Complete Release
Online NEC Hall of Fame
Three of the Northeast Conference's (NEC) most iconic figures were announced today as the 2011-12 inductees to the NEC Hall of Fame. The three-member class includes Marist men's basketball player Rik Smits, Saint Francis (PA) women's basketball player Beth Swink and former Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball coach Tom Green.
“The second class of the Northeast Conference Hall of Fame illustrates the strong tradition of NEC basketball at the student-athlete and coaching levels,” said Noreen Morris, NEC Commissioner. “Each inductee was an integral part of multiple conference championship teams and individually collected countless accolades. Congratulations to Rik, Beth and Tom; they epitomize the NEC's commitment to excellence in athletics, academics and community involvement."
"This is as well-deserved honor for Coach Green," Director of Athletics
David Langford said. "He is a pioneer in the NEC and did a great job of raising the bar to the highest of standards."
Tom Green, Fairleigh Dickinson
Men's Basketball Head Coach • 1983-09
The winningest coach in NEC men's basketball history, Green's tenure at Fairleigh Dickinson spanned 26 years from 1983-2009. He won a school record 407 games over that time and his 263 wins against NEC competition are over 100 more than any other coach in league annals. Green piloted the Knights to a four NEC championships - also the most in conference history - in 1985, 1988, 1998 and 2005, and Postseason NIT berths in 1991 and 2006. He presided over three NEC regular season championship teams (1985-86, 1987-88 and 2005-06) and led seven teams to 20+ win seasons. Green is also the NEC's all-time leader with 26 tournament victories as FDU appeared in nine NEC Championship games and reached the NEC semifinals in 16 of his 26 seasons.
The 2004-05 Metropolitan Basketball Writer's Association/NIT Coach of the Year, Green was also a two-time NEC Coach of the Year, a two-time New Jersey Sports Writers Coach of the Year and a three-time New Jersey Coaches Association Coach of the Year award recipient.
Green has since continued his coaching career at the City College of New York (CCNY), where he is in his first year as head coach.
“Tom Green had the most positive impact of any coach in the history of the Northeast Conference,” said Tim Capstraw, former Wagner head coach. “Fairleigh Dickinson won the NEC championship four times in his tenure and impressed as the league's representative in the NCAA Tournament every time. Coach Green was a great innovator, with unique defenses, brilliant details in special situations, and the ability to dictate and control late game possessions. The preparation to compete against his FDU teams was exhausting. Tom Green was respected and well-liked by his peers, which is unique in such a competitive profession. I congratulate him on the honor of being inducted into the Northeast Conference Hall of Fame. Fairleigh Dickinson University, the Northeast Conference and NCAA Basketball are all better because of Tom Green.”
“I was one of the lucky ones who actually had the privilege to play and coach against Coach Green, or should I say, unlucky ones,” said Dave Calloway, former player and head coach at Monmouth. “I will always remember the FDU vs. Monmouth games that always seemed to go right down to the wire. Tom's teams were always well prepared and always tough to play against. Longevity in coaching at one institution is rare and Tom's ability to adapt over each decade is a true testament to his success as a coach. I still have nightmares of that famous two fingered whistle directed at his players to run a particular play.”
Rik Smits, Marist
Eindhoven, Holland
Men's Basketball • 1984-88
Nicknamed the “Dunking Dutchman,” the Eindhoven, Holland native was both the tallest (7'4”) and most decorated player in NEC history. Smits was selected as the NEC Player of the Decade and 20th Anniversary Most Valuable Player, and was tabbed to the NEC 25th Anniversary All-Time team. He earned NEC Player of the Year honors after the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons and was a three-time first team all-league selection. Smits is one of just two competitors to win Player of the Year accolades twice (LIU's Charles Jones is the other) and was the 1984-85 NEC Newcomer of the Year. Named an AP Honorable Mention All-American in 1988, he ranks sixth on the NEC all-time scoring list with 1,945 points and 15th on the rebounding chart with 811 boards. He led the NEC in blocked shots and field goal percentage three times in his career, and paced the Conference in scoring with 24.7 points per game in 1987-88. Smits established 25 school records at Marist and helped lead the Red Foxes to back-to-back NEC titles in 1986 and 1987. He was voted MVP of the 1986 NEC Tournament and was a three-time All-Tournament pick. In his final game in a Marist uniform, Smits scored a then school-record 45 points. While in Poughkeepsie, he represented Holland as a member of the Dutch National Team following his sophomore and junior seasons. Smits is one of three Marist men's basketball players in school history to have his uniform number retired.
Following his collegiate career, Smits was tabbed by the Indiana Pacers as the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. He played his entire 12-year career for the Pacers and was selected to the NBA All-Star team in 1998. Smits averaged 14.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and retired as the Pacers' all-time blocked shots leader with 1,111 rejections. He competed for the NBA Championship in 2000 when Indiana fell to Los Angeles, 4-2.
“I did not recruit Rik,” recalled Dave Magarity, his former head coach. “I inherited him after coaching against him. It was easy to see the development from the very early stages and watch him mature into one of the great players in the New York City area. Teams knew that if they could stop Rik, they had a chance to beat us. But he was more than just a one-man show on the court. He was a great person, a great teammate and was all about the program. There was a chance he would leave after his junior year. Rik's stock had risen after two NCAA appearances. He didn't rush to judgment, though. He comes from a good background and is very levelheaded. Rik would have been a top-15 pick in the NBA Draft after his junior season. There was no guarantee what would happen the following year if he stayed. In the end, he made a decision based on his loyalty and strong feelings toward the school. It worked out for him and he wound up as the second pick in the draft after his senior year."
Beth Swink, Saint Francis (PA)
Connellsville, PA/Connellsville
Women's Basketball • 2001-05
Swink joins legendary Red Flash great Jess Zinobile as Saint Francis (PA) women's basketball players who have been inducted into the NEC Hall of Fame. She won four NEC championships, played in four straight NCAA Tournaments and was part of teams that won a total of 88 games from 2001-05. Swink was voted NEC Player of the Year following the 2003-04 season and was a three-time first team All-NEC honoree. The Connellsville, PA product was also voted the 2001-02 NEC Rookie of the Year and earned NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors in 2003 and 2005. She was tabbed to the NEC 25th Anniversary All-Time team back in 2006.
Swink's 2,127 career points ranks second in school and NEC history, and her 957 rebounds is the third-highest total in Red Flash annals. Her 688 points in 2004-05 is third on the NEC single-season scoring chart, and she occupies three of top-seven spots on the NEC single-season field goal percentage list. Under the bright lights of March, Swink matched an NCAA Tournament record with 10-10 shooting performance from the field as part of a 28-point, 14-rebound performance against Purdue in a first round game on March 21, 2004. She also racked up 40 points in an NEC quarterfinal win over St. Francis (NY) on March 5, 2005 which remains the second-highest single-game total in the tourney history.
Off the court, Swink was twice honored as a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Following graduation, Swink received a tryout with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun and went on to play overseas in the Swedish “A” League.
“The Saint Francis Red Flash family is extremely honored that the Northeast Conference has selected Beth Swink for induction to the NEC Hall of Fame,” said Bob Krimmel, Saint Francis (PA) Director of Athletics. “Beth represented the very best in collegiate athletics as a student-athlete at Saint Francis. Her excellence on the court was matched by her success in the classroom, commitment to service and her amazing humility. Beth continues to represent the Franciscan Goals of Higher Education as she pursues her career goals and will always have a special place in the hearts of those who have been touched by her as a student athlete and as a person. The Saint Francis Community congratulates Beth and we look forward to welcoming her home to DeGol Arena to formally recognize her induction into the Northeast Conference Hall of Fame."
The NEC Hall of Fame was established as a means to recognize, honor and perpetuate the memory of those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to NEC athletics and have helped to bring recognition, honor, distinction and excellence to both the Conference and its Division I athletic programs. The 2010 inaugural class was headlined by the NEC's first Commissioner, Chris Monasch, and legendary Mount St. Mary's basketball head coach Jim Phelan. Student-athletes honored included Wagner basketball player Terrance Bailey, Robert Morris football lineman Hank Fraley, Mount St. Mary's distance runner Peter Rono, Fairleigh Dickinson sprinter/hurdler
Sharlene Milwood-Lee, Monmouth soccer standout Christie Pearce-Rampone and Saint Francis (PA) women's basketball player Jess Zinobile.
Nominations for the Hall of Fame are made by current and former member institutions, along with the Conference office. Enshrinees are then selected in a vote by administrators from each member institution and the Conference.
Student-athletes who have competed in an NEC-sponsored sport for at least two full seasons and completed their playing career at a member institution become eligible for induction beginning five years after exhausting their collegiate eligibility. Coaches, administrators and any other persons who have made outstanding contributions or offered extraordinary service to NEC athletics are eligible after three full years of service.
A maximum of five inductees may be selected annually, including at least one male student-athlete, one female student-athlete, and one coach or administrator.
