SOMERSET, N.J. – Three Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball student-athletes earned All-Northeast Conference recognition as announced by the conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Highlighting the group was junior guard
Jahlil Jenkins, who garnered All-NEC Second Team accolades. Senior forward
Kaleb Bishop took home All-NEC Third Team honors, while freshman guard
Devon Dunn earned an NEC All-Rookie Team nod.
This season, the trio has helped lead the defending conference champion Knights (11-18, 9-9 NEC) to their fifth straight .500 or better record in NEC play, while earning the No. 5 seed in the NEC Tournament. The Burgundy and Blue will take on fourth-seeded LIU on Wednesday afternoon in the conference quarterfinal.
Jenkins earns second team honors this season by averaging 16.2 points, 3.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. His point and steal averages each rank fifth, while his 1.7 steals per contest are fifth-best in the NEC. The West Virginia native rarely comes off the floor, leading the league at 37.9 minutes per game. Jenkins, who shots 82 percent at the line, tops the Knights in both free throws (101) and three-pointers (51) this season. He also is making his way up the program's all-time record book as he ranks fourth in assists (395), 16
th in points (1,285), and fifth in steals (141).
"I gave the ball to Jahlil on the day that he walked onto our campus and he has taken us to heights that this program has never been before," said head coach
Greg Herenda. "This year, everyone has done everything that they can to stop him but he consistently finds a way. He has improved his range on his three-point shot and his speed and quickness are elite. Jahlil is so special – he has the quickness of a cat and the heart of a lion and he is very deserving of this honor."
Bishop, who was named to the NEC's All-Tournament Team in 2018, earns his first All-NEC nod as a senior captain for the Knights in 2020. The Paterson, New Jersey product ranks fifth in the NEC in rebounding this season with 8.1 boards per contest to go along with 13.3 points per outing. Like Jenkins, Bishop also finds himself rising in the Knights' all-time ranks. The senior forward enters the postseason with 737 rebounds, which are tied for seventh most at FDU. He also became the 30
th Knight to eclipse 1,000 career points and now ranks 21
st in scoring with 1,102 points.
"I am so happy that Kaleb is being recognized for all that he does for our team and our program," remarked Herenda. "Kaleb has grown into an all-conference player by working on his game and improving as much as any player that I have coached. He came to us as an incredible athlete and he will leave us as an extremely versatile forward that has helped us become a championship program. Kaleb deserves the attention that he has worked so hard to attain."
Despite missing eight games due to injury this season, Dunn shook off the rust and has been an integral part of the team's success in his first campaign on the Hackensack. The smooth-shooting guard has made 42 percent of his three-point attempts (35-of-82) and 45 percent overall to average 7.4 points per contest in his rookie season. Dunn's accuracy has contributed to the Knights' 45 percent overall field-goal performance and 36 percent three-point clip, which rank second and third respectively, in the league. The Washington, D.C. native enjoyed a 20-point performance in the Knights' win over Mount St. Mary's on February 1.
"What Devon has done this year is truly remarkable," Herenda concluded. "To be out for almost eight weeks with a serious injury and to come back and be on the all-rookie team tells you all you need to know about this young man. People are starting to see that he is not only an elite shooter but a very good basketball player. He is ready to carry the torch that his fellow St. John's alum Darian Anderson did here at FDU. Devon is special and I am happy to see that our conference has recognized that as well."
The NEC Tournament is set to begin this Wednesday, March 4 with four quarterfinal matchups all beginning at 7:00 p.m.
2019-20 All-Northeast Conference Teams
FIRST TEAM
E.J. Anosike Sacred Heart, Jr, Forward
Isaiah Blackmon Saint Francis U, R-Sr., Guard
Keith Braxton Saint Francis U, Sr., Guard
Raiquan Clark LIU, R-Sr., Guard/Forward
Juvaris Hayes Merrimack, Sr, Guard
SECOND TEAM
AJ Bramah, Robert Morris, Jr., Forward
Ty Flowers, LIU, R-Jr., Forward
Adam Grant, Bryant, Sr., Guard
Jahlil Jenkins, Fairleigh Dickinson, Jr., Guard
Josh Williams, Robert Morris, R-Sr., Guard
THIRD TEAM
Kaleb Bishop, Fairleigh Dickinson, Sr., Forward
Deniz Celen, St. Francis Brooklyn, Sr., Forward
Damian Chong Qui, Mount St. Mary's, So., Guard
Chauncey Hawkins, St. Francis Brooklyn, Jr., Guard
Koreem Ozier, Sacred Heart, So., Guard
ROOKIE TEAM
Myles Baker, CCSU, Fr., Guard
Devon Dunn, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fr., Guard
Michael Green III, Bryant, Fr., Guard
Benson Lin, Bryant, Fr., Guard
Rob Higgins, St. Francis Brooklyn, Fr., Guard
Player of the Year
Isaiah Blackmon, Saint Francis U
Rookie of the Year
Michael Green III, Bryant
Defensive Player of the Year
Juvaris Hayes, Merrimack
Most Improved Player
Damian Chong Qui, Mount St. Mary's
Jim Phelan Coach of the Year
Joe Gallo, Merrimack
