Feb. 26, 2006
BEVERLY, MA - Junior forward Nemanja Marinkovic (Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro/Second Baptist School, TX) and senior co-captain Matt George (Dover, NH/Dover) were named Commonwealth Coast Conference All-Stars on the same day they captured the conference title for the third straight season.
Marinkovic was a first-team CCC selection while George was named to the CCC second team. Colby-Sawyer senior forward Andrew St. Clair was the conference Most Valuable Player as well as the Senior Scholar Athlete while Todd Doyle of Wentworth captured Rookie of the Year honors and Gordon's Mike Schauer took home Coach of the Year.
Marinkovic and George became the eighth and ninth Endicott players to join the 1,000-point club this season. Gulls' head coach Chris Millette described George as one of the toughest players to defend in New England. His ability to beat you inside and score from outside makes him an all-star. George is one of the top ballhandlers in the CCC as well.
"These honors cap a terrific season for these players," said Millette, who became the first men's basketball coach to win a conference title in his first season. These guys, along with Zach Ellis (Westford, MA/Westford), have been integral members of this program for a long time."
George is leading the team in steals (1.73), assists (3.86) and assists to turnover ratio (1.10). All three of those stats are among the best in the CCC as well while Marinkovic is at the tops of CCC in points per game (14.1) and rebounding (8.6)
George is peaking at the right time. He came into the playoffs averaging 12.9 points per game and in the three postseason contests managed to increase his season output to 14.0. George scored 23.7 points per game in the CCC playoffs and was the only Endicott men's basketball player to be named the Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Week this season.
Marinkovic was no slouch in the playoffs either. The 6-foot-4 junior averaged a double-double during the playoffs (13.3 ppg; 10.0 rebounds) and dished out eight assists in three games.
The Gulls qualified for the NCAA Division III National Tournament. They will find out who they play Monday morning at 8:00 AM. The pairings will be available at www.ncaasports.com and www.D3Hoops.com.
