PAT LONGOBARDI — Sports Writer
As the SCSU men’s basketball program continues its rebuilding stages, it has taken another positive step.
Three members of the Owls team received year-end honors by the Northeast-10 Conference on the All-Conference teams, with two underclassmen continuing to be stepping stones for the program.
Junior forward Trevon Hamlet and sophomore guard Greg Langston both earned All-Conference honors. Freshman guard Tylon Smith was also named to the All- Rookie Team.
For Hamlet and Langston, both came into their own last season in their first year at Southern and have helped put Southern on the map this season.
“It feels good [to get all-conference],” Hamlet said. “It was a good situation. I think I deserved it. I think I could have been on the first team. I worked hard. It all starts with defense. I try to lock it down first and help get us going.”
Hamlet, from Brooklyn, N.Y., earned All-Conference for the second straight year. Hamlet, a preseason All-American by The Sporting News, was named to the Second-Team. Hamlet ended the season starting all 27 games played and averaged 16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in the regular season. Hamlet led the Northeast-10 Conference with 61 total blocks and was No. 17 in Division II in blocks per game with an average of 2.3 blocks.
Langston, from Stratford, Conn., was named to the Third- Team. Langston finished the regular season as the leading scorer in the conference. He played in all 27 games, starting in 26, and finished the regular season averaging 17.2 points per game, 4.5 rebounds. Langston was also tied for the team lead with 41 steals. He is ranked first in the league in field goals made.
Langston said he has tried to contribute all season for the team.
“It is an honor for being all-conference,” he said. “The Northeast-10 Conference is one of the toughest in the country. In my first year as a freshman, I was in more of the sixth-man role off of the bench and as a spark. This year, I had a different role and more as a scorer. My role is to do the best that I can and help the team any way that I can. We are all friends on and off of the court, which is one of our strengths.”
SCSU head coach Michael Donnelly said both Hamlet and Langston have really helped the team with their key roles this season.
“Trevon and Greg came in together last year,” he said. “What they have done is help solidify the program. They have continued to improve and they have invested a lot into the program. They have matured and grown and have continued to be better leaders and students. I think they will be even better next year.”
Southern ended the season 14-13 overall and 12-10 in the Northeast-10 for the program’s first winning season since the 2001-02 season. The Owls won six of their last seven games in the regular season to earn the number five seed and a first round bye in the conference tournament. It was also the highest regular season finish for the Owls since joining the league in 2000-01.
While on their winning streak at the end of the season, the Owls looked like a team that would cause some damage during the post-season.
“We won some in a row [in the second half] and I think we played good,” Hamlet said. “The chemistry was good and we were really confident going into the conference tournament. I want work on everything and mostly my strength. Really, my strength most of all, my legs and then everything else. I think we can go far [next season]. We are all coming back and we will be more motivated after losing by that good run [in the second half].”
After the first two years and making the conference tournament in consecutive years under their new head coach, the Owls are going in the right direction.
Langston said the team is still determined and they are ready to build for next season.
“I want to work hard [in the off-season],” he said. “We have all of the pieces to contend for a championship [next season]. We are pretty young with six or seven sophomores. We also have a year of experience [with this season’s lineup], which will help too.”
