Guard Jordan Jones, forward Abdul Momoh and Head Coach Patrick Sellers of the Central Connecticut State men’s basketball team all won major Northeast Conference awards on Tuesday. Jones won Player of the Year, Momoh was named Defensive Player of the Year and Sellers was named Jim Phelan Coach of the Year. Junior guard Devin Haid and freshman guard Darin Smith Jr. were also recognized.
Jones became the sixth player in program history to win Player of the Year and the first since Ken Horton in the 2010-11 season. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season, while shooting 47.1% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. Jones upped his scoring in conference play to 16.3 points per game and shot 54% from the field and 43.5% from beyond the arc. With his performances this season, Jones was also named to the All-NEC First Team.
Momoh also made history on Tuesday, becoming the first Blue Devil to be named Defensive Player of the Year since Tristan Blackwood back in 2007-08. Momoh, who was also named to the All-NEC Third Team, averaged nine points, six rebounds and a league-leading 1.6 blocks per game this season. His contributions helped the Blue Devils become one of the best defensive teams in the league, ranking first in the NEC in blocks per game, second in scoring defense, second in field goal percentage defense and second in rebounding defense.
After leading the Blue Devils to back-to-back regular season championships, Sellers won his second straight Coach of the Year award, becoming the sixth coach in NEC history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. This year, Central improved its win total by four games, finishing the year with a 23-6 overall record and a 14-2 record in conference play. The Blue Devils also led the league with a +9.7-scoring margin and currently hold the nation’s longest active win streak at 12 games.
Haid and Smith Jr. were also honored on Tuesday. After averaging 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season, Haid was named to the All-NEC Second Team. Smith Jr. was named to the All-Rookie Team after averaging 7.1 points and three rebounds per game this season. He also led the conference in 3-point shooting percentage, going 45.2% from deep.
The Blue Devils will look to prove why they deserved their awards in the opening game of the NEC Tournament against the Le Moyne Dolphins on Wednesday, March. 5 at Detrick Gymnasium. They will try to contain redshirt junior Dwayne Koroma, who leads the conference with a field goal percentage of 70.6%.
