SOMERSET, NJ – Three members of the
St. Francis College Brooklyn men's basketball team took home All-Northeast Conference (NEC) honors as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. Senior forward Deniz Celen and junior guard Chauncey Hawkins were both tabbed to the All-NEC Third Team, while freshman guard Rob Higgins was named to the NEC All-Rookie Team.
"We are extremely proud of Rob, Deniz, and Chauncey's accomplishments throughout the season and them being recognized by the Northeast Conference. All three are great teammates, hard workers, and outstanding people that are great representations of our program both on and off the court. These awards are a tremendous honor given the fact there are so many outstanding players in the conference," said Terriers' Head Coach
Glenn Braica.
Celen earned All-NEC honors for the first time in his career after he tallied 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game in the regular season for the Terriers. The forward shot a highly efficient 56.1 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from three, and 82.4 percent from the free-throw line in 30 games, all starts.
The Ankara, Turkey native leads the league in field goal percentage, is tied for fifth in blocks per game, is tied for 12th in rebounding, and ranks 17th in scoring. He scored in double figures 16 times this season and scored 20 or more points in a game five times, which were the second-most on the team.
On December 23, Celen was tabbed NEC Co-Player of the Week after he led all scorers with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field in the Terriers' 81-62 victory over Delaware State on December 22. It was the first time in his career that he earned the award as he also recorded a career-high 11 rebounds. Additionally, he was named a Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Weekly Honorable Mention.
Like Celen, Hawkins also takes home All-NEC recognition for the first time in his career. The junior finished the regular season averaging a team-best 14.9 points per game to go along with 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per contest. The guard led the Terriers in points per game, assists per game, and steals per game. He ranks sixth in the NEC in scoring, eighth in assists per game, is tied for seventh in free-throw percentage (81.4%), is third in steals per game, and has the 10th-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4) in the conference.
Hawkins scored in double-digits a team-high 23 times this season and also scored 20 or more points in a game eight times, which was also a team-high. In the Terriers' final regular season game of the season, a win at Central Connecticut State, Hawkins scored a career-high 38 points. He shot 8-of-20 from the field, 3-of-7 from three-point range, and 19-of-20 from the free-throw line. The 19 made free-throws tied the program record and are the third-most in a game in NEC history. Hawkins' 38 points against Central were the second-most scored in a game by an NEC student-athletes this season. He was the first Terrier to score 30 or more points in a game since Yunus Hopkinson recorded 34 points against Sacred Heart on February 9, 2017.
On December 16, Hawkins was named the NEC Player of the Week after averaging 19.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in a pair of home wins for the Terriers. He became the first Terrier to earn the NEC Player of the Week honor this season, and it was the first time in his career that he claimed the award. Additionally, Hawkins was named the College Sports Madness NEC Player of the Week and was tabbed a Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Weekly Honorable Mention that week.
Higgins was selected to the NEC All-Rookie Team after a memorable regular season. The freshman recorded 11.4 points per game on 36.6 percent shooting from the field and 77.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line. He led all NEC rookies in points per game, both overall and in conference play. During league play, Higgins averaged 12.2 points per game and shot a blistering 89.7 percent from the free-throw line.
The New Jersey native scored in double figures 20 times this season, which were the second-most on the team. Before starting the final eight regular season games for the Terriers, Higgins scored in double-digits coming off the bench 14 times. Higgins has recorded the 16th-most double-digit point performances off the bench in the nation this season.
On January 22, Higgins was tabbed the NEC Co-Rookie of the Week. Over a three-game week, Higgins averaged 13.7 points on 39.5 percent shooting from the field. His week was highlighted by a career-high 20-point output on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and knocked down 3-of-7 from deep against LIU on January 15.
The Terriers are set to take on the top-seeded Robert Morris Colonials (17-14, 13-5 NEC) on Wednesday, March 4, at 7 p.m., in the 2020 NEC Tournament Quarterfinals. St. Francis has qualified for the NEC Tournament in nine of the 10 years that Glenn Braica has been at the helm of the Terriers, including three-straight trips.
