ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) announced its men's basketball major award winners and all-Conference teams for the 2016-17 season on Monday with four Southern Vermont College players collecting honors.
Senior Rayshawn Taylor (Silver Spring, Md.) was voted by league coaches to the All-NECC First Team while classmate Nate Goldsmith (Capitol Heights, Md.) picked up All-NECC Second Team laurels. Junior Mike Pierre (Melrose, N.Y.) made his way onto the All-NECC Third Team, and senior Ervin Cook (Germantown, Md.) represented SVC on the NECC All-sportsmanship Team.
Taylor is collecting All-NECC honors for the first time in his career, and his selection marks the third-straight year that a Southern Vermont player had made his way onto the top squad. Taylor led SVC in scoring with 18.3 points per game, and he was seventh in the league with 16.8 points per game against Conference opponents during the regular season. The senior was also seventh in the NECC in three-point percentage during league contests, shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Earlier in February, he eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark while finishing second on the team in rebounds per game with 5.8.
"I'm really happy for Rayshawn to earn First Team honors," commented fourth-year SVC head coach Dan Engelstad. "He is an elite offensive player, and he continued to make big plays for our team all season. We will all miss his knack for splitting a defense and his clutch shots."
Goldsmith had a great season for Southern Vermont, ranking second in points per game (16.0) and first in rebounds per game (8.2). He was also fourth in the league for three-point percentage against Conference opponents with a 45.0 percent clip, and he tied for third on the team in assists per game with 2.4. Goldsmith was named the NECC Player of the Week one time during the season before finishing his three-year SVC career with 885 total points.
"Nate stepped up for us on both ends of the floor this year," Engelstad said about his senior forward. "Our team needed him on the glass this year, and he delivered. We will miss his ability to push the break, excel in transition, and his big plays that he made for our team."
Pierre transferred to SVC for the spring semester and immediately made an impact for the Mountaineers. He finished the year ranked third on the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game—scoring over 20 points three times since the New Year. He registered the second-best Southern Vermont field goal percentage (50.3), and the junior guard pulled down the fourth-most rebounds per game for the Mountaineers (5.3).
"Mike was a big addition to our team this season and demonstrated that he can become one of the best players in the NECC," Engelstad noted. "He is an elite scorer, a great rebounder at his position, and he has a very high basketball IQ."
Cook had the best season of his career, getting big minutes off the bench while playing a pivotal role in SVC's success. In addition to respecting the game and his opponent, he provided valuable statistics on the scoresheet. The senior finished the year with the third-best three-point percentage among league players against Conference opponents—shooting 46.3 percent from downtown in NECC action. He averaged 12.8 reserve minutes per game throughout the season and scored 6.9 points per appearance during that time on the court.
"Ervin stepped up and was a big play maker for us off the bench this season," said Engelstad. "He worked extremely hard on his game to become a major contributor in his senior campaign. We will miss his work ethic and his quick release from the three-point line."
Coaches from around the NECC nominate their players for the league's major awards and all-Conference teams, and they then vote for each of the accolades before the start of the postseason tournament.
NECC 2016-17 Men's Basketball Major Awards Winners & All-Conference Teams
Coach of the Year: Brian Gorman, Becker
Player of the Year: Samuel Durodola, Becker
Defensive Player of the Year: Conny Ihearahu, Elms
Rookie of the Year: Antonio White Jr., Becker
First Team
Kyle Credle, Becker (Sr., G, Queens, N.Y.)
Samuel Durodola, Becker (Jr., F, Rosedale, N.Y.)
Symon Smith, Elms (Sr., G, Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Rayshawn Taylor, Southern Vermont (Sr., G/F, Silver Spring, Md.)
Nicholas Fenton, Wheelock Sr., G, East Hartford, Conn.)
Second Team
Kareem Davis, Becker (So., G, Lowell, Mass.)
Xeo Golding, Lesley (So., F, Windermere, Fla.)
Devon Mayo, Lesley (Sr., G, Newport News, Va.)
Nate Goldsmith, Southern Vermont (Sr., G/F, Capitol Heights, Md.)
Anthony Williams, Wheelock (Sr., F, White Plains, N.Y.)
Third Team
Conny Ihearahu, Elms (Sr., G/F, Largo, Md.)
Domenico Santiago, Mitchell (So., F/C, Port St. Lucie, Fla.)
Jeduan Langston, Newbury (Jr., G, Roxbury, Mass.)
Chris Leak Jr., Regis (Sr., F, New Haven, Conn.)
Mike Pierre, Southern Vermont (Jr., G, Melrose, N.Y.)
All-sportsmanship Team
Khairi Mosley, Becker (Sr., G, Elizabeth, N.J.)
Keeshaun King, Elms (Jr., G, Jacksonville, Fla.)
Will Cuffee, Lelsey (So., F, Amherst, Mass.)
Mack Bertram-Gregory, Mitchell (Jr., F, Stockton, Conn.)
Dan Horwitz, Newbury (Sr., G, West Hartford, Conn.)
Jaiwon Martin, Regis (Sr., F, Coral Springs, Fla.)
Ervin Cook, Southern Vermont (Sr., G, Germantown, Md.)
Matt Eason, Wheelock (Sr., G, East Hartford, Conn.)
– #LetsGoSVC –