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Somerset, NJ -- A quintet of veteran players comprise the 2014-15 Northeast Conference (NEC) men’s basketball Preseason All-NEC team as selected by the league’s head coaches.  Each of the five honorees are returning All-NEC performers.

The announcement of the team, along with the preseason coaches poll, was made on Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the site of NEC Basketball “Social” Media Day.
 
Preseason favorite St. Francis Brooklyn is represented by senior forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen).  He is joined by four other seniors: Saint Francis U forward Earl Brown (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter), Robert Morris swingman Lucky Jones (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony), Bryant guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) and CCSU guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School).

One of the premier frontcourt players of recent NEC vintage and a two-time All-Conference honoree, the 6’6” Cannon has an opportunity to etch his name into the league recordbook with a strong senior season.  Currently ranked first among active players and 20th on the NEC all-time chart with 792 rebounds, he needs 208 more boards to become the fourth player in NEC history to reach 1,000 for his career and 241 caroms to set a new conference record.  With 1,156 points to his credit, Cannon can also become just the second player in league annals to finish with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds, joining Quinnipiac’s Justin Rutty, who also holds the NEC career rebound mark.  A terrific athlete who extended his shooting range last season, Cannon comes off a junior year that saw him average 14.9 points and an NEC-best 8.2 rebounds per game.  The Allentown, PA native also recorded nine double-doubles en-route to first team All-NEC honors.

Brown was named the NEC’s Most Improved Player in 2012-13, but didn’t stop there.  Last season, the 6’6” forward was tabbed to the All-NEC second team after ranking eighth in the league in scoring (14.4), and third in rebounding (8.0), field goal percentage (.531) and double-doubles (nine).  Brown, a Philadelphia product, made his presence felt in the paint on a nightly basis for the Red Flash, who advanced to the NEC semifinals for the first time since 1995.  He enters his senior season third among active NEC performers with 537 rebounds and needs 135 points to reach 1,000 for his career.

With a skill set that may be unmatched in the conference, the 6’6” Jones does it all for the Colonials.  Possessing the versatility to play a host of positions, the Newark, NJ native can fire with accuracy from long range (70 three-pointers last season), make his free throws (80.6 percent), hit the boards (6.8 rpg) and play terrific on-the-ball defense (1.3 spg).  He wrapped his junior year averaging 13.9 ppg, highlighted by a 25-points, six trifecta performance in RMU’s 89-78 win over St. John’s in the Postseason NIT.  Jones, a second-team All-Star who ranked in the NEC top-10 in five different categories, enters his final year in Moon Township second among active players in the conference with 1,190 points and 662 rebounds.

The ultimate momentum changer, sometimes all it takes is one shot to go down for Starks to find his groove.  And when the Duluth, MN product starts to feel it, he can put points on the board in bunches for Bryant.  Just ask Gonzaga, whom Starks torched for 35 points in last year’s season opener.  A four-time Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week, Starks ranked third in the conference with 18.9 ppg in 2013-14.  He finished second with 88 three-pointers and his 86.0 percent accuracy from the stripe was the third-best mark on the circuit.  Starks, a second team All-NEC pick, also recorded five games of 30+ points as a junior.  He heads into his final season with 1,114 points at Bryant and 1,202 for his collegiate career.

As pure scorers go, there are few who can go toe-to-toe with a Vinales.  Though he missed nine games with a broken finger last season, it took little time for Vinales to regain his scoring swagger upon returning to the CCSU lineup in mid-February.  Vinales hit a game-winning three-pointer to beat St. Francis Brooklyn, then drained a game-tying trey at the end of regulation the following week in a win over LIU Brooklyn that sent the Blue Devils to the playoffs for the 16th straight year.  Despite the abbreviated season, Vinales was voted All-NEC for the second time in his career, earning third team honors.  He finished the year first on CCSU in scoring (17.3), assists (3.9) and three-point shots (56).  Vinales, who hails from Detroit, has amassed 1,514 career points, tops among conference returnees.  The former NEC Rookie of the Year has an opportunity to become just the seventh player in NEC history to reach the 2,000-point mark.

2014-15 Northeast Conference Preseason All-Conference Team

Name            Team  Pos.  Ht.  Wt.  Cl. Hometown/High School
Earl Brown      SFU    F    6-6  206  Sr  Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter
Jalen Cannon    SFBK   F    6-6  235  Sr  Allentown, PA/William Allen
Lucky Jones     RMU    G/F  6-6  210  Sr  Newark, NJ/St. Anthony
Dyami Starks    BRY    G    6-2  195  Sr  Duluth, MN/Duluth East
Kyle Vinales    CCSU   G    6-1  180  Sr  Detroit, MI/Phelps School

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 34thyear, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports.