March 9, 2009 | Atlantic 10 Website

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Saint Joseph’s senior forward Ahmad Nivins has been named the 2008-09 Atlantic 10 men’s basketball Player of the Year in voting conducted among the Conference’s 14 head coaches.

The A-10 coaches also selected Andrew Nicholson of St. Bonaventure as the Rookie of the Year, Duquesne’s Aaron Jackson as the Chris Daniels Award recipient as the league’s most improved player, Delroy James of Rhode Island as Sixth Man of the Year, Massachusetts’ Tony Gaffney as Defensive Player of the Year and Rhode Island’s Jim Baron as Coach of the Year. In addition, Kevin Lisch of Saint Louis was tabbed Student-Athlete of the Year in voting among the league’s sports information directors.

Ahmad Nivins – Saint Joseph’s Hawks (F)

Nivins enters this week’s Atlantic 10 Championship (Mar. 11-14) in Atlantic City tied with Temple’s Dionte Christmas for the scoring lead with an average of 19.2 ppg. A third-team selection a year ago, the 6-9 forward from Jersey City, N.J., leads the Conference in rebounding (11.7 rpg.), minutes (39.43 mpg.) and double-doubles (20), while his league-best .625 shooting percentage (193-of-309) puts him on pace to join former George Washington standout Alexander Koul (1995-97) as the only players in A-10 history to lead the league in field goal percentage three consecutive years. A member of the All-Defensive Team, Nivins is the fourth player in SJU annals to earn the league’s Player of the Year honor and first since sharpshooter Pat Carroll in 2004-05.

A five-time Player of the Week selection this season, Nivins is joined on the All- Conference first-team by Christmas, Jimmy Baron of Rhode Island, Aaron Jackson of Duquesne and Xavier’s B.J. Raymond. Christmas is vying to become the league’s first-ever three-time scoring champion, while James is the first Duquesne player to garner first-team distinction since Mike James in 1997-98. The All-Conference second-team consists of Gaffney, Richmond’s Kevin Anderson, Derrick Brown of Xavier, Rodney Green of La Salle and Dayton’s Chris Wright. The third-team includes Lisch, Lavoy Allen of Temple, Massachusetts’ Ricky Harris, Lamont Mack of Charlotte and Rhode Island’s Kahiem Seawright.

Xavier’s C.J. Anderson, David Gonzalvez of Richmond, Dayton’s Marcus Johnson, Chris Lowe of UMass, and Damian Saunders of Duquesne earned honorable mention acclaim.

A program-record six-time A-10 Rookie of the Week selection, Nicholson enters this week’s A-10 Championship as the top freshman nationally in both blocked shots (79) and field goal percentage (.607 – 150-of-246). The Mississauga, Ontario, native is tied for second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg.) and third in rebounding (6.0 rpg.) and scored in double figures in 20 of the Bonnies’ 29 contests. The 6-9 forward is the first SBU freshman to garner Rookie of the Year honors since Alvin Lott in 1983-84.

Nicholson is joined on the All-Rookie team by Melquan Bolding of Duquesne, Fordham’s Jio Fontan, Dayton’s Chris Johnson and Kwamain Mitchell of Saint Louis.

With 113 blocks and 59 steals entering Massachusetts’ opening round contest versus Duquesne on Mar. 11, Gaffney is the first player nationally since Shelden Williams (Duke, 2005-06) to register 100 blocks and 50 steals in a season. The senior forward leads the A-10 in blocks (3.90 bpg.), ranks second in rebounding (10.2 rpg.) and steals (2.03 spg.) and pulled down at least 10 rebounds in 18 of the Minutemen’s 29 games.

The All-Defensive team is comprised of Gaffney, Allen, Nivins, Dayton’s London Warren and Garrett Williamson of Saint Joseph’s.

Jackson was tabbed the Atlantic 10’s Chris Daniels Award, presented to the Conference’s most improved player. A year ago, the Hartford, Conn., resident averaged nine points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. This season, the senior guard has blossomed into one of the most complete players in the Conference, ranking in the top five of the league in scoring (third – 18.3 ppg.), assists (third – 5.79 apg.), field goal percentage (fourth – .543) and steals (fifth – 1.72 spg.). The versatile James has provided a spark off the bench for the Rams as a junior, averaging 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in just 24.2 minutes per game. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native ranks third on the team in assists (65) and has a pair of 20-point performances to his credit.

A two-time Academic All-Conference selection, Lisch is averaging a team-leading 14.2 points and also leads the Billikens in three-pointers (69) and steals (37) en route to earning All-Conference honors for the second consecutive year. In the classroom, the Belleville, Ill., resident boasts a 3.48 grade point average while majoring in Business Administration. He was named to the 2008-09 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-America third-team.

Joining Lisch on the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Team is Baron, Massachusetts’ Luke Bonner, Jason Duty of Duquesne and La Salle’s Yves Mekongo Mbala.

Selected by the league’s head coaches and media to finish ninth in the A-10 preseason poll, Baron led Rhode Island to an 11-5 league mark and 22-9 overall record. URI enters the Championship as the second seed and boasts the league’s highest scoring offense, averaging 80.1 ppg. The only coach in league history to earn A-10 Coach of the Year honors at two different schools, Baron was tabbed as the Conference’s Coach of the Year in 1995 while at St. Bonaventure and at Rhode Island in both 2003 and 2007. In eight seasons at URI, Baron is 130-116 (.528) and 336-318 overall (.514).

2008-09 ATLANTIC 10 MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS First-Team School Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown PPG RPG Asts Stls Blks

First-Team

Jimmy Baron Rhode Island Sr. G. 6-3 East Grennwich, R.I. 16.8 2.7 60 22 2
Dionte Christmas Temple Sr. G 6-5 Philadelphia, Pa. 19.2 6.1 88 41 5
Aaron Jackson Duquesne Sr. G 6-4 Hartford, Conn. 18.3 5.7 168 50 3
Ahmad Nivins Saint Joseph’s Sr. F 6-9 Jersey City, N.J.     19.2 11.7 32 19 55
B.J. Raymond Xavier Sr. G/F 6-6 Toledo, Ohio 13.8 4.2 46 17 12 

Second-Team

Kevin Anderson Richmond So. G 5-11 Duluth, Ga. 16.2 2.9 82 44 2
Derrick Brown Xavier Jr. F 6-8 Dayton, Ohio 13.8 6.1 61 21 28
Tony Gaffney Massachusetts Sr. F 6-8 Berkley, Mass. 11.5 10.2 49 59 113
Rodney Green La Salle Jr. G 6-5 Philadelphia, Pa. 17.6 4.9 105 56 5
Chris Wright Dayton So. F 6-8 Trotwood, Ohio 13.1 6.5 29 28 37  

Third-Team

Lavoy Allen Temple So. F 6-9 Morrisville, Pa. 11.1 8.6 62 13 48
Ricky Harris Massachusetts Jr. G 6-2 Baltimore, Md. 18.2 2.9 44 37 5
Kevin Lisch Saint Louis Sr. G 6-2 Belleville, Ill. 14.2 3.4 75 37 1
Lamont Mack Charlotte Sr. F 6-7 Chicago, Ill. 15.1 5.6 27 24 10
Kahiem Seawright Rhode Island Sr. F 6-8 Uniondale, N.Y. 13.8 7.4 68 25 31

Honorable Mention

C.J. Anderson Xavier Sr. G/F 6-6 Cincinnati, Ohio 10.2 5.6 68 19 17
David Gonzalvez Richmond Jr. G 6-4 Marietta, Ga. 15.6 4.6 59 39 14
Marcus Johnson Dayton Jr. G 6-3 Cleveland, Ohio 12.1 3.2 50 26 15
Chris Lowe Massachusetts Sr. G 6-0 Mount Vernon, N.Y. 12.1 3.0 190 22 2
Damian Saunders Duquesne So. F 6-7 Waterbury, Conn. 13.3 7.9 66 66 66 

Rookie Team

Melquan Bolding Duquesne Fr. G/F 6-4 Mount Vernon, N.Y. 9.0 4.1 34 28 6
Jio Fontan Fordham Fr. G 5-11 Patterson, N.J. 15.3 2.7 132 33 3
Chris Johnson Dayton Fr. G/F 6-5 Columbus, Ohio 6.5 5.4 18 17 5
Kwamain Mitchell Saint Louis Fr. G 5-10 Milwaukee, Wis. 10.0 3.2 106 35 1
Andrew Nicholson St. Bonaventure Fr. F 6-9 Mississauga, Ontario 12.5 6.0 7 79 16 

Defensive Team

Lavoy Allen Temple So. F 6-9 Morrisville, Pa. 11.1 8.6 62 13 48
Tony Gaffney Massachusetts Sr. F 6-8 Berkley, Mass. 11.5 10.2 49 59 113
Ahmad Nivins Saint Joseph’s Sr. F 6-9 Jersey City, N.J.     19.2 11.7 32 19 55
London Warren Dayton Jr. G 6-0 Jacksonville, Fla. 4.2 2.7 126 48 4
Garrett Williamson Saint Joseph’s Jr. G 6-5 Lower Merion, Pa. 5.9 3.7 135 43 36

Academic Team

Jimmy Baron Rhode Island Sr. G 6-3 East Greenwich, R.I. Communication Studies
Luke Bonner Massachusetts Gr. C 7-1 Concord, N.H. Sports Management
Jason Duty Duquesne Jr. G 6-1 Cranberry Township, Pa. Accounting
Kevin Lisch Saint Louis Sr. G 6-2 Belleville, Ill. Business Administration
Yves Mekongo Mbala La Salle Jr. F 6-7 Elizabeth, N.J. Integrated Science & Business Technology

Player of the Year: Ahmad Nivins, Saint Joseph’s

Rookie of the Year: Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

Defensive Player of the Year: Tony Gaffney, Massachusetts

Chris Daniels Most Improved Player of the Year: Aaron Jackson, Duquesne

Sixth Man of the Year: Delroy James, Rhode Island

Student-Athlete of the Year: Kevin Lisch, Saint Louis

Coach of the Year: Jim Baron, Rhode Island

From the Explorers’ Website:
PHILADELPHIA, PA – La Salle University men’s basketball junior Yves Mekongo Mbala (Elizabeth, NJ/St. Patrick’s) has been named to the ESPN the Magazine/CO-SIDA Academic All America Team.

Mekongo Mbala is just one of 15 players in America to be named to one of the three teams.  A second team selection, Mekongo Mbala boasts the highest grade point average of the five players on the second team and only four of the players on the first team have a higher GPA.

Until suffering a hand injury that has kept him out of the last five games Mekongo Mbala had posted a team high streak of 60 consecutive starts.  At the time of his injury he was, and remains, the team’s leading rebounder (6.4 rpg) as well as its third-leading scorer with 11.1 points per game.

Mekongo Mbala, a major in Integrated Science, Business & Technology, is one of just three underclassmen named on all three teams.

He becomes the fourth Explorer men’s basketball player to be named Academic All-American since Jack Hurd earned the nod in 1992.  The other Explorers to earn the honor are ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler (1988) and current Philadelphia 76′ers head coach Tony DiLeo (1977).

January 28, 2009 | AP Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Yves Mekongo Mbala scored 22 of his career-high 26 points in the first half, Rodney Green had 20 points and eight assists, and La Salle won its third straight game, 76-66 over George Washington on Wednesday night.

Ruben Guillandeaux scored 14 points, Paul Johnson had 13 and Vernon Goodridge grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds for the Explorers (12-7, 3-2 Atlantic 10).

Mbala’s 22 points at halftime is the most by a La Salle player since Steve Smith scored 23 in the first half of an 84-63 loss at Cincinnati on Dec. 22, 2004. Smith finished that game with 35 points.

Noel Wilmore scored 16 points, Rob Diggs 11 and Travis King 10 for the Colonials (6-12, 0-6), who lost their 10th in a row. George Washington hasn’t won since Dec. 23, a 59-47 victory at Sacramento State.

George Washington also matched its longest losing streak since the 2001-02 season and remains the only team without a victory in the 14-team conference.

La Salle trailed 58-57 after a 3-pointer by Wilmore with 5:57 remaining. But the Explorers went on a 7-0 run — 3-pointers by Guillandeaux and Green and a free throw by Goodridge — to take a 64-58 lead with 3:34 left.

George Washington never got closer than four points the rest of the way.

January 21, 2009 | AP Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Rodney Green scored 20 of his career-high 26 points in the second half to lead La Salle past Penn, 79-70, on Wednesday.

Yves Mekongo Mbala added 13 and Paul Johnson had 12 for the Explorers (10-7).

Tyler Bernardini scored 23 points while Zack Rosen and Harrison Gaines added 10 apiece for the Quakers (4-9), who fell to 0-3 in the Big Five and lost for the first time at Tom Gola Arena since Dec. 7, 1999. Penn had won three straight at La Salle’s on-campus arena.

La Salle led 31-17 at halftime and held a double-digit advantage for most of the second half.

Penn trailed 57-45 with 6:55 remaining before its bench was whistled for a technical foul. The Quakers then scored six straight to get within 58-51 on a 3-pointer by Rosen with 5:48 left. But they never got closer than eight the rest of the game.

January 18, 2009 | AP Press

CINCINNATI, OH – B.J. Raymond scored 16 points, hitting long shots over La Salle’s zone defense, and No. 16 Xavier relied on its offensive balance to beat the Explorers 73-53 on Sunday and remain unbeaten atop the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Xavier (15-2, 4-0) has won six in a row since a home-court loss to Butler on Dec. 23, with its freshmen blending in better as the season goes along.

La Salle (9-7, 1-2) was coming off a 68-61 win over Charlotte on Wednesday that moved the Explorers three games over .500 for the first time in two years. They never led against Xavier, which squeezed the momentum out of La Salle in the first half with its halfcourt defense.

Yves Mekongo Mbala and Rodney Green led La Salle with 15 points apiece.

Xavier showed offensive balance against La Salle’s zone defense, getting the ball inside for easy baskets and going 8-of-17 from behind the 3-point arc. Raymond went 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Derrick Brown added 15 points, slicing inside the zone defense with acrobatic moves.

The main problem for Xavier: free throws. Xavier went only 19-of-36 from the line, allowing La Salle to hang in after falling behind by 22 early in the second half.

The Musketeers set the tone defensively on the first possession of the game, forcing a shot clock violation. Ruben Guillandeaux was dribbling beyond the arc when the clock ran out.

Xavier took control with a 12-1 run in the first half that featured a four-point play by Terrell Holloway — Green slammed into him after his on-target shot from beyond the arc — and acrobatic baskets by Brown, who used his quickness to get inside La Salle’s zone defense. Brown had a putback, a turnaround bank shot and a lay-in after he drove the baseline and made a 360-degree spin move to get free.

The Musketeers led by as many as 19 in the first half and were up 39-22 at the break, matching La Salle’s lowest-scoring half of the season. The Explorers had more turnovers (10) than field goals (9) in the half.

Raymond hit a pair of 3s early in the second half that helped Xavier extend the lead to 22 points. La Salle never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.

Green, the Explorers’ leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, picked up his fourth foul with 17:42 to go.

January 14, 2009 | AP Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ruben Guillandeaux scored 14 points and LaSalle defeated Charlotte 68-61 on Monday in Atlantic 10 action.

Terrell Williams had 10 points and 11 rebounds for LaSalle (9-6, 1-1), which outrebounded Charlotte 50-25.

Rodney Green and Yves Mekongo Mbala added 11 points each and LaSalle scored 27 second-chance points to Charlotte’s five. It was LaSalle’s first victory against Charlotte in five tries since the 49ers (5-10, 0-2) joined the conference. The Explorers have won four out of their last five.

Lamont Mack had 23 points, Charlie Coley added 11 and Phil Jones chipped in 10 points for the 49ers, who lost their fourth straight.

Charlotte was 4 of 21 from 3-point range, and, despite the descrepency in rebounding, took a 51-50 lead on a 3-pointer from Phil Jones with 6 minutes left.

December 17, 2008 | AP Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Rodney Green scored 19 points to lead La Salle to a 92-75 victory over Rider on Wednesday night.

Green added eight rebounds and eight assists for the Explorers (5-4), who never trailed and led by double figures the entire second half. Kimmani Barrett had 16 points, Ruben Guillandeaux 13 and Yves Mekongo Mbala 10 for La Salle.

Ryan Thompson paced four Rider players in double figures with 19 points. Mike Ringgold added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Broncs (5-3), who never got closer than 11 points in the second half. Novar Gadson had 14 points and Matt Griffin added 11 for Rider, which was outrebounded 46-31.

La Salle opened an early lead and led by double digits in the first half before the Broncs went on a 10-3 run and cut the deficit to 31-27 with 4:09 left. But a dunk by Paul Johnson started a 10-0 run and La Salle pushed its advantage to 41-27 with 2:42 left. The Explorers carried a 44-34 lead into halftime.

La Salle scored nine of the first 11 points of the second half, capped by a 3-pointer from the right wing by Barrett, to take a 53-36 lead with 18:17 left.

La Salle extended its advantage to as many as 21 points in the second half

December 6, 2008 | AP Press

WEST HARTFORD, CONN.– Five La Salle players scored in double figures, including three with 14 points each, as the Explorers defeated Hartford 70-64 on Saturday.

Kimmani Barrett, Rodney Green and Ruben Guillandreaux each had 14 for La Salle (4-3), which extended its winning streak to three games.

Yves Mekongo Mbala added 11, and Vernon Goodridge had 10 for the Explorers.

Morgan Sabia with Jaret von Rosenberg paced Hartford (3-6) with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Joe Zeglinski added 12 for the Hawks.

November 24, 2008 | AP Press

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands — Jerrell Williams scored 19 points, Yves Mekongo Mbala had 17 points and La Salle needed overtime to beat Valparaiso 75-70 on Monday at the Paradise Jam.

The Explorers, coming off a 76-72 overtime loss to Southern Mississippi in the tournament’s second round, took seventh place in the eight-team tournament here.

Kimmani Barrett scored 16 points for La Salle, which shot 38.8 percent for the game but dominated overtime with 75 percent shooting.

Valpo was led by De’Andre Haskins, who had a game-high 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field, and Benjamin Fumey added 17 points and seven rebounds.

Valparaiso had a 28-20 advantage in points in the paint, but sent La Salle to the free throw line 43 times, where the Explorers picked up 30 points.

The two teams last faced each other in 1958.

November 21, 2008 | AP Press

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands — Kemba Walker scored 23 points and Jeff Adrien added 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead No. 2 Connecticut to a hard-fought 89-81 victory over La Salle on Friday in the Paradise Jam.

The Huskies trailed in the early minutes, but were up 46-40 at halftime under the leadership of guard A.J. Price. They never trailed in the second half, leading by as many as 10 points.

Connecticut shot 54.7 percent from the field, scoring 40 of its points in the paint.

But the Explorers ran the Huskies ragged, scoring 12 points on fast breaks.

Rodney Green had a game-high 25 points for La Salle. Ruben Guillandeaux and Yves Mekongo Mbala each had 13 points.

Both teams struggled with 3-pointers. The Huskies attempted 10 shots from behind the arc, making two, while the Explorers (1-2) tried 13 and hit four.

The Huskies (3-0) will take on Miami (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) in the second round on Sunday. La Salle will play Southern Mississippi.