Pictured Above: Head coach Bashir Mason talking with his players (Credit: Dave Saffran)
Official Release
Somerset, NJ – On the eve of the 2018 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament, it was announced that Wagner sixth-year head coach
Bashir Mason, who has led the Seahawks to a 21-8 record and the No. 1 seed in this week's tourney, been named the 2017-18 Jim Phelan Coach of the Year.
Additionally, the Seahawks had three players garner All-NEC honors as senior guard
JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord) earned First Team accolades. Sophomore guard
Blake Francis (Herndon, VA/Westfield) was named to the Second Team and redshirt junior guard
Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac [Mt. Zion Prep]) was selected as one of five players to the Third Team. With three Seahawk student-athletes earning all-league honors, it marks the first time since the 1994-95 season in which the program has had three or more players named to an all-conference team as that season Tony Rice and Milan Rikic were each selected to the Second Team while Dan Seigle earned a spot on the All-Newcomer Team.
In receiving Coach of the Year honors, Mason becomes the first Seahawk coach in men's program history to win the award multiple times, having first won the honor back in 2016. In all, it marks the fourth time that a Seahawk bench boss has won the award: Mason (2015-2016; 2017-2018),
Dereck Whittenburg (2002-03) and
Tim Capstraw (1991-92).
Coach Mason becomes the tenth coach in NEC history to win two or more Coach of the Year awards. He joins St. Francis Brooklyn's Glenn Braica (2011-12 & 2014-15), Jim Ferry (LIU Brooklyn | 2004-05 & 2010-11), Mike Rice (Robert Morris | 2007-08 & 2008-09), Howie Dickenman (Central Connecticut | 1999-00, 2001-02, 2005-06, 2006-07), Ron Ganulin (St. Francis Brooklyn | 1997-98 & 2003-04), Jim Phelan (Mount St. Mary's | 1992-93 & 1995-96), Dave Magarity (Marist | 1986-87 & 1994-95), Jarrett Durham (Robert Morris | 1988-89 & 1989-90) and Tom Green (Fairleigh Dickinson | 1984-85 & 1985-1986).
In winning his second NEC Coach of the Year award, Mason guided the Seahawks to their second league regular season title in a three-year span and collected the program's third title in program history. The 2017-18 Seahawks are the eighth team in Wagner history to reach the 20-win mark. This season, the Green & White finished the regular season with a 21-8 record and a 14-4 league mark, the most league wins by a Mason-coached team, just one shy of the Seahawks' single-season record.
Winners of eight of their last ten games, Wagner finished two games ahead of the field in the 2018 NEC standings. Mason steered this year's top seed into one of the most dominant teams at home, as the Seahawks enter the tournament a perfect 14-0 on the year, the fifth-longest streak among all Division I schools. A former Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Player of the Year himself during his playing days at Drexel, Mason once again built the NEC's top-ranked scoring defense (68.3) and field goal percentage defense (.407). Among all 351 Division I schools, the Seahawks rank 24th nationally in this category while under his tutelage, the Seahawks ranked first in blocked shots for the third-time under Mason and have been among the top-three in that category for the past three-seasons.
In addition to coaching a relentless style of defensive play, another staple of Mason's coaching philosophy is his team's prowess in the rebounding department. In 2017-18, this has been no exception as the Green & White are again among the top rebounding teams in the NEC, outmuscling opponents by more than five caroms per contest (5.3), which ranks among the top-50 teams in the nation.
Additionally, Wagner ranks 11th nationally in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 13.46 per game. Coach Mason, who is the sixth-youngest head coach in all of Division I hoops, earned his 100th career victory against Robert Morris back on January 20 and enters his sixth NEC tournament with the third-most coaching victories in Wagner history with 108, trailing only Herb Sutter (352) and Tim Capstraw (117).
A four-year member of the Seahawk program, Cooper has been known league-wide throughout his career as an elite defender. After averaging 8.2 ppg last season, the Wilmington, DE native has developed into of the NEC's the top-15 scorers, netting a career-best 14.2 ppg. In earning First-Team All-NEC honors, Cooper has scored in double-figures 25 times (42 times for his career), while scoring 20 or more points on four different occasions, the last coming at Sacred Heart when he matched his career-best of 23 points. He finished the regular season as the conference's leading assist man, dishing out 6.2 helpers a contest, good for 20th in all of Division I and ninth among all D1 seniors. He is one of just two players in the nation this season averaging at least 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game on the year.
Additionally, Cooper has either led or tied for the team high in that category 80 times, which includes a team-best 26 times this season. Cooper has a chance to become just the third NEC player to ever reach the 1,000/500/500 club, joining Mount St. Mary's Gregory Harris (1,760p, 615r, 529a) and Wagner's own Mark Porter (1,577p, 531r, 523a). Entering the tournament, Cooper, who has played in 120 games, tied for third all-time, has scored 960 points, dished out 495 career assists, good for seventh on the all-time Seahawk list while corralling 474 rebounds. This season, Cooper earned three NEC Player of the Week citations while earning his first Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association Division I Player of the Week award back on January 23, after nearly averaging a triple-double for the week (14.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 9.0 apg) while shooting 43.0 percent from the floor.
In just his second full season on Grymes Hill, Francis has emerged as an "instant game-changer" with his ability to hit from beyond the arc while also being able to evade defenses with a well-timed step-back. After appearing in 28 games last season, making only three starts, Francis has elevated his game in being tabbed to the All-NEC Second Team. In 28 games, including 18 starts, the Herndon, VA native is averaging a team-best 17.5 ppg (5
th in the NEC) while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from long range (7
th in the league).
The second-year sharpshooter enters his second league tournament having scored 490 points on the season. His 91 three-pointers this season are third-most in a single season, trailing only Joey Mundweiler (2008-09 | 98) and Dedrick Dye (2002-03 | 96) for the most three's in a single-season. On the year, Francis has scored in double -figures a 27 times (34 for his career) while surpassing the 20-point plateau nine times, most recently a career-best 29 points at home vs. Bryant (2/8/18). Francis has scored in double-figures in 18 straight games while making at least one three-pointer in every game this season (28 games). In a reserve role this season, which spans the last ten games, the second-year southpaw is averaging 17.2 ppg while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 46.3 percent from the outside.
In 13 home games at the Spiro Sports Center this season, Francis is pouring in close to 18.0 ppg while shooting 40.0 percent from long range. Francis, like Cooper, has gotten recognition for his stellar player, as he was named to the MBWA Division I Player of the Week the following week as he and Cooper became the first set of teammates to earn back-to-back citations from the organization. Back on January 12, 2018, Francis was named to the Lou Henson Mid-Season Watch List, as he was one of three guard from the NEC to be up for the award.
After seeing his 2016-17 campaign come to an erupt end after leading Wagner past then-ranked No. 18 UConn, Saunders missed the first seven games of this season but, since returning to the lineup. has been instrumental in the Seahawks' success. After averaging just 6.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg in his first three games back, the Temple Hills, MD native found his rhythm, averaging 15.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, in almost 33.0 minutes of action. Saunders has given Wagner another presence on the boards as well, having grabbed a team-best 120 caroms in league-only contests (9th-best in the league play) while being the second-leading rebounder on the squad overall at 6.2 rpg.
A threat in all facets of the game, Saunders has scored in double figures 15 times this season and 38 times for his career. Saunders, who recorded his third career double-double in the regular season finale at Mount St. Mary's (16 points, 17 rebounds), enjoyed the best game of his career on January 26 when he poured in a career-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field, and 5-of-8 from the outside, as the Seahawks defeated Saint Francis U in Loretto, PA, 91-61.
The No. 1-seeded Seahawks take on the No. 8 seed, Central Connecticut, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at the Spiro Sports Center. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be streamed live on NEC Front Row as Joey Wahler and John Jastremski have the call from courtside.
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