Northeast Conference Overview
The Northeast Conference formed a few years back at the same time the rest of the East Coast was breaking into league formats. After the mighty Big East and A-10 formed everyone else that was left looked around and saw that the only way they would survive at the D-1 level was to form their own leagues. The Northeast Conference formed almost in the dark because unless you were a fan of one of these programs you probably did not know that it existed. Add to the fact that the original name was the ECAC or Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (yeah, it lasted all of one year) and the quick change to the new name, you can see while fans are confused. Or worse apathetic. Worse yet the signature and only nationally known program, Long Island University, was coming off their own self-imposed hiatus and a trip back down to the lower levels. Long Island or LIU as they are known as the most hooked up with some similar Big Apple Area programs and formed this new league. Some of these programs were at the shallow end of the D-1 level but most have swum up river from the lower levels and have jumped into the deep end with this new league. As a matter of fact, right before last year began the NEC got two new members from the lower levels, both of which did not even have to do the preliminary one year waiting period in Independent purgatory. Those teams do not qualify for post season play so to be able to leap into this water was huge for them. There are some positive things about being an almost ghost of a conference as issues like this can slip through the curtains whereas a league like the Big East would never get away with it. Of course that is all a moot point now with all of the changes but alas I regress. Back to the Northeast and this little engine that could league.
| Ist Team | Pos | Year | Team |
| Maurice Stokes | C | Sr | Saint Francis (PA) |
| Ron Kornegay | G | Sr | Monmouth |
| Al Inniss | C-F | So | St. Francis (NY) |
| Jack Sullivan | F | Sr | Mount St. Mary's |
| Sherman White | F-C | Sr | Long Island |
| 2nd Team | |||
| Norm Van Lier | G | Sr | Saint Francis (PA) |
| Fred Carter | G-F | Sr | Mount St. Mary's |
| Howard Dickenman | F-C | Sr | Central Connecticut State |
| Albie Grant | F | Sr | Long Island |
| Dennis McDermott | F | Jr | St. Francis (NY) |
| 3rd Team | |||
| John Goedeke | C-F | Jr | Maryland-Baltimore County |
| Kevin Porter | G | Jr | Saint Francis (PA) |
| Gene Reilly | G | Sr | Central Connecticut State |
| Ray Hodge | G-F | Sr | Wagner |
| Reggie Foster | F-C | Sr | Farleigh Dickinson |
The Northeast Conference Formed Almost in the Dark - Only Fans Knew that it Existed
The talent here may not be the same of the Big East but it is good and the coaching is every bit as good as any conference in the country. Legends such as Claire Bee and Jim Phelan make their presence felt and young new basketball minds are starting to make an impact on this small but competitive league.
Leading the talent brigade is one of the most underrated players in the country. The returning MVP of the league and without question the most dominate force is senior center Maurice Stokes from Saint Francis of Pennsylvania. Stokes is the real deal. Only six foot seven but a solid 240 pounds, Stokes is a tremendous player who can basically do anything he wants on the court. A fantastic board man who easily led the league in rebounding, Stokes is also a terrific offensive player. He handles the ball like a wing and can score at will from inside. His only fault might be his unselfishness. He is a great passer and sometimes doesn’t take over games like he should. A major tumble in the game against Farleigh Dickinson cost him a few games with some lingering effects. That may have been the only thing that could have slowed him down. This cost Saint Francis a few games and cost them an outright league title. The team they shared that with had some problems of their own as well. Stokes was fortunate enough to have the best back court in the league around him. The duo of Norm Van Lier and Kevin Porter may be the quickest guard combo in the country no matter the conference. Van Lier and Porter are both tremendous penetrators and floor generals and both are cat quick. Van Lier could be the best in your face matchup defender on the perimeter in the nation. And Porter is the best penetrate and pass guy in the country outside of Michigan. Coach Skip Hughes has some solid talent around this terrific trio but nowhere near the depth of the team picked to finish atop of the heap in the NEC.
Long Island University has one of their own superstars in senior Sherman White who might just be a better scorer than Stokes. White goes a svelte 6’8 but can score from anywhere inside 15 feet. Legendary Coach Clair Bee once had this program at the very top of the heap in the entire country but many of those players have moved on and after some Tom Foolery the higher ups at this University decided to first shut down the program and then started it back up at D-2. By then the damage was done but Bee fights on with his superstar and one of the deepest teams in the country. Seniors Ray Felix, Luther Green and especially Albie Grant give White ample support up front, all playing a specific role. With juniors Walter Jones and Ruben Rodriguez ready to go after dominant JV runs the front line is in fine shape. The key to LIU’s season will be the backcourt where senior Barry Liebowitz will battle sophomore stud Robert Cole for the starting point guard role and both can run this team. Bee needs some wings to step up and hits some perimeter shots and this team will be fine. In reality these two teams are head and shoulders above the rest of this burgeoning league but don’t tell those other eight they are battling for third.
Next in line is brand new to D-1 Mount St. Mary’s out of Baltimore and their own legendary coach, Jim Phelan. The bow tie wearing mentor has led this program to dominance at the D-2 level and as such were allowed to jump right into the fray two years ago in the NEC. It was almost a bidding war for this program when all of the East Coast program jumped into the league format. Phelan’s team will be led by seniors Fred ‘Mad Dog’ Carter and Jack Sullivan. This duo is as good as anyone in the league not named Stokes or White and Carter might be the best long-range shooter on the eastern seaboard. Sullivan is only 6’4 and he definitely noticed that dominating at this level at this height is a little tougher then he thought. He is a gamer though and had a solid year but this team must get bigger if Phelan is going to get this program into their accustomed post season run at this level.
“Any of you guys call me Francis and I’ll kill you.” Well, in the case of the NEC two teams would have to die if they were dealing with Sergeant Hulka. The second of these is from Brooklyn and though these two teams do not like each other no matter what their name. And for God’s sake do not spell this team’s name with a Saint in front especially in Brooklyn. Coach Daniel Lynch has a solid team led by senior big man Al Inniss and junior scorer Dennis McDermott. Lynch has been in Brooklyn for awhile but this team has not got close to a big dance though they have done well in the National Catholic tourney. There is some good young talent including sophomore wing Darwin Purdie but unless Lynch finds some guards who can keep up with the quicksters who are the other Francis, this team will be battling for a spot in the NIT.
Monmouth and Farleigh Dickinson are two programs that seem forever connected, These two Jersey schools came into this league together and seemingly end up within a game or two of each other wherever they reside. They have climbed up the ranks of college basketball together but Monmouth has one thing that FDU does not. Ron Kornegay. This 5’8 senior is the most exciting player in the league and led the conference in scoring at over 20 points a game. This kid can flat stroke it but is not afraid to go inside and understands how to play the game at a level that most never comprehend. Coach Bill Boylan’s team does not have much size (most teams in this league don’t) and the drop off to the next best player is huge but if Burgundy er Kornegay gets it going he can carry his sidekicks a long way up that totem pole in the NEC. Farleigh Dickinson is more known for their silly sounding name then their program but coach Tom ‘Road Trip’ Green is out to change that. FDU has some talent led by the Foster boys (not related) up front. Green has promised he has an incredible recruiting class and this program needs one after floundering in the bottom half of this league since they arrived.
The NEC wanted a representation in Connecticut to get some carryover attention from the worldwide leader. There were some directional programs from the lower ranks and Hartford (who went AMEC) and a school known for taking election polls. They went with Central Connecticut State at the last minute last year and long time Coach Bill Detrick’s promises to build this program the same way he did in D-2. He will rely on four year student-athletes instead of the JC ranks and has went after a handful of real big men. Senior Howie Dickenman has been the man in Norwich for three years but he is only 6’4. As good as he is and Dickenman will stick ya, it is hard to do dominate in the key even in this league. Fellow senior Gene Reilly is back to lead the team and is one heck of a floor general but he is also a heck of a right-handed pitcher (the Giants drafted him and he had a great first year in the minors last summer). Detrick loves this Hartford kid but if this team goes south early don’t be surprised if Reilly is in spring training in March. Or Vietnam!
Coach Herb Sutter’s Wagner boys have never compete for anything above consolation prizes in Staten Island. There is some talent on the perimeter led by senior wing Ray Hodge and wunderkid Terrence Bailey who had a terrific first year earning conference rookie of the year. This kid can score and distribute and might have the best hops in the league even if he only goes 6’2. Fellow sophomore Howard Thompkins also showed some promise in the paint and if this team gets a few more bigs who can bang down low the boys from the Island might surprise.
The last two teams are about as green as they get as neither program has been around for long. The University of Maryland-Baltimore County and Robert Morris (from Moon Township in Pennsylvania) are battling to stay out of the basement but in reality are happy to have programs competing at this level. Neither has been long enough to have any seniors on their roster (really) as the coaches realize they are going to build these programs the old-fashioned way. Legendary (say it Barney) Billy Jones who happens to be the first African-American basketball player in the ACC for Maryland has taken the reins of UMBC who were the last team into the fray last season. After getting the call to join the NEC in August, Jones led this team to near upsets of his alma mater and even more so the might Ralph Sampson and Virginia. These shockers did not translate into NEC play as they finished last but it game them some recognition on the recruiting trail that Jones had promised he has taken advantage of. Junior John Goedeke and sophomore Rick Moreland do the manual labor down low and second year Indiana boy Rick Simmons is the team’s best perimeter player but there are more coming. Coach Matt Furjanic had no choice but to go crazy recruiting as RMU has little talent on the roster. Sophomore back court mates Forest Grant and Chipper Harris had productive first seasons but Furjanic better have an incredible recruiting class if Robert Morris is going to challenge even for the top half of this league.
The Northeast Conference might not get the recognition of some of its compatriots that have taken college basketball by storm the last few years but they get the same automatic bid as the Big East and A-10. Of course they will only get one of those invites while those others will get many others. That makes this league in some ways more competitive, especially the tournament that decides who goes. There are two clear cut favorites in this league but strange things happen in March but it would be nice to see big Mo Stokes or Sherman White get the kind of recognition they deserve on a national level. And for all of the right reasons.