Northeast Conference 2007-08 Preview
by Zach Smart
Pre-Season All-Conference
G-Tristan Blackwood, Central Connecticut
G-Chris Vann, Mount St. Mary’s
G/F-DeMario Anderson, Quinnipiac
F-Jeremy Chappelle, Robert Morris
F-Robert Hines, St. Francis N.Y.
Central Connecticut (22-12, 16-2 Northeast)
Two-thirds of the NEC’s best three-headed monster are gone from last season. Player of the Year Javier Mojica (17PPG, 7RPG) has taken his game to the Puerto Rico pro league, where he’s already etched a name for himself. Strongman Obie Nwadike, a generously listed 6-4 forward/center who owned the boards the past three years, also departed from last season’s team, which earned a berth in the NCAA tournament following a NEC title. The driver’s keys are funneled down to point guard Tristan Blackwood (17 PPG, 4 APG) a sure-shot All-Conference first team selection and Player of the Year candidate. Blackwood operated a high-octane offense and hit timely three-pointers to lead the Blue Devils last season. He will need help from his teammates, who lack experience after head coach Howie Dickenman (a former assistant under Jim Calhoun at UConn) went around six deep every game last season. Guard Joe Seymore (7.5 PPG) had his coming-out party during the Devils’ 78-57 loss to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, burying four treys. The 6-foot-2 guard needs to step up and cushion the loss of Mojica as Central, which won 17 of its last 19 games of the 2006-2007 campaign, looks to defend its title.
Sacred Heart (18-14, 12-6 Northeast)
The toughest off-season blow for longtime head coach Dave Bike and the Pioneers was the loss of guard Jarrid Frye. Graduation claimed Frye, who averaged 13.3 points and five boards his senior season. Frye was a leader both off and on for the Pioneers last season, scoring in critical junctures while guiding the Pioneers to their first NEC title game appearance since being lifted to the Division I ranks in 1998. The Heart’s key returnee is football player Joey Henley, a forward who averaged 17 points and 7 boards in the post-season. The red-shirt senior brings a great deal of experience, as he led the Pioneers in scoring during the 2004-2005 season before suffering a leg injury that forced him to miss the entire 2005-2006 campaign. This year, all eyes will be on All-NEC rookie selection Chauncey Hardy (10.6 PPG, 2.8 APG). Hardy will orchestrate an offense that’s potent from beyond the arc. Sharpshooter Drew Shubik is a key returnee, and the Pioneers should get a boost there from Boston University transfer Corey Hassan. Expect top-profile recruit Jerrel Thompson, a point guard from Plainville, N.J., to make an immediate impact.
Quinnipiac (14-15, 11-7 Northeast)
After unveiling a dazzling, 3,500-seat arena that was a $52 million investment mid-way through last season, the Bobcats hired former UConn associate head coach Tom Moore while finding room on the coaching staff for Scott Burrell, the former UConn standout whose NBA career was underscored by a championship with the 1998 Chicago Bulls. This only leads to one thing: a revitalized recruiting class. Perhaps the biggest off-season move for the Bobcats was signing of the Baker boys, brothers and Washington, D.C. products Jeremy and Evann. Jeremy Baker, a 6-2 lock-down defender, was a JUCO All-American honorable mention at Garden City Community College (Kan.) last season. Freshman off-guard Evann Baker arrives after a post-graduate season at Maine Central Institute, where he averaged 22 points and six assists per game. The Bobcats will feature super-athletic wing DeMario Anderson – who averaged 22.3 points per game the final six games of the regular season. Anderson, the leading scorer for Central Connecticut three seasons ago, averaged 18 points in conference play. The Bobcats need more production out of 6-9 Center Karl Anderson, who had promising freshman and sophomore seasons before falling out of favor last year. Look for electric point guard Casey Cosgrove, who had the best assist-to-turnover ration in the conference last season, and sharpshooter James Feldeine to step into bigger roles.
Fairleigh Dickinson (14-16, 9-9 Northeast)
The youth movement begins for head coach Tom Green and the New Jersey-based FDU, which needs to recover from the losses of Andre Harris (18.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG) and Michael Peeples (11.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG). The Knights return a callow nucleus of seven, led by guard Cameron Tylor. Tylor (14.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG) ignited to the offense last season, handing out 153 assists (5.1 per game, third in the conference). The Knights will also be led by an essential returnee in Manny Ubilla (11.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG), who’s dangerous from the perimeter.
The Knights, who’ve had the upper hand on much of the NEC these past two seasons, suffered a first round flameout with a 78-77 loss to Quinnipiac in last year. “It was a hard-fought game,” said Knights coach Tom Green of the thriller. “It’s a shame that someone had to lose. I can’t ask the team to play any harder and I can’t ask any more of them. We knew it was going to be a dogfight and it really was.”
There will only be more dogfights to come this season, as the NEC is once again one of the most evenly-matched conferences in college hoops.
Robert Morris (17-11, 9-9 Northeast)
The Colonials lose a top-flight inside/outside tandem in Derek Coleman and A.J. Jackson, both of whom were claimed by 2007 graduation. A larger loss is that of coach Mark Schmidt, who left to take over at St. Bonaventure. Point guard Coleman, a three-point threat who conducted the offense with quickness and pinpoint passing, averaged 13 points while dishing out a team-high 152 assists. Jackson established himself as perhaps the conference’s most skilled big man in his two years as a Colonial. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Jackson, a transfer via East Tennessee State, led the team in points (16.9) and boards (7.8), during his two-year stint. With the return of combo guard Tony Lee and 6-7 wing Jeremy Chappelle, however, the Colonials could emerge into one of the more formidable teams in the conference. That will give new head coach Mike Rice, most recently an assistant at nearby Pittsburgh, something good to work with initially. The team will look to Lee (16 ppg, 4.4 APG), a recent addition to the Colonials 1,000-point club. The experienced guard must shoulder the burden of leader.
Mount St. Mary’s (11-20, 9-9 Northeast)
Strapped with a funky, sling-shot jumper, Chris Vann will be called upon to lead the Mount after averaging 14 points last season. Though streaky, Vann showed flashes of excellence, like hanging 28 against Quinnipiac and scoring 20+ points five times throughout the year, including 22 in the Mount’s season-ending loss to Central Connecticut in the playoffs. The sharpest off-season blow is the loss off Mychal Kearse, a hard-nosed defender who garnered co-NEC Defensive Player of the Year praise despite playing on a surgically repaired knee that gave him problems throughout the season. Kearse (11.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG) concludes his career with the Mount at 11th all-time at the school in steals (152), 16th in rebounds (725) and 33rd in scoring (1,060 points). The Mount will expect production from point guard Jeremy Goode (10.1 PPG, 5 APG), who was flushed into a starting job after Joey Butler was dismissed from the team following an arrest last season. He ran the show as a nerveless freshman last season, so one can expect much of the same.
Wagner (11-19, 8-10 Northeast)
Too many teams wrote off the Seahawks last season. Though their season concluded with a 100-68 pummeling that Sacred Heart delivered in the first round of the playoffs, the Seahawks’ well-balanced offense is capable of turning several heads this season. The top returnee is veteran Mark Porter (13.8 PPG), a fixture in the starting lineup the past few seasons. Porter brings experience and much-needed leadership to the Seahawks. He will have some help from Durrel Vinson, the former leading scorer who returns after a one-year hiatus. Vinson did not play last year due to off-court troubles and will have to fend off some rust if he’s to pick up where he left off. He certainly has more help in the front court this time around. Wagner is front-loaded with bigs this season, as Mike Deane inked a couple of behemoths this off-season including 6-11 Brian Szezepanski and the 6-7 Clayton Spiller. The Seahawks also return the top four scorers from last year’s team.
Monmouth (12-18, 7-11 Northeast)
It was a disappointing down year for the Hawks in 2006-2007, as they failed to live up to expectations following a NCAA tournament berth in 2006. The Hawks lose two of their top players in John Bunch – a 7-foot-3, 320-pound mammoth of a man who registered 95 blocks but was never able to make his presence felt as a scorer in the conference – and Dejan Delic, who led the Hawks with 14.6 points per game. Another colossal loss is that of Marques Alston (the only player in school history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals). This trio accounted for a combined 39.2 points and 12.6 rebounds a game. All eyes are on Jhamar Youngblood, the 2007 NEC rookie of the year, who is flushed into a significant role. The 6-1 guard from New Jersey perennial powerhouse St. Patrick’s mastered the transition to Division I basketball, averaging 12.3 points and dishing out 61 helpers. Another bright spot for the guard-heavy Hawks is the return of Mike Shipman, who averaged a team-high four dimes per game last season. Shipman will need to improve his 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.
St. Francis (N.Y.) (9-22, 7-11 Northeast)
It seems like a school in the heart of Brooklyn wouldn’t ever encounter recruiting struggles. But with a sweat-box, rinky-dink gymnasium and little recruiting tools, this has been the case for St. Francis. With the emergence of second team All-NEC selection Robert Hines, however, second-year coach Brian Nash has high aspirations for the 2007-08 campaign. Hines, a 6-5 wing from New Jersey, averaged nearly 24 points during the seven-game tilt that concluded the regular season. The Terriers’ go-to-guy, Hines averaged 17 on the season, but was slowed down in a 79-61 loss to Central Connecticut in the NEC quarterfinals (12 points on 5-of-19 shooting). The Terriers return a solid core of youngsters who all saw time last season. The toughest off-season pill to swallow, however, is the loss of Allan Sheppard. Sheppard (10.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG), a creative scorer and fundamentally sound in all aspects of his game, will be missed. The show is Jamaal Womack’s (10.6 PPG, 44 STL) once again, and he’ll have some help from 6-9 forward/center Bassith Yessoufou.
Long Island (10-19, 6-12 Northeast)
It’s a new era on the hardwood for well-respected coach Jim Ferry. Enter: The James Williams-less Long Island Blackbirds. Williams, a three-time all-NEC selection, has been a one-man-band these past two seasons. He averaged 16.2 points this season and moved up to fourth on the school’s all-time list with 1,710 points. Williams, who played much of the season hurt, finished as LIU’s all-time three-point leader with 277 career treys. He went off for 24 or more points six times last season, including a 33-point eruption during an 82-79 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) Two incoming players, however, are expected to pad the loss of Williams. There is mounting anticipation for the arrival of Vernon Teel, a prolific scorer who was academically ineligible last season. There’s also hyperbolic lure surrounding David Hicks, a standout off-guard and prep school product who can score in clusters. Another key signing was Ron Manigault, who played under legendary coach Lou Panzanaro at Peekskill High in New York. A key returnee is Eugene Kotorobai, who led the Blackbirds in scoring with a meager 9.2 points last year. Jaytornah Wisseh (9.0 ppg) came on late last season and showed promise.
St. Francis (Pa.) (8-21, 5-13 Northeast)
Aside from a late-season victory at then-No. 2 Quinnipiac, along with a three-game winning streak to close out the season, the 2006-2007 campaign was one the Red Flash would like to bounce from their memory banks. Despite a front-loaded competitive out-of-conference schedule that featured Georgia Tech and Akron, the red flash quickly fell into the basement. A dreadful 0-15 free-fall was a tough ditch to crawl out of. This season, however, St. Francis could bounce back into respectability. Devin Sweetney (13 PPG, 7.7 RPG) returns to lead a well-balanced scoring attack. The sophomore swingman copped countless NEC rookie of the week awards last year and is ready to become the headship. Guard Cale Nelson, who came on late in the season (highlighted by a 19-point performance against LIU), returns to lead a robust backcourt. Marquis Ford (9.3 PPG, 4.1 APG), the 2006 NEC rookie of the year, has all the tools to emerge into one of the conference’s premier guards. Throw in Chris Berry, and St. Francis enters the 2007-08 campaign dripping with young talent.
