NEC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

16. Joel Hernandez

Hernandez is a 6’3 wing from Teaneck, New Jersey who spent his entire playing career at LIU. He actually spent five years with the Blackbirds, as he played just a single game before an injury ended his senior year prematurely. He developed into a major backcourt threat for LIU and was one of the NEC’s best by the end of his playing days.

The role that Hernandez played grew from the beginning, as he was just a bench piece as a freshman before becoming an important part of the offense. As a junior, he averaged 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his first year as a full-time starter. He’d come back with a vengeance after missing that next season and he’d put up 20.5 points and 5.8 rebounds a game that year. That included a career-high 32-point performance in the NEC Tournament title game, as Hernandez led his squad to the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

A solid piece early, that redshirt senior season was the clear breakthrough for Hernandez, who led the NEC in scoring and was named First Team All-NEC. After averaging more than 27 points a game in the NEC Tournament, he was also named Tournament MVP, ending his career on quite a high note. He wasn’t that high-octane offensive player for his entire career, but Hernandez played his role well with the Blackbirds during some successful seasons.