Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year


The Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual award given to the Northeast Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1982–83 season, when the league was known as the ECAC Metro Conference.
The most well-recognized NEC Player of the Year is Marist's Rik Smits, who won the award in both 1987 and 1988. Smits went on to have a successful National Basketball Association career for 12 seasons, all with the Indiana Pacers. In 1998, Smits was named an Eastern Conference All-Star. In 2021–22, Alex Morales of Wagner became just the fourth NEC player to be named player of the year for two consecutive seasons, and the first since Charles Jones of Long Island University in 1997 and 1998.
LIU has the most winners with eight, all of whom represented Long Island University's Brooklyn campus before the school merged the athletic programs of its Brooklyn and Post campuses in July 2019. Robert Morris, which left the NEC for the Horizon League in 2020, is tied for second with current member Central Connecticut with six. All charter members of the Northeast Conference that are still members have had at least one winner.

Winners

SeasonPlayerSchoolPositionClassReference
1982–83MaristSG
1983–84†Robert MorrisSG
1983–84†St. Francis (NY)F
1983–84†Long IslandPF
1984–85 Long IslandPF
1985–86WagnerSG
1986–87MaristC
1987–88 MaristC
1988–89Robert MorrisG
1989–90Fairleigh DickinsonF
1990–91Saint Francis (PA)PG
1991–92Robert MorrisSG
1992–93RiderSG
1993–94MaristSF
1994–95Long IslandPF
1995–96Mount St. Mary'sPG
1996–97Long IslandPG / SG
1997–98 Long IslandPG / SG
1998–99St. Francis (NY)PG
1999–00Central ConnecticutSG
2000–01MonmouthPG
2001–02Central ConnecticutF
2002–03WagnerSF
2003–04Central ConnecticutF
2004–05MonmouthPF
2005–06Fairleigh DickinsonSG
2006–07Central ConnecticutSG / PG
2007–08Robert MorrisPG
2008–09Robert MorrisSG
2009–10QuinnipiacPF
2010–11Central ConnecticutSF
2011–12Long IslandPF
2012–13Long IslandPF
2013–14Robert MorrisSG
2014–15St. Francis BrooklynPF
2015–16Sacred HeartSG
2016–17Long IslandSF
2017–18Mount St. Mary'sPG
2018–19Saint Francis (PA)PG
2019–20Saint Francis (PA)PG
2020–21WagnerSG
2021–22 WagnerSG
2022–23Saint Francis (PA)PF
2022–23MerrimackPF
2023–24MerrimackG
2024–25Central ConnecticutG