My NEC 2024-25 Roster sheet is now live. I've included projected rosters for next season, will track incoming/outgoing transfers, as well as prep commitments/signings. I'll also track coaching staff changes. If something is wrong, please let me know.
What a win for CCSU. First NECT win since 2011!
Sellers has shown an ability to adjust in-game and did it again today. Went to a big lineup with McLaughlin and Snoddy on the floor together and it really paid off on both sides of the ball.
Tremendous game!
No matter what happens tonight, Pat Sellers deserves plenty of credit for turning around the culture at CCSU. No matter what issues this team has had, effort has never been an issue. A solid 1st season.
I'd like to officially apply for a temporary degree from Saint Francis so I can root on the Red Flash over the next few weeks. I want nothing more than to see Braxton, Blackmon, and Krimmel in the NCAAT.
I love everything about this. The Bryant students giving Wagner a tough time. The Wagner players laughing about it. No one taking themselves too seriously. Good stuff.
2,400 at Detrick tonight. What a great atmosphere. The students really showed out.
Kudos to SFU, man. They really battled. I loved Eli Wilborn going back and forth with pretty much anyone, including the fans. If this group can stay together, they will be a major problem.
One thing this doesn't mention; in the middle of last season, he suggested to the staff that he come off the bench instead of starting for the benefit of other players (and the team).
First win over Sacred Heart in over 9 years! Jordan Jones was outstanding. 33 points and led the charge in the 1st half with some key steals.
My favorite number is 2,023, which is the number of fans that packed Detrick. An NEC season-high. It felt like the old days in NB tonight
The NEC is full of great people. It's unfortunate that this is what gets shown on national television.
As I said before...just an absolute embarrassment.
Average home attendance for NEC teams in league games only:
1. CCSU 1,108
2. Sacred Heart 1,042
3. Wagner 950
4. Merrimack 728
5. Stonehill 687
6. Le Moyne 671
7. SFU 669
8. LIU 493
9. FDU 385
If you had told me coming into the season that CCSU would be alive for the 1-seed on the final day of the season, I would have done backflips. What a job by Patrick Sellers, the players, and the coaching staff. I couldn't be more excited.
Patrick Sellers with his 1st career NEC win as a HC. Missing 4 rotation guys (again), 3 freshmen finish in double-figures; Snoddy (14), Sweatman (11), and McLaughlin (11). Krishnan also had 14, while Snoddy had 9 boards.
What a comeback by CCSU. I was ready to drink myself into oblivion multiple times tonight.
A lot of guts. They won this game because of Jayden Brown and Davote Sweatman. Momoh huge as well.
I know what you're thinking; the NEC season starts tomorrow, and I need to get caught up on what happened over the last 2 months!
Don't worry, I've got you.
My non-conf recap, including POY, ROY, All-NEC teams, and updated projected standings.
Hugley to East Tennessee St. Coached by Steve Forbes, finished 23-8, 13-5 in the SoCon. They return most of their rotation, but have a need for a big who can shoot. Will be a title contender.
Central Connecticut State transfer Andre Snoddy (
@DreJiggy
) will be returning, and has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal, i'm told.
As a freshman, he averaged 8.0 points and 7.1 rebounds.
Waking up today knowing CCSU's season is over, and that it wasn't just a vivid nightmare, is such a tough pill to swallow. It's not that they won't be in the NCAA Tournament, it's that we don't get that NEC Title Game at Detrick Gym. I wanted to share that w my son so bad.
This dude just gets it. Comes off the bench after starting every game, doesn't pout, comes up with a huge loose ball late and turns it into a Krishnan triple.
2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣
#NECMBB
Jim Phelan Coach of the Year 🏅
➡️ Patrick Sellers,
@CCSUBlueDevils
🗒️ Sellers orchestrated an impressive turnaround at his alma mater that culminated with the program's first regular season championship & first No. 1 seed in 1️⃣7️⃣ years.
#NECelite
📜
#COTY
Tonight is my first practice as a basketball coach (I'm a grizzled vet when it comes to baseball). 3rd-5th grade rec. Do I make them run sprints for an hour? Implement my trapping, full court 1-3-1? If a kid attempts a mid-range jump shot he's benched, that's for sure.
Obviously this has been a month+ in the making, but it's a tough day for those of us who follow the league closely. We are losing plenty of great Mount fans, the awesome
@PohlAdam
, and one of my personal favorite coaches in the sport in Dan Engelstad.
This stings a bit.
LIU got rid of Jack Perri coming off a 13-5 league record, now they move on from Derek Kellogg after finishing 12-6.
Unless there's something off the court that I'm not aware of, this is a head scratcher. I feel for the players on the current roster.
On Thursday night, CCSU beat Sacred Heart for the first time since 2015 (15 straight L's).
On Saturday, they clinched a winning conf. record for the first time since 2012 (10-8).
Patrick Sellers, man.
This is the first 1-0 NEC start for CCSU in the Patrick Sellers era.
Just one of many firsts this season. I'm feeling really good about these Blue Devils.
In 1992 I was 9 and I recreated Christian Laettner's shot in my driveway approximately 1,000 times.
My 9 year old is outside right now recreating Jalen Suggs' shot.
Sports are the best.
I'm really excited to get up for New Britain on Senior Day today to celebrate Kellen Amos, Tre Breland, and Allan Jeanne-Rose.
Despite only being here for a combined 5 years, they've made an indelible mark on this program.
Amos was Sellers' first notable transfer...
Patrick Sellers wasted no time replacing Zach Newkirk's open scholarship, with TJ Holloway committing yesterday.
Holloway is a wing who provides ball handling and size (6'4"). A Canterbury School product, now 8/10 HS kids Sellers has brought in are from northeast preps.
Just cracked open The Almanac from
@TheFieldOf68
and I'm as excited as ever to see
@CCSU_MBB
take the court.
Kellen Amos as a potential star? Jayden Brown primed to break out? Scantlebury/Rodgers forming one of the top backcourts in the NEC? Snoddy with a jumper?
Sign me up!
Left my house at 1pm yesterday, got home at 10pm. About to sit down and watch the heart attack of a game that was CCSU-Stonehill.
4 in a row! First time the Blue Devils have been .500 in the lg this late in the season since 2012.
Sellers has it pointed in the right direction.
That was the most fun I've had in Detrick in a long, long time. CCSU leaves in first place. I got to spend 2 hours with one of my favorite people in the world
@MetsNerd
, got to see
@EmceeMC17
, and caught up a bit with the legend
@tompince
.
Great job
@CCSU_MBB
!
It's really disappointing that there was zero newspaper coverage of yesterday's CCSU game (
@hartfordcourant
,
@NBHeraldCT
) and
@NECFrontRow
didn't broadcast the post-game press conf as it did every other NEC post-season game. Thankful that
@pete_janny
was able to grab some quotes.
Tonight The Citadel plays at East Tennessee St. in a game that features two former Blue Devils. Tyson Batiste has started all 20 games for the Bulldogs and is 2nd in the SoCon with a 34% assist rate. Joe Hugley doesn't play a ton for ETSU but is shooting 32% from 3.
Some personal news: I just made 35 free throws in a row outside in the driveway, which broke the previous record of 34 (also held by me).
The 10 yo made 8 in a row. I will never let him hold that record.
Just spent some time working on my CCSU preview. I really like what Sellers did this off-season, and I've heard terrific things about Jay Rodgers and Kellen Amos.
That could be a team to watch if some defensive improvement comes to fruition. Lots of length and athleticism there.
CCSU with its first win of the season, and the first victory as a head coach for Patrick Sellers.
I'm excited to see this coaching staff grow along with this talented freshman class.
But it wasn't just the young guys. Scantlebury was the best player on the floor tonight.
This is the first 1-0 NEC start for CCSU in the Patrick Sellers era.
Just one of many firsts this season. I'm feeling really good about these Blue Devils.
I love Joe Gallo and the Merrimack program, but I couldn't be pulling harder for SHU tonight. I just don't want the NEC title game to not decide the auto-bid.
1 thing is certain- an NEC coach will be getting his first NCAAT bid. That's special.
Good morning! Our NEC season preview has been published. Nearly 10,000 words brought to you by myself and
@john_mcnair14
, who will be chipping in with his wealth of experience this season. Now I'm going to turn off notifications and hide under my desk.
We have a few former NEC players who will be in this year's NCAAT:
- St. Peter's asst Umar Shannon (SFU)
- TAMU-CC Trey Tennyson (CCSU)
- Jax St. Jalen Gibbs (MSMU)
- CS Fullerton EJ Anosike (SHU)
- Tex Tech GA Tyson Batiste (CCSU)
- Norfolk St. Jalen Hawkins (RMU)
Anyone else?
UConn is in the top 10 after an amazing weekend, and my theory is that it's almost 100% due to the presence of CCSU guy
@CoachTru3
.
Keep making it happen, Matty!
A packed edition of the NEC Mid-Range Jumper is up. An offensive explosion in North Andover, CCSU's short-handed success, LIU's hot hand, Bryant's blocks, a surprise Pio, and much more.
Week 1 of the league sked was fun. Can't wait for Week 2.
Jared Grasso, man. ADs should be taking notice of what he's done today (in addition to all season). Just an impressive job by him. His team plays harder than everyone else.
I'm enjoying this NEC title game. Yeah, it's low scoring. But it's two great coaches making adjustments and mixing things up.
Fun to see the backcourts go at it. Two awesome grad transfers vs. Two really good freshmen.
Starting a new job tomorrow. After spending 2.5 years working from my basement, I'll back in an office. Tonight feels like the night before the first day of school all over again!
Never good to see guys leave the program, but especially disappointed to see Tyson Batiste leave. Dude just provides so many intangibles and leadership.
After a couple of seasons as a GA, former CCSU PG Tyson Batiste will be the DOBO at Sacramento St.
I guess I now have a reason to keep tabs on the Big Sky next season.
Welcome to the family Director of Operations Tyson Batiste!
• Graduate assistant at Texas Tech for last year's Sweet 16 run
• Graduate assistant at Arkansas for Elite 8 run in 2021
• Played 4 years of Div. I basketball (2016-20)
Story:
This week's NEC Mid-Range Jumper is up. I broke down how teams have played in league play on an adjusted basis, made a case for Bryant as the league's hottest team, looked at
@Shot_Quality
shot types, ranked the top SGs, and talked a lot about the Mount.
Nothing to hang your head about if you're the Blue Devils. A valiant effort against a talented and experienced team. They made Bryant sweat for awhile and they should take that with them into the off-season.
It was less than a month ago that the school approved a promotion for Jim Mack to associate HC. So it's not like Strickland to LIU has been in the works for awhile.
As under-rated a Blue Devil as there's ever been. Did a little of everything; shot almost 40% from deep, posted assist rates north of 19%, took care of the basketball, made 82% from the FT line, and was a solid defender. Plus always seemed like a good dude. Glad he's back.
Detrick gymnasium was absolutely rocking! What an atmosphere! What a memory!
"Central Connecticut State is going to the big dance!"
#ThrowbackThursday
When: March 6th, 2002
@corsley1947
with an "emphatic exclamation point"
#GoBlueDevils
#CCSUMBB
Tobin Anderson, man.
Finally gets a D1 shot and he's dancing in Year 1. I'm fairly surprised it happened THIS quickly (I expected it to take 2-3 years, not 1), but the man is a winner. It's what he does.
Patrick Sellers made his first staff hire yesterday, bringing in Lamar Chapman. Chapman was most recently the interim HC at Northern Illinois, and also spent time at Stony Brook, Toledo, and Central Mich. Experience and coaching chops. Good start.
Wow, what an upset by the Mount. Dan Engelstad loses his leading scorer to the Transfer Portal during the xmas break, and now he's in the NEC Title game. 2 seasons ago in his 1st yr he had the youngest team in the nation. Quite a rise in 3 yrs on the sideline.
Quite honestly I think Nigel Scantlebury was a major snub here (and no, that's not because I'm a CCSU alum). He was easily one of the top 15 players in the NEC this season. Disappointing.
A potentially huge pickup for CCSU. A 6-5 wing who averaged 16/5.6/2.4 on 49/37/84 shooting splits at D2 Notre Dame College.
Also a great story. Graduated HS in 2017, finally got a chance in JUCO in 2022. Someone to root for.
I'd guess Haid starts at the 3.
This was an embarrassing call by these umpires. Especially considering the stakes, with the knowledge that you take a player out of G1 of the NCAAT.
Taunting? GTFOH. He never even looked in the pitcher's direction.
What a joke.