The season is now a month old and trends are forming.
True to form, New England is stacked top to bottom with some of the absolute best Division 3 has to offer.
From veterans who have seen it all to freshmen taking the region by storm, the talent is as good as it has ever been.
These 12 stars across nine teams shined brightest on the court during November.
Timmy Mulvey & Thomas Ferdinando, Babson
Mulvey: Sophomore, 5-11 guard from Reading, Mass.
Fernandino: Freshman, 6-3 guard from Andover, Mass.
Just when you thought Babson might be down and out for a year, the kids have taken over the backcourt and grabbed the season with alacrity. Mulvey, last season’s NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, has improved in every statistical category so far this season. He’s gone from 7.9 to 12.7 points per game, increased his overall shooting percentage from 34.8 to 45.5 percent, and become a true threat from 3, shooting 43.6 percent from deep compared to 29.8 percent last year.
And then there’s Ferdinando. The Gov's product leads the 5-1 Beavers with 16.3 points a game and has yet to have a game scoring under 12 points. He’s cagey on the floor, having yet to accrue more than three fouls in a game. Oh, and he’s shooting 46.3 percent from the field and is 22-of-44 from 3-point range. Have fun, NEWMAC.
Wesley McIntyre, VTSU-Lyndon
Sophomore, 5-11 guard
Hometown: Troy, N.Y.
McIntyre is the top scorer in all of New England and second in the country so far this season, averaging 28 points per game through four contests. He’s scored 25-plus points three times already this season and is doing it the old-school way: inside the arc. He’s shooting a remarkable 56.1 percent from inside so far this season for the Hornets. It's a remarkable jump from a season ago when he only averaged 8.4 points per game. It’s been a rocky 1-3 start for Lyndon but make no mistake, McIntyre makes them a threat every night in the North Atlantic Conference.
Marcus Montanigno & Elijah Kinney, Endicott
Montagnino: Grad student, 6-4 forward from Gloucester, Mass.
Kinney: Junior, 6-7 forward from Nashville, Tenn.
Oh, you thought the Gulls’ duo wouldn’t be here? That must be because you haven’t been to the Post Center this season, and you should change that. Montanigno is the 21st-ranked scorer nationally with his 24 points per game through seven contests this season. Kinney is also a top-50 scorer with at 21.9 points per game, and for good measure, he’s also the sixth-best rebounder in the land (but not the New England leader), averaging 12.6 boards. The pair is both converting on more than 57 percent of their shots and have Endicott grooving heading into a month that features the beginning of the CNE grind and the annual North Shore rivalry game with Salem State.
Joe Thomson, Westfield State
Sophomore, 6-7 guard
Hometown: Sunderland, Mass.
An undefeated November is a sign that the Owls should once again be at the top of the MASCAC race, and Joe Thomson has been a big reason why. The fifth-best rebounder in the country with 13 boards per game, Thomson’s 9.3 points make him a versatile tool up and down the floor in his 27 minutes per game so far this season. The game against Amherst on Dec. 6 will be a great measuring stick for Thomson and the Owls.
James LaFrance, Connecticut College
Sophomore, 6-2 guard
Hometown: Guilford, Conn.
LaFrance will give you nightmares. I saw his first game for the Camels and he dropped 20 points on Emerson in the first half. And that included a pair of threes from Medford and Malden. The transfer from Div. 2 Eckerd College in Florida has been a house afire. He's averaging 19.8 points on 50.7 percent shooting for the 4-1 Camels. His 45.7 percent clip from 3 is good for sixth in New England.
Jalen Jackson, Fitchburg State
Junior, 6-3 guard
Hometown: San Antonio, Tx.
The Falcons ended November 6-1 with their only loss coming to nationally-ranked WPI, and Jackson was a huge reason why. The junior is averaging 23.7 points per game on 54.5 percent shooting. Oh, and he’s averaging 8.3 rebounds and less than two turnovers to lead Fitchburg to more wins already this year than in either of the last two seasons.
Justin Molen & Nathan Bledsoe, WPI
Molen: Junior, 6-7 forward from Newark, Del.
Bledsoe: Junior, 6-2 guard from San Antonio, Tex.
The Engineers are 5-1 and ranked 19th in the country heading into NEWMAC play this week. The junior duo is a huge reason why. Molen has been a stat filler everywhere on the floor. His 17.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game all lead the team. His four blocks and 12 steals are both tied for the team lead.
Bledsoe has had a revival season after a difficult 24-25 campaign. After a strong freshman year off the bench, Bledsoe’s shooting percentages went down last year. This year? Boy, has he been a revelation: 45.2 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from 3 have powered Bledsoe to 16.3 points per game. And he’s been a menace defensively and has lapped his previous seasons on the glass with 5.8 boards. He’s also eighth in the country among all shooters with at least 20 free throw attempts, sporting a 95.5 percent conversion rate.
Cameron Perkins, UMass Boston
Sophomore, 6-5 forward
Hometown: Danbury, Conn.
Perkins blew the doors open this season with a 47-point performance in an OT loss to Salem State. He’s averaging 25.7 points per game (ranked 9th nationally) and 6.1 rebounds for the 2-5 Beacons. He hasn’t scored less than 11 points in a game this season. Four of the team’s losses have been by single digits. With Perkins leading the way, a few tweaks on the floor could thrust the Beacons right into what should be a chaotic Little East race.
Jarrell Okorougo, Trinity
Senior, 6-5 guard/forward
Hometown: Stoneham, Mass.
Okorougo ended November 13 points shy of 1,000 for his and 17 boards shy of 600. One of the region’s most seasoned players, Okorougo has continued right where he left off last year for the national champs: 14 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He's been a consistent presence for a Bantams side that returned nearly all of its championship production from a year ago. His best game this season so far was a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double at Yeshiva.
