Freshman Eli Wilborn (Middletown, Conn./Middletown [South Kent]), a member of the Saint Francis men's basketball team, has been named a Northeast Conference (NEC) Prime Performer for the Week of January 23-28). Wilborn earned the recognition for the fifth time, and all those honors have come in the last nine weeks.

Wilborn averaged 16.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for the Red Flash in the week. The freshman posted 13 points and seven rebounds in a 75-71 win against Sacred Heart on Thursday. He corralled the defensive rebound with the Red Flash clinging to a three-point lead and made a free throw to ice the game in a win against the preseason favorite in the closing seconds. The Connecticut native matched his career high points (19) that he set eight days prior, and he established a career-high 16 rebounds and three blocks against Merrimack on Saturday. The 16 rebounds in the game are the second most by an NEC player this season, while the 16 rebounds are the second most by a freshman under head coach Rob Krimmel and marked the 22nd time in his tenure a player has corralled at least 15 rebounds.
 
Wilborn has moved into a tie for the NEC lead in rebounding (7.5 rpg.) and offensive rebounds (3.05 rpg.), while ranking 23rd in scoring (10.0 ppg.), second in blocked shots (1.81 pg.), third in field goal percentage (56.6) and sixth in defensive rebounds (4.43 rpg.). In conference play, Wilborn is 12 in scoring (13.6 ppg.) and first in rebounding (9.1 rpg.).
 
Wilborn has registered double figures in five straight games with a pair of 19-point games, two 13-point performances, and a 14-point game in that stretch. The freshman has posted double-figures in points in seven of the eight league games this season and a team-leading 13 times this season. Wilborn registered his seventh double-double on the year, and the fourth time he has turned the trick in the circuit.
 
Wilborn was also named an NEC Prime Performer for the fifth time this season after earning the honor in weeks four, five, nine, 11 and 12. Sophomore Cam Gregory (Accokeek, Md./The Steward School [Va.]) leads the team with six Prime Performers (weeks three, five, six, seven, eight and 10), and freshmen Bobby Rosenberger III (Quakertown, Pa.) (week two) and Carlos Lopez, Jr. (Egg Harbor, N.J.) (week eight) have also earned the honor.
 
Wilborn is one of four Saint Francis men's basketball players who have earned NEC Rookie of the Week honors this season, the second most in NEC history, trailing the 2018-19 Mount St. Mary's team with five different players receive the distinction. The squad has had the top rookie in a week in seven of the 12 weeks this season. Wilborn has earned the top rookie honor four times (November 27-December 3, December 4-10, December 18-24, January 16-22). Rosenberger (November 13-19), Aaron "Ace" Talbert (Wyandanch, N.Y./Scotland Campus [Pa.] (Combine Academy [N.C.]) (December 11-17) and Lopez (December 25-31) also earned the honor this season.   
 
The four freshmen and Aidan Harris (Annapolis, Md.) have started the last two games to help the Red Flash become the first team in NCAA Division I to start five freshman in the same game, while it was also the first time the Frankies have turned the trick in program history.
 
Saint Francis returns to action on Thursday when it starts a two-game road trip at CCSU. The game time is 7 p.m.