NEC Release / All-NEC Video / All-Time NEC Selections (Wagner) / Ortiz Defensive Stand

Somerset, NJ - For the second-straight year, junior guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ / Science Park / Southern Mississippi) was chosen as the Northeast Conference (NEC) Defensive Player of the Year while also earning Third Team All Conference accolades. Senior forward Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA / Kennedy / City College of San Francisco) joins Ortiz as an all-conference selection with his inclusion on the league's Second Team.

On a team that prides itself on its defensive intensity, Ortiz has earned a well-deserved reputation as a lockdown defender during his two years on Grymes Hill. While the Newark, NJ, native ranks third in the NEC with 2.0 steals per outing, his defensive contributions cannot always be quantified. His ability to pressure opposing guards and take them out of their comfort zone has altered game plans and helped anchor a Wagner defense that ranks first in the league in field goal percentage defense (.408) and second in scoring defense (66.7). Ortiz becomes the third-ever back-to-back winner of the award and is the fifth winner in school history while joining former Seahawks DeEarnest McLemore (2004-2005), Nigel Wyatte (2003-2004) and Courtney Pritchard (2001-2002).

Ortiz and Williams have helped Wagner to a No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament set to begin on Wednesday, March 6 at 7:00 pm when the Green & White host No. 7 Central Connecticut State.

With an arsenal of post moves that may be unrivaled in the conference, Williams is simply a load to stop in the paint area. The San Francisco native, leads Wagner and ranks seventh in the NEC with 15.2 ppg, but it doesn't stop there. Williams is also sixth in field goal percentage (.535), and ninth in rebounding (6.6) and free throw percentage (.789) for the second-seeded Seahawks.

Ortiz is more than just a stellar defender. His ability to come through in the clutch for Wagner - he recently beat the buzzer on a putback to polish off LIU in one of the best NEC games of the year - has been well documented, but he also ranks fourth in the conference with 5.2 assists per game and is the Seahawks' third-leading scorer at 12.0 points per contest.

Joining Ortiz (Defensive Player of the Year) as the Major Award winners from the NEC were LIU Brooklyn junior forward Jamal Olasewere (Player of the Year), Mount St. Mary's freshman guard Shivaughn Wiggins (Rookie of the Year), Saint Francis (PA) sophomore forward Earl Brown (Most Improved Player) and Bryant coach Tim O'Shea (Coach of the Year).

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 32nd year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 12 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 23 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic or play-in access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, 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 and YouTube @NECsports.

2012-2013 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Award Winners

Player of the Year
Jamal Olasewere (LIU Brooklyn)     

Rookie of the Year
Shivaughn Wiggins (Mount St. Mary's)             

Defensive Player of the Year
Kenneth Ortiz (Wagner)         

Most Improved Player
Earl Brown (Saint Francis (PA))

Jim Phelan Coach of the Year
Tim O'Shea (Bryant)

2012-2013 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball First Team All-Conference         
Alex Francis (Jr., Bryant)
Shane Gibson (Sr., Sacred Heart)
Velton Jones (Sr., Robert Morris)
Jamal Olasewere (Sr., LIU Brooklyn)
Kyle Vinales (So., Central Connecticut)

2012-2013 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Second Team All-Conference
Ike Azotam (Jr., Quinnipiac)
Jason Brickman (Jr., LIU Brooklyn)
Jalen Cannon (So., St. Francis Brooklyn)
Dyami Starks (So., Bryant)
Jonathon Williams (Sr., Wagner)

2012-2013 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball All-Rookie Team
Frankie Dobbs (Sr., Bryant)
C.J. Garner (Sr., LIU Brooklyn)
Matt Hunter (Jr., Central Connecticut)
Lucky Jones (So., Robert Morris)
Kenneth Ortiz (Jr., Wagner)