Joe Nesci was a part-time assistant when the NYU men's basketball program was revived in 1984. Ten years later he coached the Violets to the national title game. NYU athletics photo

Joe Nesci didn't start playing competitive basketball until he was 15 years old. His true love -- and sport of choice -- was baseball.

Even when he picked up basketball, it was just at the club and CYO levels. By his senior year in high school, Nesci found himself mostly just helping out around the CYO league. Playing basketball wasn't in the cards. Coaching basketball, however, was something Nesci wanted to pursue.

Fast forward some three-plus decades, seven NCAA tournament appearances (including one title game appearance) and 417 wins later, and there's little doubt that Nesci, now in his 24th season as the New York University men's basketball team's head coach, has compiled a worthy coaching resume.

With a Dec. 30 win over Hamilton, Nesci surpassed NYU hall of famer Howard Cann for the most men's basketball wins at the school. But more than just all the raw numbers, Nesci has also been along from the start -- or really the "restart" -- for NYU.

"It gives me pause to reflect on really how blessed I've been," Nesci said. "... I feel really privileged to be part of what I feel is a tremendous basketball tradition."

Nesci joined the Violets' staff as a part-time assistant coach in the spring of 1984 under then-head coach Mike Muzio. Muzio was named NYU head coach just two weeks before the program -- then Division I -- was shut down in 1971. Muzio remained at the school, coaching club and JV basketball, along with his athletic director duties.

Muzio was a driving force behind NYU's revival in 1983 -- as a Division III program. Nesci was brought on the following season as an assistant, and eventually took over as head coach during the 1988-89 season.

Nesci still fondly recalls reaching the NCAA tournament as an assistant in 1986. With Nesci at the helm, the Violets put together a run of seven straight NCAA tournament berths from 1991-92 to 1997-98, highlighted by a 66-59 overtime loss to Lebanon Valley in the '94 title game.

The Violets appear on their way to a 20-win season -- which would be just the third such season since that seven-year stretch -- and could be poised for a return to the NCAA tournament. NYU, ranked No. 16 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, has won three straight and eight of its last nine to move atop the UAA standings.

The Violets have been winning with the same simple formula Nesci-led NYU teams have used for years -- combine smothering defense with a pass-first offensive philosophy. It also doesn't hurt that NYU is shooting 3-pointers at a record rate, either. The statistics bear all of this out.

The Violets are holding opponents to 39.7 percent shooting from the field, good for 36th in the nation.

"On the defensive end of the floor we've been much, much more solid and steady this year," Nesci said.

Senior forward Andy Stein (16.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG), junior forward Carl Yaffe (15.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG) and junior guard Kyle Stockmal (14.2 PPG, 50 3-pointers) are the key cogs in Nesci's lineup. Nesci also points to senior captain Jude Dworaczyk, a Rhodes Scholarship semifinalist and reserve guard who plays sparingly, as a key leader on the team.

Stein, at 6-foot-8, 245 pounds, is the stalwart down low, while Stockmal has been virtually unstoppable from 3-point range.

Stockmal leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (52.1 percent) and has drained 28 of his last 38 attempts over seven games, including five of eight in a 98-85 win over Case Western Reserve Sunday.

Stein enters play Tuesday with 1,141 career points, which ranks 17th on NYU's career scoring list -- a list, keep in mind, that features Naismith Hall of Famers in Dolph Schayes and Tom "Satch" Sanders, along with 18 others that have suited up in the NBA.

Andy Stein and NYU have seven UAA wins already against two losses, their most UAA wins since 2006-07's 8-6 mark. NYU athletics photo

"Andy works extremely hard, so when your top performers are very hard workers daily in practice, it's certainly going to rub off on, especially, your newcomers and your younger players," Nesci said. "He's improved his game steadily every year and it's no coincidence, it's largely through his hard work."

"I certainly felt we could compete at a very high level this year, and the guys are really doing that," Nesci said.

This year's team accomplished a feat for the first time ever for a program that dates to 1906 and has been in the UAA for decades -- it swept the annual Midwest trip, beating Chicago and Washington University on Jan. 20 and Jan. 22, respectively.

Last season, the Violets lost seven games by six points or less. This year, 14 of NYU's 17 wins have come by double digits, including six by at least 20 points.

"We're just more consistent. We lost a lot of close games last year," Nesci said.

Three of the Violets' final five conference games will be played on the road, so the UAA is still far from decided. But Nesci said if his team emerges on top of the conference, it will be ready for what lies ahead in the NCAA tournament.

"I definitely think we have the means to be a tournament team, and to do well in the tournament," Nesci said. "... The toughest part is getting into the tournament. But once you're in, coming through the UAA schedule, I think it toughens you to a point where you're really ready for tournament play."

Keene State stuns Middlebury

There are wins, and then there are program-defining wins. Keene State's upset over then-No. 1 Middlebury last Tuesday qualifies as the latter.

Junior Rashad Wright sank a turnaround jump hook to give the Owls a 77-76 lead with 1:12 remaining, and Keene State's defense would make the one-point lead hold up. Wright had a key block on Middlebury's Joey Kizel in the final five seconds to secure the win.

"I think it's so good for this institution," Keene State coach Rob Colbert told the school's official athletics website. "To see the fans storm the floor, that's what this is all about. That's why you have athletics. It can bring so many groups together.

"It puts us in the national conversation. It's definitely a marquee win for the program."

The win vaulted Keene State into the Top 25 poll this week, and added to an impressive resume that also features a win over previously-ranked Rhode Island College. Wright finished with 15 points and nine rebounds to lead Keene State. Kizel led all scorers with 24 points, while Ryan Sharry added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Middlebury.

Senior guard DaQuan Brooks became the first player in Western Connecticut State history to eclipse the 2,000-point plateau for his career.

Brooks reached the milestone in a 78-62 win over Connecticut College on Jan. 31, in which he exploded for a season-high 47 points. Brooks shot 17 of 27, including 9 of 15 from 3-point range.

Brooks ranks third in the nation with a 27.2 points per game average, trailing only Johnson and Wales' Lamonte Thomas (32.8) and Hardin-Simmons' Matt Addison (28.0).

At this point, Brandeis senior Tyrone Hughes probably deserves a nickname. Is "Mr. Clutch" too cliche? Maybe so, but it's fitting.

For the second time this season -- and third in his career -- Hughes drained a buzzer beater to lift Brandeis to a win. Hughes hit an off-balance jumpshot at the gun to give the Judges a 77-76 win over Carnegie Mellon on Sunday. On Jan. 22, Hughes sank a three-pointer to force overtime against Chicago. Brandeis eventually won that game in the extra session.

The first buzzer beater of his career came last season in a 67-65 win over Clark. Hughes isn't just key late in the games, either. He's averaging 8.0 points per game and 5.2 assists per game, and notched what is believed to be the first triple-double in Brandeis history in the win over Chicago (17 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists).

Watch Hughes' buzzer beater a few sections down in this column.

Medaille continues quiet success

For a college basketball team to make it to Feb. 7 with only two losses, it's obviously doing something right.

So here we sit, with the regular season winding down, and once again, the Medaille Mavericks are atop the AMCC standings. Medaille, which sits at 20-2 (14-1 AMCC), is looking for its third conference title in the last four seasons.

The Mavericks, led by a balanced offensive attack and stingy defense, have won eight in a row following a 70-59 loss to La Roche, the conference preseason favorite. Still, with three games remaining, Medaille holds a two-game lead over La Roche in the conference standings.

Phil Maiarana leads the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game, but the Mavericks have six other players averaging at last 7.5 points per game. The regular season finale against La Roche on Feb. 18 will likely decide the regular season conference champion. 

Young Endicott squad hanging tough

The 2011-12 season was expected to be a rebuilding year for the Endicott Gulls.

The team had graduated a trio of seniors that, quite frankly, did it all for the Gulls. Ashley Wright, Ashley Vitale and Brittany Kelleher combined to score 59.7 percent of the team's total points and pull down 48.8 percent of the total rebounds last season. Replacing that kind of production is not easy.

Endicott entered this season with just two upperclassmen (one senior, one junior), and seven sophomores and five freshmen. So while the future seemed bright for first-year head coach Brittany Hutchinson, a down year was expected. The Gulls apparently missed that note.

Endicott sits at 13-8 overall and 10-4 in the new-look CCC, trailing only University of New England by two games in the conference standings. The Gulls have four games left -- including one head-to-head -- to catch the Nor'easters and clinch their first-ever conference title.

Forward Samantha Crough, one of those seven sophomores, has stepped up as a go-to scorer. Crough is averaging a team-best 14.3 points per game, along with 6.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore Jennifer White has emerged as the Gulls' top all-around contributor, with averages of 10.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Jordan Ferland, the Gulls' third sophomore starter, and freshman reserve Kayleen Whall has also played key roles.

Hartwick pushed its winning streak to nine games with wins over Elmira and Alfred this past week. With the win over Alfred, Hartwick clinched a berth in the Empire 8 playoffs, its first appearance in seven seasons. Hartwick and Ithaca sit atop the Empire 8 with identical 10-1 conference marks.

Cortland State senior Micki Volpini reached the 1,000-point mark for her career in the Red Dragons' 63-60 win over Oswego State on Saturday. Volpini is just the 16th player to reach the plateau in program history.

Cortland improved to 13-7 (8-5 SUNYAC) and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the conference standings.

Cortland has five conference games remaining, including one each against all three teams higher in the standings.

This week's buzzer beaters

Feb. 5: Brandeis' Tyrone Hughes beats the buzzer to lift the Judges past Carnegie Mellon 77-76. Watch.

Feb. 3: Kwame Firempong hit a 15-footer as time expired to lift Tufts past Trinity (Conn.) 64-62 in a NESCAC game. Trinity's Mick DiStasio had tied the game with a three-pointer 12 seconds earlier. Watch.

Top 25 roundup -- Middlebury surrenders top spot

For the first time since the week one D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, there's a new No. 1 men's team. With its upset loss to Keene State, Middlebury slipped to No. 2 in this week's poll behind new No. 1 Hope. MIT and Amherst held steady at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.

NYU jumped up three spots to No. 16, while Oswego State climbed four spots to No. 18. Keene State (No. 21) and Albertus Magnus (No. 24) each cracked the top 25. Williams, Rhode Island College, Hartwick, WPI, Buffalo State, Eastern Connecticut State and Wesleyan all received votes to round out a fine weekly showing for the East/Northeast regions.

Amherst made it 10 consecutive weeks atop the women's Top 25 poll. Rochester, after three straight losses, fell from No. 5 to No. 11. Babson slipped one spot down to No. 18. Rhode Island College, Williams, Ithaca, Colby and Tufts all received votes.

Quick hits

Sedale Jones poured in 32 points and A.J. Stephens added 14 points and 15 rebounds off the bench as Curry upended CCC leader Salve Regina 80-73 on Saturday. Curry now sits in a three-way tie for third place in the conference standings. ... Melvis Langyintuo scored 27 points and Gerard O'Shea added 16 points and eight assists to lead Skidmore to a 91-52 win over Bard on Saturday. The Thoroughbreds have won two straight to move into second place in the Liberty League standings. ... Brad Ford scored 18 points to lead Nazareth to an 88-78 win over Utica on Saturday. Scott Hayford added 12 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Golden Flyers, which remained one game back Hartwick and Stevens in the Empire 8 standings. ... E.J. Taylor tallied a game-high 19 points in Wells' 60-58 win over Cazenovia last Wednesday. ... John Squires collected 16 points and 13 rebounds -- and hit the go-ahead layup in the closing seconds -- as Bates held off Trinity (Conn.) 60-59 on Saturday. Bates trails Wesleyan by a half-game for the No. 4 spot in the NESCAC standings. ... Husson held Castleton State to 35 percent shooting and forced 23 turnovers in a 96-78 win on Saturday. Luis Medina scored 26 points for Husson, which trails Castleton State, Maine-Farmington and Colby-Sawyer in the NAC standings. ... Fiona O'Dwyer led three starters in double figures with 15 points as the Emmanuel women's team downed Albertus Magnus 86-57 on Saturday. The win kept the Saints perfect in the GNAC and tied with St. Joseph's (Maine) atop the conference standings. ... Maddy Wetterhahn scored 12 points off the bench as the St. Lawrence women's team cruised past RIT 77-37 on Saturday. The Saints have won 14 in a row and have already clinched the Liberty League regular season crown.

Contact me

Whether you have an interesting story idea, know of a player or coach approaching a career milestone, or just want to talk basketball, I want to hear it. Please reach out to me at andrew.lovell@d3sports.com. You can also follow me on Twitter (@andrew_lovell).