Northeast Conference Notebook
by Zach Smart
FDU, SHU Early Favorites
We’re all familiar with the scenario. One team starts the season of sizzling, establishes itself on the radar with a collection of victories both in and out of conference, before another team emerges out of the blue to take the title. The truth is, the Northeast Conference, basketball-wise, has always been about as open as a New York City Bodega. A hot start is meaningless. The Wagner Seahawks proved this last year, earning victory after victory before dwindling down to the NEC cellar and concluding last year’s campaign next to the league’s basement dwellers.
FDU, however, has evolved into a formidable foe these past few seasons. After capturing the regular season title before falling to Monmouth last year, no team’s more eager for salvation. The Knights got their first conference victory of the year Dec. 9 at Quinnipiac, as Andre Harris went off for a career-high 25 points. Harris picked up the slack for senior Michael Peeples, who’s anticipated to jump into the role as go-to-guy this year. On this night, however, Peeples was not himself. The 6-foot-6 combo forward shot just 1-of-9 from the floor.
The Knights, off to a 5-3 start (including an impressive victory over the Big East’s Seton Hall), took advantage of the Bobcats’ horrid free throw shooting and at-times lackadaisical offense to register their first win.
Another team which has sparkled out of the gate and may turn heads this season is Sacred Heart. Dave Bike, who’s essentially the Jon Voight of the NEC (he’s getting up there but still doing his thing), beefed up the out-of-conference schedule this season as the Pioneers played a heavy early schedule which featured No. 3 North Carolina’s first guarantee game of the season back on Nov. 14. The Pioneers were thoroughly walloped, but hung with Tyler Hansbrough and UNC up until a second-half reality check. The Pioneers were also the victims of a UConn pummeling, but defeated Yale for the first time in five years and stomped out Albany, 90-71. The Pioneers received a boost earlier this week as Joey Henley, the team’s leading scorer in 2004-2005 with around 12 per, returned at full strength. Henley, who played as a wide out on the Pioneers’ football team, was named NEC player of the week after connecting on 20-of-26 shot attempts and averaging 18.7 per game.
Watch out. The Pioneers, who just about everyone overlooked in the pre-season (they were picked to finish ninth), might just get comfortable at the top of the conference.
Rankings
- Sacred Heart (5-5, 2-0): Henley’s return gives the Pioneers energy. The tough non-conference schedule doesn’t get much easier as SHU faces Boston College Sunday as part of a Massachusetts road swing.
- Farleigh Dickinson (5-3, 1-0): Thrashed Division-II Mercy but must bring ‘A’ game for Stony Brook.
- Central Connecticut (3-7, 1-0): Scrappy Blue Devils have struggled out-of-conference but stiff competition should benefit them in long run.
