Northeast Conference Notebook
by Zach Smart
It was said at the beginning of the season that the Northeast Conference is one in which any team can knock off any opponent on any given night. Well, that statement has proved to be somewhat accurate thus far. The NEC appears to be wide open, with Farleigh Dickinson remaining as the favorite.
The biggest surprise has been Wagner. This Seahawks looked ready to take the NEC world by storm after putting together an 8-2 non-conference start, the greatest non-conference winning percentage in NEC history. The Seahawks knocked off a tough Rhode Island team on the road and hung with UCLA back on December 21 in Los Angeles. The Seahawks facilitated a 16-7 spurt to start the second half, holding a seven-point lead against the nation’s No.12 ranked team at one point.
They haven’t been the same team since. They’ve won two of their last four, dropping conference games to Robert Morris and Sacred Heart. They shot a season-low 32.2 percent from the floor in a loss at Sacred Heart, where they allowed a 17-7 run and 26-11 stretch by the Pioneers in the first half. Their lone NEC victory is an 81-63 smothering of Quinnipiac, which is off to an 0-3 conference start.
Fueled by Durrel Vinson’s 13.8 points and 8.8 boards as well as dynamic guard Mark Porter (13.6 ppg, 3.8 apg) the Hawks must avenge the loss against SHU on Jan. 14.
Robert Morris has snuck into the top spot after a solid 3-0 start. Convincing victories over Quinnipiac, Wagner, and reigning NEC champion Monmouth have propelled the Colonials (7-5 overall) to the top. Much of their success is credited to the forceful backcourt of Tony Lee and Derek Coleman. The former high school teammates at Charlestown High (Mass.) have both earned Conference Player of the week honors during the season and average a combined 26 points, eight assists, and four steals per outing. Forward A.J. Jackson has become a force to be reckoned with. Jackson is averaging 16.0 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor. In the Wagner victory, he erupted for 27 and 11. Freshman Jeremy Chappel has come in and made an immediate impact. Averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, you can already pencil the 6-foot-3 Ohio native in on the ALL-NEC rookie team.
Power Rankings
1. Farleigh Dickinson (3-0): Lost a trio of games to Drexel, St. Peter’s, and no.10 Louisville before defeating St. Francis (Pa.) at home.
RMU (3-0): Hot shooting Colonials coming off an 87-75 victory over Monmouth
2. Sacred Heart (2-1): Big man Trim coming into his own, tough non-conference schedule should pay dividends. No news on return of injured swingman Joey Henley.
3. Monmouth (2-1): Hawks should come back strong from RMU loss
Wagner (1-2): Seahawks have the chance to redeem themselves after sluggish loss
Notes
- Webb Done at Wagner: Jamal Webb, a 6-foot-5 junior guard/forward, was dismissed from the Wagner basketball team. Head coach Mike Deane says that Webb was dismissed for “violating team rules” and claimed that it was “not a choice he wanted to make.” The 2003 Westchester Mr. Basketball selection and Journal News player of the year is currently weighing his transfer options. Though he started as a freshman, Webb had been averaging only 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench this season.
- St. Francis (PA)’s Enright Out With Foot Injury: Red Flash starting Center J. R. Enright will miss an expected 6-8 weeks after suffering a Jones fracture to his left foot in practice. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Enright had been averaging 11.9 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds prior to his injury, which leaves head coach Bobby Jones with just nine eligible players on the roster.
