team that finished tied for fourth. During the summer, Sean Munson played with a team of American all-stars that toured China and he will need to make some big strides to be the leader of the Seahawks. Five rising freshmen will also need to improve greatly after limited action in their first year.
Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (14-14, 9-9 NEC)
Team MVP: Ron Robinson, team’s leading scorer and rebounder
Top Scorer: Robinson 18.0 ppg
Top Rebounder: Robinson 9.7 rpg
Most Assists: Lenny Jefferson 2.74 apg
Starters leaving: Ron Robinson
Key Returnees:
Rich Pittman (junior forward, 10.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg)
Obie Nwadike (freshman forward, 7.5 ppg and 6.6 rpg)
Justin Chiera (sophomore guard, 10.2 ppg and team leader in threes)
Only NEC player of the year Ron Robinson departs from a team that made it to the NEC final. Robinson will be sorely missed but six players who averaged over 20 minutes and 6.5 points per game return. Add an incoming recruiting class with five players including Tristan Blackwood who also played for Canada in the Under 21 national tournaments this summer and they will again be a conference favorite.
Mount St. Mary Mountaineers (10-19, 8-10 NEC)
Team MVP: Landy Thompson, team leader in scoring, assists, steals and 3pt shooting
Top Scorer: Thompson 17.7 ppg
Top Rebounder: Mychal Kearse 5.6 rpg
Most Assists: Thompson 2.52 apg
Starters leaving: Nick Dodson
Key Returnees:
Landy Thompson (sophomore guard, leading scorer)
Kiel Butler (sophomore forward, 11.1 ppg)
Mychal Kearse (freshman guard, 6.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg)
All but one starter returns to a team that used a three game win streak to close the regular season and advance to their first NEC tournament in four years. With only two seniors next year, the team will still be very young but should make some noise in the NEC. Even so, the Mountaineer’s best team could be another year away.
Sacred Heart Pioneers (12-15, 8-10 NEC)
Team MVP: Maurice Bailey, NEC leader in scoring and free throw shooting
Top Scorer: Bailey 20.1 ppg
Top Rebounder: Joey Henley 5.4 rpg
Most Assists: Omar Wellington 4.15 apg
Starters leaving: Maurice Bailey, Omar Wellington
Key Returnees:
Kibwe Trim (junior forward, 10.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg)
Joey Henley (freshman forward, 8.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg)
The Pioneers lose their two best players and arguably the best backcourt in the NEC in Bailey and Wellington. With Trim, Henley and a 7-2 Mading Mading, the frontcourt will have to carry this team and hope that a couple young guards emerge.
Quinnipiac Bobcats (9-20, 5-13 NEC)
Team MVP: Rashaun Banjo, team leader in points and rebounds
Top Scorer: Banjo 17.7 ppg
Top Rebounder: Banjo 7.6 rpg
Most Assists: Kason Mims 5.72 apg
Starters leaving: Rashaun Banjo, Kason Mims
Key Returnees:
Rob Monroe (junior guard, 15.5 ppg and 60 threes)
CJ Vick (junior forward, 9.8 ppg and 6.6 rpg)
Craig Benson (sophomore guard, 7.9 ppg)
The most disappointing team in the NEC will have to replace two starters that played big minutes last season. The Bobcats will need to rely heavily on Rob Monroe who was the team’s second leading scorer but missed the last four games of the season with a broken foot. Without major improvements from underclassmen, Quinnipiac could find itself mired near the bottom off the NEC for a second straight season.
Long Island Blackbirds (8-19, 4-14 NEC)
Team MVP: James Williams, team leader in assists, minutes, free throw and 3pt shooting
Top Scorer: Brandon Thomas 12.3 ppg
Top Rebounder: Esa Maki-Tulokas 6.3 rpg
Most Assists: Williams 3.85 apg
Starters leaving: Brandon Thomas, Raymond Edwards
Key Returnees:
James Williams (freshman guard, NEC rookie of the year)
Esa Maki-Tulokas (freshman forward, 8.4 ppg and 6.3 rpg)
The top two scorers leave a team that finished in the basement of the NEC. Several freshmen saw extended playing time but with only two seniors and no juniors, the Blackbirds may be staring at another season in the cellar of the NEC.
