Freshman men’s basketball player Eli Wilborn has been named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer for the week of Jan. 22-27. The rookie big man from Middletown, Connecticut earned Prime Performer recognition from the league for the fifth time this season.
He has also been named the NEC Rookie-of-the-Week four times.
“My highlight of the season has been getting Rookie-of-the-Week consistently and having all the work I have put in be able to show (for the fans),” said Wilborn.
The 6-8 forward averaged 16.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for the Red Flash last week in a split of home games against Sacred Heart (W) and Quinnipiac (L). The freshman posted 13 points and seven rebounds in a 75-71 win against the Pioneers on Jan. 25.
He matched his career high in scoring with 19 points in the loss to Quinnipiac on Jan. 27 and set a new career-high with 16 rebounds against the Warriors.
“Determination” is the first word that SFU head coach Rob Krimmel used to describe his first-year big man.
“It’s great to have someone who can impact the game not only on offense, but also on the defensive side of the ball as well,” said Krimmel.
Wilborn’s 16 rebounds against Quinnipiac are the second most by an NEC player this season and the second most by a freshman since Krimmel became head coach in 2012.
On the season, Wilborn is averaging 10.0 ppg and an NEC-leading 7.5 rpg.
He has scored in double figures in five straight games, including seven of his team’s eight league match-ups. His 19-point, 16-rebound performance versus the Warriors was his seventh double-double of the season.
While the individual accolades have been nice, Wilborn said that his team’s success is all that matters to him.
“This is a team that will never quit and will always play to the end,” he said.
The Red Flash entered this week’s games at Central Connecticut (Feb. 1) and LIU (Feb. 3) with a 7-14 overall record and a 2-6 mark in NEC action.
“The chemistry is great on the court,” said Wilborn about his team, which last week became the first Division I program in the country to start five freshmen in 2023-24.
There are no seniors on this year’s Red Flash roster.
“We know that we might mess something up, but we also know it’s just in the heat of the moment,” said Wilborn.
Both of this week’s games at CCSU and LIU tip off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on NECFrontRow
