BEVERLY, Mass. (3/27/2025) – The Conference of New England (CNE) announced the All-40
th Team for Men's Basketball, as the Nichols College Men's Basketball team saw seven alumni land on the list.
Matt Alectus '23, DeAnte Bruton '20, Marcos Echevarria '19, Irving Eggleston '16,
Tavon Jones '24, Matt Sheehan '14, and Jaekwon Spencer '21 all represented the Bison.
The minimum criteria for the list began with at least two First Team All-Conference selections or at least one Player of the Year honor, while graduating from their institution. Both current and former league members can earn recognition on the teams.
Alectus, the 2022-23 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Defensive Player of the Year and First Team Selection, lead the conference in rebounds per game (11.9) and in blocks per game (2.2) his senior season. In the 2021-22 season he claimed Second Team honors.
Bruton, a four time All-Conference First Team, All-American, Rookie of the Year, and Regional Player of the Year (WAC BA). He graduates No. 1 in field goals made (863); No. 2 in scoring (2,334 points), steals (214), and games played (113); No. 3 in three-pointers (226); No. 4 in assists (374) and free throws (382); No. 6 in scoring average (20.6 ppg); and No. 7 in free throw pct. (80.6). Bruton became the fourth student-athlete to reach 2,000 points.
Echevarria, the two-time Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Player of the Year, has his name all over the record book for the Bison. He graduated as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,519 points. He also leads in games played in a season (31) and career (119), three pointers made (479), free throws made (512), highest free throw percentage (85.3), and steals (223). Echevarria graduated ranked first all-time from any division in consecutive games with a three-pointer made (105). Echevarria was a three-time First Team selection as well as three-time D3Hoops.com All-Northeast Region First Team. He was named to the D3Hoops.com All-American Second Team his senior season.
Eggleston, a two-time Player of the Year and the 2015-16 Defensive Player of the Year, Eggleston graduated No. 12 in scoring in men's basketball history with 1,298 points while sharing the program record for steals (193). He led the Bison to three-straight first-place finishes in the CCC, highlighted by the program's first-ever trip to the CCC Championship game in 2013-14. After starting just seven of his first 41 collegiate games and averaging 7.0 ppg, the East Lyme, Connecticut native earned a share of CCC Player of the Year honors in 2014-15, when he averaged 18.3 ppg and led the Bison in scoring 10 times, highlighted by a career-high 33 points against Gordon on February 5. A CCC First Team pick, Eggleston went on to garner Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Men's Basketball All-Star Third Team honors.
Jones, the 2023-24 Player of the Year and First Team selection. He also garnered NABC and D3Hoops.com All-Region First Team honors, as well. Jones was previously recognized twice by D3Hoops.com on their National Team of the Week as a guard. In addition to his Player of the Year and First Team accolades, Jones was also recognized a total of five times as the CCC's Player of the Week after finishing the season with a conference-best points per game average (22.0), a second highest mark in in steals (57), and a third-ranked mark in assists (105) and rebounds (223).
Sheehan, was a three-time Conference Player of the Year, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. He one of the most decorated student-athletes in the history of Nichols College, Sheehan graduated as the all-time leading scorer in men's basketball program history with 2,106 points. He is one of just three student-athletes to reach the 2,000-point mark, joining Marcos Echevarria '19 (2,519 points) and Billy Collins '95 (2,014 points). Sheehan was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England & D3hoops.com Rookie of the Year in 2010-11 after leading the conference in scoring (20.1 ppg). For his efforts, he also garnered second team all-conference honors and was a D3hoops.com Northeast Region Third Team pick. Sheehan was named a finalist for the Jostens Trophy as a senior, which is awarded to the best student-athlete in men's basketball at the Division III level, after leading the Bison to a then program-record 23 wins and the first of six-straight CCC Regular Season Championships. Sheehan finished third in the conference in scoring (18.3 ppg) and established single-season school records for free throws made (158) and attempted (193) – records which still stand today.
Spencer, the 2020-21 Defensive Player of the Year and First Team selection. Scored 950 points in three seasons with the Bison, while averaging 11.1 points averaging 5.6 rebounds in his time with the Bison. Spencer shot a career 43.9% (344-784) and 33.1% (118-357) from three. He became third student-athlete to tally 100 career blocks at Nichols and posted a team-leading 52 blocked shots in 2020-21, is fifth-highest single-season mark in program history.
