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NEC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Central Connecticut (tied 1st)
- Wagner (tied 1st)
- Fairleigh Dickinson
- Le Moyne
- Long Island
- Chicago State
- Mercyhurst
- Saint Francis U (tied 8th)
- Stonehill (tied 8th)
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-NEC TEAM:
-Malachi Davis – JR, G – Long Island
-Jo’el Emanuel – JR, F – Fairleigh Dickinson
-Darrick Rose Jr. – SR, G – Le Moyne
-Jordan Jones – SR, G – Central Connecticut
-Jeff Planutis – SR, F – Mercyhurst
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID
To put it simply, WE AT HOOPS HD LOVE THIS CONFERENCE!!!! That is why we have it as the headliner of all our conference previews!! This conference is always at or near the bottom of the metrics, and the champion is oftentimes in the First Four, but the league is SOOO much fun! The small venues that are oftentimes packed with energy and the intensity the players bring seeing how the entire conference (other than Chicago State) is based in the Northeast makes this must-see viewing! You can watch all conference games for free on NEC Front Row: bookmark it now!! They’ve also got a free downloadable app: download it now!!!
-Central Connecticut finished in 1st place last year, but missed out on the NCAA Tournament after losing in the semis of the conference tournament. They did lose their top scorer and have just two starters back, but with Jordan Jones returning and some solid transfers coming in who can probably contribute right away, we could see CCSU back at the top of the standings this year.
-Wagner finished just 6th in the standings this year, but then went on to win the conference tournament and win their First Four game. Just two starters are back from that team and they are tasked with replacing their top-three scorers. They do seem to have some guys that can step into bigger roles and contribute this year.
-Fairleigh Dickinson struggled last year and went through periods of hot and cold. Just two starters are back and they are looking for a little more consistency this season. They do have some solid transfers that were contributors at non-D-1 schools a year ago and if some of them can step up we should see some improvement out of FDU.
-Le Moyne returns four starters from a team that did pretty well in their first year as a D-1 program. They won 15 total games and finished a very respectable 9-7 in the conference. It is good to see the players stick together given that they are a transitional team and are ineligible for the postseason. We could see that experience result in a few more wins this year.
-Long Island has been pitiful the last two years and the fact that just one starter is returning might be a good thing because it allows them to turn their roster over. They went into the portal to try and build up their roster and the Sharks should be a little better this year.
-Chicago State is finally back in a conference!! After years of having to play as an Independent, and having to deal with all of the disadvantages that come with that, Chicago State joins the NEC. I think given time they will be able to have success in this conference. As for this year, Scott Spinelli takes over as head coach and he’s got just two returning starters and a bunch of guys that have limited D-1 experience. It could be a long year this year.
-Welcome to D-1 Mercyhurst! They won just 15 games as a D-2 program last year, and given that D-1 is…well…a lot better, it could be a long first season for the Lakers. The fact that they are not picked last is kind of surprising. Then again…perhaps not.
-Stonehill won just 4 games a year ago and were closer to winning the Centenary Award then they were the NEC. Their roster is turning over so we could perhaps see some improvement this year, but just making the NEC Tournament would be an accomplishment.
-Saint Francis U seems like they will do better than last place. They may even be good enough to make the NEC Tournament. I do not think they will be in the top-half of the standings, but with three starters back they at least have some experience going for them.