page_title: Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
section_title: Winners
hierarchical_section_title: Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year / Winners
caption_attribution_description: Todd Bivona - Alumni Day @ Marist; Former NBA Star Rik Smits in attendance - Someone else took this picture and credit should be given to the proper authority!
context_page_description: The Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual college basketball award given to the Northeast Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1982–83 season, when the league was known as the ECAC Metro Conference.
  The most well-recognized NEC Player of the Year is Marist's Rik Smits, who won the award in 1987 and 1988. Smits went on to have a successful National Basketball Association career for 12 seasons, all with the Indiana Pacers. In 1998, Smits was named an Eastern Conference All-Star.
  LIU has the most winners with eight, all of whom represented Long Island University's Brooklyn campus before the school merged the athletic programs of its Brooklyn and Post campuses in July 2019. Robert Morris, which left the NEC for the Horizon League in 2020, is in second with six. All charter members of the Northeast Conference that are still members have had at least one winner.
caption: Rik Smits of Marist went on to have a successful NBA career with the Indiana Pacers.
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