Busting Brackets
Fansided

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

By Joey Loose

Mar 16, 2022; Dayton, Ohio, USA; Bryant University Bulldogs guard Peter Kiss (32) drives down the court defended by Wright State Raiders guard Tim Finke (24) in the second half at University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2022; Dayton, Ohio, USA; Bryant University Bulldogs guard Peter Kiss (32) drives down the court defended by Wright State Raiders guard Tim Finke (24) in the second half at University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
21 of 26
Next
NEC Basketball Isaiah Blackmon #11 of the St. Francis Red Flash (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
NEC Basketball Isaiah Blackmon #11 of the St. Francis Red Flash (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

6. Isaiah Blackmon

There have been some talented players at Saint Francis (PA) in recent years and Blackmon certainly fits in well. A 6’1 wing originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, he arrived in Pennsylvania in 2015 and would help the Red Flash win a bunch of games over the next half-decade. An injury forced him to miss nearly his entire junior season, meaning his career was ended by the pandemic in 2020.

Blackmon’s role grew as time went on, though he was already averaging 13.7 points a game in his sophomore season, shooting a remarkable 50% from outside the arc. After returning from injury as a redshirt junior, he helped lead the Red Flash to the NEC regular season title and put up 21 points against Indiana in the NIT. His final year at St. Francis was by far his most successful, averaging 18.8 points and 5.3 rebounds, leading the Red Flash to a 22-win campaign.

An underrated guard early in his career, Blackmon earned his dues by winning NEC Player of the Year in that redshirt senior season. He developed into one of the league’s top scorers and had great shooting numbers throughout his career from all over the court. The Red Storm were at or above .500 in all five of his seasons on campus; a trend that stopped immediately after his departure. Blackmon was an impressive force on the court and a winner for this program.