Photo by: Greg Vasil
Trio of Pioneers Earn All-NEC Honors
3/5/2024 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SHU brings in most All-NEC honors since 2019
BRIDGEWATER, N.J.—Ahead of the 2024 Northeast Conference Tournament, the NEC has announced its major award winners and All-NEC teams. The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team had three players named to All-NEC teams, the most for the Pioneers since placing five in the 2019 season.
Nico Galette and Alex Sobel earned a spot on the second team, and Joey Reilly was named to the third team for the second straight season. Galette earns his second All-NEC postseason honor after his first team selection last year. Galette and Reilly were named to the All-NEC preseason team ahead of this season.
Galette is the team leader in scoring, averaging 13.7 per game. He is second on the team in rebounds with 7.2 rebounds per game. In the conference ranks, Galette is eighth in the league in scoring, fifth in rebounds, and second in defensive rebounds with 5.6 per game. The Rahway, N.J. native has scored 20 or more points in eight games this season while matching his career-high with 27 points against New Hampshire on November 30. He has recorded a team-leading six double-doubles and brought down a season-high 17 boards against FDU on January 27. The senior guard is the team leader in steals with 1.9 per game, where he ranks third in the league and is second on the team in assists at 2.0.
Sobel is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game, and is the team leader in rebounds, averaging 7.3 per game. The senior forward has the best field-goal percentage in the conference at .598 and is fifth in the league in rebounding. Throughout the season, Sobel has been ranked nationally in blocks and blocks per game, getting as high as third in the nation. He currently is the league leader and is fifth in the nation in blocks with 84 on the season, averaging 2.8 per game. Sobel has recorded a team-leading six double-doubles, including back-to-back to end the regular season. He scored a SHU career-high 23 points against UAlbany on December 19 and tallied a SHU career-high 17 rebounds against Mercy on December 30.
Reilly finishes the regular season as the third-leading scorer on the team with 11.4 points per game. A threat from three-point range, the Cromwell, Conn. native has a top three-point field goal percentage in the NEC at .405. He also ranks sixth in the conference in field-goal percentage at .514. Reilly has scored 20 or more points in five games this season including a stretch of three in a row, leading SHU to three straight wins in conference play. Reilly's season high is 23 points, which he has hit three times.
The Pioneers finished the regular season with a 10-6 record, its best conference record since 2019-20, securing the third seed in the NEC Tournament, their best seeding in the NEC Tournament since also taking the third seed in the 2020-21 season. SHU has finished in the top four in the NEC in five of the last six seasons.
Sacred Heart will welcome the sixth-seeded, Wagner for an NEC quarterfinal on Wednesday, March 6, in the William H. Pitt Center at 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com
Nico Galette and Alex Sobel earned a spot on the second team, and Joey Reilly was named to the third team for the second straight season. Galette earns his second All-NEC postseason honor after his first team selection last year. Galette and Reilly were named to the All-NEC preseason team ahead of this season.
Galette is the team leader in scoring, averaging 13.7 per game. He is second on the team in rebounds with 7.2 rebounds per game. In the conference ranks, Galette is eighth in the league in scoring, fifth in rebounds, and second in defensive rebounds with 5.6 per game. The Rahway, N.J. native has scored 20 or more points in eight games this season while matching his career-high with 27 points against New Hampshire on November 30. He has recorded a team-leading six double-doubles and brought down a season-high 17 boards against FDU on January 27. The senior guard is the team leader in steals with 1.9 per game, where he ranks third in the league and is second on the team in assists at 2.0.
Sobel is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game, and is the team leader in rebounds, averaging 7.3 per game. The senior forward has the best field-goal percentage in the conference at .598 and is fifth in the league in rebounding. Throughout the season, Sobel has been ranked nationally in blocks and blocks per game, getting as high as third in the nation. He currently is the league leader and is fifth in the nation in blocks with 84 on the season, averaging 2.8 per game. Sobel has recorded a team-leading six double-doubles, including back-to-back to end the regular season. He scored a SHU career-high 23 points against UAlbany on December 19 and tallied a SHU career-high 17 rebounds against Mercy on December 30.
Reilly finishes the regular season as the third-leading scorer on the team with 11.4 points per game. A threat from three-point range, the Cromwell, Conn. native has a top three-point field goal percentage in the NEC at .405. He also ranks sixth in the conference in field-goal percentage at .514. Reilly has scored 20 or more points in five games this season including a stretch of three in a row, leading SHU to three straight wins in conference play. Reilly's season high is 23 points, which he has hit three times.
The Pioneers finished the regular season with a 10-6 record, its best conference record since 2019-20, securing the third seed in the NEC Tournament, their best seeding in the NEC Tournament since also taking the third seed in the 2020-21 season. SHU has finished in the top four in the NEC in five of the last six seasons.
Sacred Heart will welcome the sixth-seeded, Wagner for an NEC quarterfinal on Wednesday, March 6, in the William H. Pitt Center at 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com
Players Mentioned
Monday, December 15
Monday, December 15
Wednesday, October 29
Wednesday, October 15
