Preseason Awards: All-NEC Third Team

Throughout the week, Big Apple Buckets will post their NEC preseason awards prior to the NEC Media Day on Tuesday, October 23rd. We begin with our consensus selections for the All-Northeast Conference Third Team.

Jesse Steele, PG, Monmouth (12.6 ppg, 4.2 apg, 2.0 rpg, 1.2 spg)

In King Rice’s team first system that de-emphasizes selfishness and high usage rates, it’s difficult to produce numbers good enough to warrant an all-conference selection. Nevertheless, senior captain Jesse Steele heads our third team, because he’s expected to guide a Monmouth roster devoid of a go-to-guy. Last season, Steele led Monmouth in scoring for 11 of the Hawk’s 32 games, and it’s safe to expect more of the same this season. Monmouth’s resurgence will be very much tied to Steele’s performance, and that’s a good thing for the Hawk’s faithful, given the diminutive guard’s tireless work ethic.

Julian Norfleet, SG, Mount St. Mary’s (13.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 37.3% 3PT)

Norfleet was one of the few bright spots for a Mount St. Mary’s team that slogged their way through an uninspiring 8-21 campaign a season ago. For a brutally inefficient offense under Robert Burke, Norfleet certainly made the most of it, scoring in double figures 16 out of 18 conference games, while posting a respectable effective field goal percentage of 49.7%. His game impressively evolved from a spot-up shooter to a bona fide scorer in his sophomore season. Forecasting ahead, it’s unknown how much Norfleet will benefit from Jamion Christian’s newly installed up-tempo attack, but reports out of Emmitsburg are so far positive. We’re surely betting on an improvement across the board for one of the more underrated players in the NEC.

Jonathan Williams, G/F, Wagner (13.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 57.4 EFG%)

With all the hype given to guards Kenneth Ortiz and Latif Rivers last season, it may come as a surprise that Williams had in fact the highest player efficiency rating of anyone who called the Spiro Center home. Williams’ unique versatility and strong assortment of post moves and pump fakes helped ease the transfer’s transition into the NEC, making him a very difficult wing to guard all over the floor. Now entering his senior season, Williams should benefit from the roster’s infusion of athleticism – with freshmen Dwaun Anderson – and will look to lead the Seahawks to their first NCAA tournament berth since 2003.

Akeem Johnson, F, St. Francis College (11.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 57.4% EFG)

The lone back-to-the-basket force on the St. Francis (NY) roster last season Johnson was an interior force and amongst the national leaders last season in offensive rebounding rate and block percentage. As a senior he’ll be given even more responsibility in the Terriers’ offense. A renewed focus on the paint along with some additional help to get him the ball could make Johnson a consistent double-digit threat and lead to more performances like his back-to-back 20-plus point performances against LIU Brooklyn last season.

Jalen Cannon, PF/C, St. Francis College (8.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 55.6% EFG)

In what was supposed to be a year to adjust to the physicality of Division I basketball, Cannon was a man among boys down low, becoming a dominant rebounder as a mere freshman. He led the NEC in rebounding rate, thanks to a stretch where Cannon averaged an absurd 10.5 rebounds per game in the final 10 games of the season.  Moving forward, Cannon needs to develop other facets of his game, but with improvement, it’s expected that  Glenn Braica will expand the sophomore’s responsibilities. With point guards Dre Calloway and Brent Jones running the show in Brooklyn, expect more easy buckets coming Cannon’s way in the near future, which may turn the broad shouldered Cannon into a double-double machine.

Notable Players Who Just Missed:

• C.J. Garner, LIU-Brooklyn
• Justin Swidowski, Sacred Heart
• Ousmane Drame, Quinnipiac