Link To Official Release
Somerset, NJ – On the eve of the 2016 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament in which the Wagner men's basketball team will be the No. 1 seed, the league office has announced that fourth-year head coach
Bashir Mason has been named the 2015-16 Jim Phelan Coach of the Year. Additionally, junior guard
Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]) and sophomore wing
Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) were named to the All-NEC Second Team.
In receiving Coach of the Year honors, Mason becomes the third Wagner head coach to garner the award, joining
Dereck Whittenburg (2002-03) and
Tim Capstraw (1991-92).
"To be named NEC Coach of the Year is a tremendous honor," said Mason. "Our players and coaching staff have done an outstanding job all season and this award is testament to their hard work and efforts. Winning the NEC regular season, and reaching the 20-win mark, are great achievements of which we are extremely proud.
"With that said, there's no question that we have a lot of work to do this week in order to achieve our ultimate goal of winning the NEC Tournament," Mason added. Mason steered the Seahawks to their second-ever NEC regular season title and a guaranteed berth in the postseason for the first time since winning the 2003 NEC Tournament and appearing in the NCAA Tournament. Winner of five straight heading into the playoffs, Wagner finished two games ahead of the field with a 13-5 NEC mark. Mason led his team to the program's sixth 20-win season and the first since the 2011-12 campaign when he served as an assistant coach. A former Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Player of the Year himself during his playing days at Drexel, Mason built the NEC's top-ranked scoring defense (63.6) and field goal percentage defense (.406). Under his tutelage, the Seahawks held league opposition under 60 points eleven times, nine of which coming during league play. Mason, who was the nation's youngest head coach (29), upon his hire back in 2012, has twice led Wagner to the NEC semifinals.
The 6-5 Carey was a force in the paint and a terror in transition for the Seahawks. He registered 13 double-doubles (third in the NEC) in his first season on Grymes Hill. Carey enters the postseason averaging 12.0 points and his 9.1 rebounds per game is tied for the second-best mark in the conference. A two-time NEC Player of the Week, he has converted 50.4 percent of his shots from the field. In 29 games, Carey has reached double-figures 22 times, headlined by a career-high 26-point outing at Mount St. Mary's back on January 30. The Nassau, Bahamas native has grabbed at least five rebounds in all but two games this season. This past Saturday, Carey corralled a career-best 17 caroms in the win over Robert Morris. In earning his second NEC Player of the Week citation this season, Carey averaged 17.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks while shooting 66.7 percent over the last two games.
In just two seasons, the 6-2 Henson has already established himself as one of the NEC's most feared sharpshooters. His 41.9 percent accuracy from long range ranks second in the circuit, and he ranks third with 2.31 three-pointers per game. Wagner's leading scorer at 13.5 points per game (eighth-best in the NEC), Henson had 12 games this season in which he made a minimum of three long-range field goals and in the regular season title-clinching win last Thursday over Saint Francis U, the Upper Marlboro, MD native poured in 24 points.
Follow Wagner Athletics on Facebook (facebook.com/WagnerAthletics), Twitter (@wagnerathletics), Instagram (@wagnerathletics) and YouTube (@WagnerSeahawks) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department. Follow Wagner MBasketball on Twitter (@Wagner_MBB) for the latest news and updates on the 2015-16 Wagner Men's Basketball team and head coach Bashir Mason (@BashirMason) for news on the fourth-year head coach.
