Co-Players of the Week
Malik Brooks, Roberts Wesleyan
Graduate Student | G | Lockport, NY
Brooks led Roberts Wesleyan to a pair of conference wins last week with a thrilling 93-90 home win over Staten Island and a 77-70 road win over District of Columbia. Brooks scored 20 points with seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals against the Dolphins and assisted on the game-winning three-pointer. The RWU graduate student guard poured in 29 points with three rebounds, four assists, and a steal against the Firebirds. For the week, Brooks averaged 25.5 points per game (16-for-25) with 10 rebounds, 12 assists, and three steals. He currently ranks second in the ECC and 15th in the country in scoring, with 22.6 points per game.
Justin Hemphill, Daemen
Redshirt Senior | F | Buffalo, NY
Hemphill led Daemen to another 2-0 week with wins over D'Youville, 88-56, and No. 21/7 Gannon, 82-70. The Daemen redshirt senior forward averaged 15 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game, with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists against D'Youville and a near triple-double of 16 points, a career-high 11 assists, and eight rebounds against Gannon. His 11 assists are the most for a Daemen player since 2018.
Defensive Player of the Week
Shedrach Makanjuola, Mercy
Sophomore | F | Boston, MA
Makanjuola averaged a double-double with 11.5 points and a team-high 12.0 rebounds per game to go with a team-high 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. The sophomore added 2.5 assists per game and had a double-double in one game. The forward opened the week with eight points, a game-high 13 rebounds (10 defensive), five steals, three blocks, and two assists in the 64-62 win over Queens on Wednesday. Makanjuola assisted on the game-winning basket at the buzzer and came up with a key steal at the end of the game that gave Mercy the chance to win in regulation. The sophomore ended the week with a double-double by way of 15 points and 11 rebounds (five defensive) to go with three assists at Molloy on Saturday.
Rookie of the Week
Nathan Robertson, Mercy
Freshman | G | Boston, MA
Robertson averaged a team-high 16.5 points and 4.5 assists per game with 1.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds per game as Mercy went 1-1 on the week. The freshman opened the week with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in the 64-62 win over Queens on Wednesday, which included the game-winning basket at the buzzer. Robertson ended the week with 19 points, six assists, two rebounds, two steals, and one block at Molloy on Saturday.
ECC Weekly Honor Roll
Shamar Chester, Queens
Senior | G | Queens, NY
Chester averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals over the course of two ECC games. The Queens, NY native began the week recording 17 points on 46.2 percent shooting to go with five made three-pointers, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals against Mercy on Wednesday evening. With his fourth three-pointer of the night in the second half, Chester recorded his 1,000th career point. On Saturday against defending ECC champion STAC, the QC senior recorded 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Tevin Curtis, District of Columbia
Senior | G | Baltimore, MD
In the Firebirds' lone game against Roberts Wesleyan, Curtis filled the stat sheet with a team-high 15 points, six assists, six steals, and five rebounds.
Hartnel Haye, St. Thomas Aquinas
Graduate Student | G/F | Camden, NJ
Haye posted back-to-back double-double performances in a 2-0 conference week for St. Thomas Aquinas. The STAC graduate student guard/forward averaged 12.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game for the Spartans. In the 113-76 home victory over Molloy, Haye tallied 13 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and swiped a steal in 17 minutes. He followed up with 11 points, 15 rebounds, three steals, and a block in 28 minutes in a 80-59 home win against Queens.
Derek Long, Mercy
Sophomore | G | Milford, CT
Long averaged 11.5 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting as Mercy went 1-1 on the week. The junior opened the week with 11 points in the win over Queens on Wednesday. The guard ended the week with 12 points at Molloy on Saturday.
Rob Matos, Molloy
Sophomore | G | Fredericksburg, VA
Matos was the leading scorer for the Lions, topping 20 points against both St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy. The sophomore averaged 22.0 points per game on the week, shooting at 42.0 percent from the field, and added 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. His lay-up in the final seconds secured a win for Molloy over Mercy.
Omar Nkonde, Queens
Senior | C | Harlem, NY
Nkonde averaged 10.5 points on a shooting percentage of 62.5, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks in two ECC games. The QC senior center began the week with a career-best 17 points on 66.7 percent shooting to go with five rebounds and four blocks against Mercy on Wednesday evening. The senior concluded his week with four points, five rebounds, four blocks, and one assist against defending ECC champion St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday afternoon.
Jermaine Taggart II, Roberts Wesleyan
Senior | G | Rochester, NY
Taggart II had a breakout week for the Redhawks as he led the team to a win over Staten Island and added a double-digit scoring effort at District of Columbia. The RWU senior guard had 24 points (10-for-17 FG) with three rebounds and two steals against CSI and then scored 14 points (6-for-10 FG) with five rebounds and two more steals at UDC. Taggart III averaged 19.0 points (.593) for the week.
ECC Men's Basketball Weekly Award Winners
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nov. 11 - Hartnel Haye, St. Thomas Aquinas
Nov. 18 - Justin Hemphill, Daemen
Nov. 25 - Justin Moore, D'Youville
Dec. 2 - Benjamin Bill, Daemen
Dec. 9 - Benjamin Bill, Daemen (2x) and Malik Brooks, Roberts Wesleyan
Dec. 16 - Ethan Robertson, Mercy
Dec. 23 - Benjamin Bill, Daemen (3x)
Jan. 6 - Aaron Goldstein, Staten Island
Jan. 13 - Bryce Merchant, Molloy
Jan. 20 - Malik Brooks, Roberts Wesleyan (2x) and Justin Hemphill (2x)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nov. 11 - Shaun Arnold, St. Thomas Aquinas
Nov. 18 - Messiah Mallory, Staten Island
Nov. 25 - Messiah Mallory, Staten Island (2x)
Dec. 2 - Arnardo Camacho, Roberts Wesleyan
Dec. 9 - Benjamin Bill, Daemen (2x)
Dec. 16 - Arnardo Camacho, Roberts Wesleyan (2x)
Dec. 23 - Hartnel Haye, St. Thomas Aquinas
Jan. 6 - Messiah Mallory, Staten Island (3x)
Jan. 13 - Benjamin Bill, Daemen (3x)
Jan. 20 - Shedrach Makanjuola, Mercy
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Nov. 11 - Gene Anderson, District of Columbia
Nov. 18 - Gene Anderson, District of Columbia (2x)
Nov. 25 - Gene Anderson, District of Columbia (3x)
Dec. 2 - Nathan Robertson, Mercy
Dec. 9 - Ethan Robertson, Mercy
Dec. 16 - Ethan Robertson, Mercy (2x)
Dec. 23 - Nathan Robertson, Mercy (2x)
Jan. 6 - No submissions
Jan. 13 - Ethan Robertson, Mercy (3x)
Jan. 20 - Nathan Robertson, Mercy (3x)
Previously in the Polls
NABC TOP 25 COACHES POLL
Preseason: Daemen (RV), St. Thomas Aquinas (RV)
Week 1 (11/17): Daemen (20)
Week 2 (11/26): Daemen (14)
Week 3 (12/3): Daemen (8); one first-place vote
Week 4 (12/10): Daemen (7); one first-place vote
Week 5 (12/17): Daemen (4); one first-place vote
Week 6 (12/31): Daemen (3); one first-place vote
Week 7 (1/7): Daemen (3)
Week 8 (1/14): Daemen (2)
Week 9 (1/21): Daemen (2); one first-place vote
D2CSC TOP 25 MEDIA POLL
Week 1 (11/12): Daemen (14), St. Thomas Aquinas (T-19)
Week 2 (11/19): Daemen (13), St. Thomas Aquinas (22)
Week 3 (11/26): Daemen (11), St. Thomas Aquinas (RV)
Week 4 (12/3): Daemen (7)
Week 5 (12/10): Daemen (6), St. Thomas Aquinas (RV)
Week 6 (12/17): Daemen (6)
Week 7 (1/7): Daemen (4)
Week 8 (1/14): Daemen (4), St. Thomas Aquinas (RV)
Week 9 (1/21): Daemen (3), St. Thomas Aquinas (RV)
D2CSC TOP 10 EAST REGION MEDIA POLL
Preseaason (11/8): St. Thomas Aquinas (3), Daemen (4), Staten Island (RV)
Week 1 (11/11): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (2), Staten Island (RV)
Week 2 (11/18): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (2)
Week 3 (11/25): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (3), Staten Island (RV)
Week 4 (12/2): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (3)
Week 5 (12/9): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (4)
Week 6 (12/16): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (6)
Week 7 (1/6): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (6)
Week 8 (1/13): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (4)
Week 9 (1/20): Daemen (1), St. Thomas Aquinas (4)
NCAA EAST REGION POLL
ECC PRESEASON POLL
T-1. Daemen - 72 points (3 first-place votes)
T-1. St. Thomas Aquinas - 72 points (4 first-place votes)
3. Staten Island - 64 points (2 first-place votes)
4. Roberts Wesleyan - 47 points
5. District of Columbia - 44 points
6. Queens - 38 points
7. Molloy - 33 points
8. D'Youville - 20 points
9. Mercy - 15 points