MBB Trio Honored by NECC
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Three members of the Mitchell College men's basketball team received all-conference honors on Monday morning as the New England Collegiate Conference released its annual postseason awards.
Senior forwards Parris Hill and Joshua Ford each garnered all-conference first team nods while junior Donavan McClean was named all-conference honorable mention. All awards were determined by a vote of the conference's head coaches.
The Mariners were the only team to place a pair of players on the first team. Joining Hill and Ford were Deshawn Hamlet (Southern Vermont College), Jerry Buchanon (Elms College) and Sam Jean-Gilles (Regis College). Ford, the only repeat first team selection from a year ago, becomes the first player in the conference's history to earn first team honors four times in a career.
Hill started all 25 games and averaged 23.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest. In conference play he led the NECC in scoring (22.8 ppg) and ranked third in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and fourth in blocks (19). He recorded a team-high 10 double-doubles on the year and scored 20 or more points in 17 games, including seven with 30 or more.
Hill, who was a second team pick a year ago, has proven to be a prolific scorer in his two seasons at Mitchell. He currently ranks fifth in the nation in scoring at the Division III level, and in the final game of the season he netted his 1,000th career point, needing only 44 games to reach the milestone.
Ford started and played in 17 games and averaged 13.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. In 15 conference games he ranked second in the NECC in rebounding (9.1 rpg) and eighth in assists (49). His eight double-doubles raised his career total to 58, and during the season he also surpassed the 1,000-rebound milestone for his career.
Ford ends his career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in Mitchell's history. A two-time NECC Player of the Year (2014, 2013) and NECC Rookie of the Year (2012) selection, he finished the regular season as the only active player in Division III men's basketball with career totals of at least 1,700 points and 1,000 boards.
McClean made a huge impact in his first season with the Mariners. He started all 25 games and ranked second on the team in scoring at 18.8 points per contest. In NECC action he ranked sixth in the league in both scoring (18.1 ppg) and field goals (115) and ninth in three-pointers (34). He scored in double digits in 22 games and netted 20 or more points in 12 contests, including three with 30 or more.
Mitchell (12-13 overall) finished fifth in the NECC with a conference mark of 9-7. The Mariners qualified for the 2015 NECC Championship but were eliminated in the first round in an 80-75 loss at Becker College.
2015 New England Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Awards
Player of the Year – Deshawn Hamlet, Southern Vermont College
Rookie of the Year – Daemond Carter, Southern Vermont College
Coach of the Year – Dan Engelstadt, Southern Vermont College
Team Sportsmanship Award – Wheelock College
All-Conference First Team
Jerry Buchanon, Jr., G, Windsor, Conn., Elms College
Joshua Ford, Sr., F, Jersey City, N.J., Mitchell College
Deshawn Hamlet, Jr., F., Hartford, Conn., Southern Vermont College
Parris Hill, Sr., F, Stockton, Calif., Mitchell College
Sam Jean-Gilles, So., F, Melrose, Mass., Regis College
All-Conference Second Team
Scott Dulaire, Jr., F, Bloomfield, Conn., Becker College
Nicholas Fenton, So., G, East Hartford, Conn., Wheelock College
Kenny Lockett, Sr., F, Atlanta, Ga., Elms College
Jeff Tagger, Jr., G, Brockton, Mass., Regis College
Anthony Williams, So., F, White Plains, N.Y., Wheelock College
All-Conference Honorable Mention
Ray Farmer, So., C, Nashua, N.H., Daniel Webster College
Ryan Gauthier, Jr., G, Nashua, N.H., Daniel Webster College
Donavan McClean, Jr., F, Jersey City, N.J., Mitchell College
Dolapo Olugbile, Sr., F, Laurel, Md., Southern Vermont College
Kwame Thompson, Sr., G, Brockton, Mass., Newbury College