NEW BRITAIN — Despite losing the top six players from last year’s team that won the Northeast Conference men’s basketball regular season championship for the second time in a row, Central Connecticut coach Patrick Sellers is confident the Blue Devils can be even better.
Connecticut
‘We were champions’: How Patrick Sellers has rebuilt Central Connecticut State men’s basketball
Head coach Patrick Sellers of the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils looks on during a college basketball game against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils at Amica Mutual Pavilion on November 4, 2024 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
After his last two teams became the first in program history to win 20 games or more in back-to-back seasons, Sellers believes this year’s team can extend the streak to three and do something the last two didn’t: win the conference tournament to advance to the NCCA Tournament for the first time since 2007.
Article continues below this ad
That would be quite a feat considering that the six guys who averaged the most minutes last season and were among the team’s top seven scorers, all either graduated or cashed in on their success by using the transfer portal to sign lucrative NIL deals elsewhere.
It took Sellers and his coaching staff until the third week of the summer session to find enough guys to finalize this season’s roster, and they did so with 10 new players.
“Once we got the roster together, we told them we won 20 games, we were champions and this is the way we view ourselves now. That is our standard,” Sellers said. “You have to hold yourselves accountable as a player-coached team. You have to follow your veterans.
Article continues below this ad
“The goal is to get 20, win the conference championship and win the conference tournament which we haven’t done yet. Can this team do it? I think we have a good chance if we defend and rebound. The jury is still out on that.”
There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding this team, but Sellers likes the Blue Devils’ makeup because of the solid foundation provided by talented returning players 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Darin Smith Jr., 6-9 junior forward Max Frazier and 6-3 senior guard Jay Rodgers.
They’re trying to fill the void left by the graduation of last year’s leading scorer and NEC Conference Player of the Year Jordan Jones and other losses.
Second-leading scorer and rebounder, Devin Haid, who led the team in steals was lured away to South Florida by a $250,000 NIL payday. And Abdul Momoh, who led the team in rebounding and field goal percentage, earned himself $150,000 by going to Illinois-Chicago through the transfer portal.
Article continues below this ad
Those players left the team not only with Sellers’ blessing, but with his help. Part of his recruiting pitch to players is that if they play great for the Blue Devils for two years with a chance to win a championship, they will have an opportunity to get signed out of the portal by higher-level teams and likely make big money. Central doesn’t have NIL to give players.
“Our guy Darin Smith is probably looking at $500,000-plus next year if he does what I think he can this year,” Sellers said. “We are going to help him find the right spot to go next year.
“When guys put their name in the portal, a lot of coaches tell them to pack their stuff and don’t come around. I am the total opposite. I want everybody to keep working out with us. You helped us win a championship. It is going to help our postseason workouts having you be with us, and then you go to your new school and get paid. It is a win-win for everybody.”
Smith redshirted his freshman year behind three very talented players and then showed real promise last year averaging 6.8 points and shooting 51.7% from the field, including 46.3% from 3-point range.
Article continues below this ad
“He is a versatile player with a hunger to score and the ability to put the ball in the hoop,” Sellers said. “He has a really soft touch around the rim so the ball seems to trickle in for him all the time. He is also a much-improved defender.”
Sellers said that Frazier was one of the more talented guys on last year’s team. Despite being in his third year of basketball this year, he’s still one of the youngest guys on the team and is ready to blossom.
“He is a super talented guy, and this is going to be the first time he is going to be counted on every day to bring it and show leadership,” Sellers said. “We believe he is prepared for it. He is an athletic pogo stick and rebounder. I think he is ready to explode onto the scene, and people are going to be like, ‘Who is this kid?’”
He also believes Rodgers is going to going to really surprise people. He played only nine games last season due to injury but averaged 9.1 points the year before.
Article continues below this ad
“He was also a 2-to-1 assist/turnover guy and has a really high I.Q.,” Sellers said. “He is not the athlete that Jordan Jones was for us, but he is a really good, read-and-react guy. He will be one of our captains and leaders.”
One of the bright young stars the Blue Devils brought in is freshman Elijah Parker from Holy Cross-Waterbury. Sellers thought he might be a tremendous redshirt candidate, a guy like Smith who would learn for a year and then have a breakout season and become a star.
Parker has played so well since he arrived on campus, however, that he has played himself into the rotation for this season.
“He can really score, but what I really like about him is that he is such an elite decision-maker, playmaker and basketball I.Q. guy,” Sellers said. “He is becoming a better shooter. Not only does he definitely have a chance to be the rotation, but he might start.”
Article continues below this ad
With a great core, the fate of the Blue Devils, who were 25-7 last year and 20-11 the year before, may rest on the development of transfers they brought in or redshirt players ready to emerge.
Sellers said they have remained near the top of the conference because of their ability to find talented Division II transfers, community college players or Division I guys who haven’t found their niche yet.
He believes shooters like Roddy Jones, who redshirted last season, and Melo Sanchez, who transferred from Arkansas could make the Blue Devils better offensively than their last two teams were.
Article continues below this ad
“This team has a different personality from the last two, and we won’t know how good we are until we start playing,” Sellers said. “But I think this team has much more basketball I.Q. so when we play against a good defensive team and things break down, we have guys who can play and figure it out.
“We will shoot the ball better from the perimeter and have the potential to be a better offensive team, but whether we win the league again is a matter of whether or not we finish up on the defensive end.”
Health
The child, who is under the age of 10 and unvaccinated, recently traveled internationally, health officials said.
An unvaccinated child in Connecticut has been diagnosed with measles, public health officials confirmed, the state’s first confirmed case of the highly contagious disease since 2021.
The child, who is under the age of 10, lives in Fairfield County, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced last week. The child had recently travelled internationally before showing symptoms including cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, and eventually a full-body rash.
“The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated,” Connecticut DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said in a statement. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective, while two doses are about 97 percent effective.”
The United States has seen a record high 1,912 measles cases since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, the CDC reported. As of July 7, this year has also reported the most cases in more than 30 years, according to the International Vaccine Access Center.
Earlier this year, West Texas saw a measles outbreak of hundreds of cases, mostly among unvaccinated children who had to be hospitalized. About one in five unvaccinated people diagnosed with measles are hospitalized, Connecticut DPH said, and the disease can be especially dangerous for children.
“We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most – children and other vulnerable people – from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination,” Juthani said.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his overhaul on the childhood vaccine schedule and doubts on COVID vaccine safety, endorsed the measles vaccine after two children died from measles amid the outbreak in Texas.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy said in April.
Earlier this year, a Vermont child who had recently traveled internationally was confirmed to have been infected with measles. In March, a man tested positive for measles after traveling on an Amtrak train originating from Boston’s South Station to Washington D.C.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
The Connecticut high school football’s CIAC postseason wrapped up with the state championships this past weekend on Saturday.
Finishing in the No. 1 spot in this week’s final Top 25 rankings out of the Constitution State is Avon Old Farms after they defeated The Williston Northampton School, 35-21, in the Drew Gamere Bowl to end their season a few weeks ago. New Canaan sits right behind as they repeated as Class L champs. Which other teams from around Connecticut high school football deserves to be in the final set of Top 25 rankings for the 2025 campaign?
The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.
Here are the last Connecticut high school football rankings for 2025, according to Massey as of Dec. 14.
1. Avon Old Farms Beavers
Avon Old Farms (10-0) opened up the Connecticut high school football season by avenging a loss to Brunswick School from last season and have set the tone for the rest of the campaign. The Beavers have a talented offense that’s averaging 40.7 points per game, led by quarterback Matthew Baer, running back Kharon Craig, and offensive tackle Charlie Thom (Notre Dame commitment).
The Beavers have concluded their season play out of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Counci (NEPSAC) when they defeated The Williston Northampton School last week in the Drew Gamere Bowl, 35-21. Avon Old Farms finishes as the No. 1 team in the Connecticut high school football rankings.
2. New Canaan Rams
The defending Class L state champion New Canaan Rams (13-0) have done it once again as they defeated Cheshire, 34-13.
The Rams have won back to back playoff games versus Darien and Weaver with ease, winning by a combined 85-13. New Canaan won its 16th state championship in head coach Lou Marinelli’s legendary career. With the win, New Canaan clinched their fourth undefeated season in program history for the Rams (1968, 1969, 2008, 2025).
New Canaan has used a high-powered offense to cruise past opponents this fall, with quarterback Maddox Hoffman throwing for 1,936 yards and 21 touchdowns. Running back Henry Stein leads the ground game as he’s rushed for 916 yards and seven touchdowns.
3. Choate Rosemary Hall Wild Boars
Choate Rosemary Hall (8-2) saw its 18-game winning streak snapped back in Week 1 when they lost against New Hampshire’s Phillips Exeter Academy in a battle of top-ranked teams in their respective states.
The Wild Boars will finish likely within the Top 5 of the rankings after they ended their 2025 season in exciting fashion as they avenged that defeat by beating Phillips Exeter Academy in the Leon Modeste Bowl in a 44-42 thriller.
In 2024, the Wild Boars had completed their second consecutive perfect season after defeating Brunswick School. They have lost only four games over the last four Connecticut high school football seasons and only allowed only four opponent to score double digits.
The Wild Boars are another prep school that features multiple future Division I players, including Tanner Raymond (Rutgers) and interior offense lineman Will Tellers.
4. St. Thomas More Chancellors
St. Thomas More (1-3) remain steady as the No. 3 team in our latest set of Connecticut high school football rankings after a 50-21 loss to New Jersey’s No. 3 team, Hun School to end their season.
The Chancellors only losses from the 2024 season came against Maryland’s St. Frances Academy, Hun School, and Florida’s IMG Academy, respectively. St. Thomas More doesn’t have anymore scheduled games left on their 2025 slate.
Among the players the Chancellors feature on their roster are four-star edge rusher Alhassan Iddrissu (UCF), cornerback Terron Johnson, running back Malichi Greaves, and linebacker Christian King.
5. Daniel Hand Tigers
The Daniel Hand Tigers (13-1) has dominated in the Class SS playoffs, dominating all three opponents by a combined score of 122-32, after defeating the Killingly Trailblazers, 37-13, on Saturday.
Fueling the Daniel Hand offensive attack is the strong play of senior signal caller Bobby Reh, who has thrown for 2,194 yards and 29 touchdowns to only three mere picks. Junior running back Lucca Boyce leads the ground game with 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns.
6. St Joseph (8-2)
7. Cheshire Academy (7-3)
8. Windsor (12-1)
9. Brunswick School (6-4)
10. Greenwich (8-2)
11. Newtown (8-2)
12. Killingly (11-1)
13. Fairfield College Preparatory (8-2)
14. Wilton (10-2)
15. The Taft School (5-4)
16. Bunnell (10-3)
17. Kingswood-Oxford School (8-2)
18. Berlin (12-0)
19. The Loomis Chaffee School (3-6)
20. Darien (6-5)
21. Brookfield (8-3)
22. Staples (5-5)
23. Cheshire (8-3)
24. Southington (7-3)
25. Mark T. Sheehan (10-3)
For Connecticut high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Constitution State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Connecticut high school scores and football rankings.
VESTAL, NY (WBNG) — In a second straight doubleheader Saturday following up a Bearcats women’s win, the Bearcats men’s team dropped their second consecutive home game, 84-67 to Central Connecticut State.
In a closely contested matchup early on, the Bearcats stayed in it heading into the break only trailing by seven points.
In the second half, Binghamton brought it to within four points before the Blue Devils pulled away once again and went on an 11-0 run and went up by as much as 20 points.
Darin Smith Jr. finished with a game high, 23 points for the Blue Devils.
The Bearcats were without center, Demetrius Lilley which led to junior forward, Zyier Beverly, having an increased role.
Beverly led Binghamton with 21 points and five rebounds.
After back-to-back losses at home, the Bearcats now go on the road for a three game road stretch starting on Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Pittsburgh at 7p.m.
Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.
Detroit, MI3 minutes ago
Lions no longer control own destiny to postseason after loss to Rams
San Francisco, CA15 minutes ago
San Francisco honors legendary photographer Jim Marshall with street named in his memory
Dallas, TX21 minutes ago
Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers is just getting started
Boston, MA33 minutes ago
Free December events in Boston: Hanukkah celebrations, new play readings, and more – The Boston Globe
Denver, CO39 minutes ago
Where do Packers stand in NFC playoff picture after loss in Denver?
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia1 year ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Education2 years ago
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
News7 hours ago
Bill and Hillary Clinton’s Stance on Epstein Testimony Nov. 3
Politics9 hours ago
Small Business Administration unveils new initiative to roll back federal regulations
World10 hours ago
Analysis: Trump’s policies set to widen EU-US innovation gap
News10 hours ago
With federal relief on the horizon, Black farmers worry it won’t come soon enough
Politics21 hours ago
Trump’s election win filled Hamas with ‘fear,’ hostage held like ‘slave’ for 505 days recounts
-
Alaska1 week agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas1 week agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Washington6 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa1 week agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Miami, FL1 week agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Iowa2 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Cleveland, OH1 week agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World1 week ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
