James Williams and Jaytornah Wisseh Earn NEC Postseason Honors

2/28/07 -- Long Island senior James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) and freshman Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, N.Y.) both earned Northeast Conference men’s basketball postseason honors in a vote conducted by league head coaches it was announced on Wednesday. Williams was named Second Team All-NEC, while Wisseh was named to the NEC All-Rookie Team. The honorees were announced on the eve of the 2007 NEC Basketball Tournament, which begins on Thursday with quarterfinal play at four campus sites.

Williams capped his celebrated career with all-NEC honors for the third time. A 5-foot-10 guard, Williams ranks sixth in the NEC in scoring at 16.2 ppg and fourth in free throw percentage (.841) and three-pointers (2.6/game). Williams moved up to fourth on the career scoring charts at LIU with 1,710 points and is the all-time leader in three-point field goals with 277. He also ranks third in conference history in three-pointers made and 17th in scoring. A First Team All-NEC pick a year ago and the NEC Rookie of the Year in 2003-04, Williams was a four-year starter for the Blackbirds.

Wisseh blossomed into a starter for the Blackbirds late in the season. He led the Blackbirds with 87 assists (3.0 per game) and averaged 8.7 ppg. Wisseh was named the Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 5 after scoring a career-high 29 points at Sacred Heart, which was the most by an NEC freshman since St. Francis (N.Y.)’s John Quintana scored 31 on Feb. 22, 2003.

Central Connecticut State senior Javier Mojica was named the NEC Player of the Year, while Monmouth’s Jhamar Youngblood was the NEC Rookie of the Year. CCSU junior Tristant Blackwood and Mount St. Mary’s senior Mychal Kearse were voted NEC Co-Defensive Players of the Year. Howie Dickenman of CCSU was awarded the Jim Phelan Coach of the Year award for the second straight season.

LIU missed the NEC Tournament and finished its season with a 10-19 mark overall and 6-12 in conference play.